Every year, the Recording Academy sparks a debate over how they got the Grammy nominations wrong. As much as we blame the Recording Academy, there’s no real way to please everyone. That being said, there are always some clear artists that they snub, and a few that many people feel should not have even been nominated. For the sake of this list, by “many people”, I’m referring to myself. So, in modifying the nominations for these categories that I’ve revised, I tried to consider that the list of artists should reflect more than just my own musical taste. Some of the artists may be on two different spectrums of popularity, but in a way, that’s one way to make everyone happy.
Album of the Year
Nominees:
Invasion of Privacy – Cardi B
By the Way, I Forgive You – Brandi Carlile
Scorpion – Drake
H.E.R. – H.E.R.
Beerbongs & Bentleys – Post Malone
Dirty Computer – Janelle Monáe
Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves
Black Panther: The Album, Music From and Inspired by – Various Artists
Who the Nominees Should Be:
H.E.R. – H.E.R.
Dirty Computer – Janelle Monáe
Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves
Black Panther: The Album, Music From and Inspired by – Various Artists
Lush – Snail Mail
Whack World – Tierra Whack
Room 25 – Noname
Daytona – Pusha T
Post Malone, Cardi B, Drake, and Brandi Carlile had a great year in terms of streaming. It’s not that there albums were bad, but the albums that replaced them in my last were far better.
Song of the Year
Nominees:
“All the Stars” – Kendrick Lamar & SZA
“Boo’d Up” – Ella Mai
“God’s Plan” – Drake
“In My Blood” – Shawn Mendes
“The Joke” – Brandi Carlile
“The Middle” – Zedd, Maren Morris, & Grey
“Shallow” – Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
“This is America” – Childish Gambino
Who the Nominees Should Be:
“All the Stars” – Kendrick Lamar & SZA
“This is America” – Childish Gambino
“Pristine” – Snail Mail
“Slow Burn” – Kacey Musgraves
“Sicko Mode” – Travis Scott & Drake
“Nobody” – Mitski
“Reborn” – KIDS SEE GHOSTS
“Black Truck” – Mereba
I feel like this category takes streams into account for more than the actual quality of the song. For that reason, I removed some songs and replaced them.
Best New Artist
Nominees:
Chloe x Halle
Luke Combs
Greta Van Fleet
H.E.R.
Dua Lipa
Margo Price
Bebe Rexha
Jorja Smith
Who the Nominees Should Be:
Chloe x Halle
H.E.R.
Jorja Smith
Snail Mail
J.I.D
Tierra Whack
Kali Uchis
Bad Bunny
This was a tough one because there are always new, talented artists emerging. A lot of times with new artists, the label really determines your outreach. The reasons I removed most of the original nominees is because the artists I replaced them with had a better year, disregarding how much push they got from their labels.
Best Rap Album
Nominees:
Invasion of Privacy – Cardi B
Swimming – Mac Miller
Victory Lap – Nipsey Hussle
Daytona – Pusha T
Astroworld – Travis Scott
Who the Nominees Should Be:
DiCaprio 2 – J.I.D
Swimming – Mac Miller
Room 25 – Noname
Daytona – Pusha T
Whack World – Tierra Whack
This is category that should be mainly about the quality of the album. If the category is “Best Rap Album”, then the best rap albums should be nominated.
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What the Grammy Nominations Should Be: Featured Image Credit: @recordingacademy via Instagram
