By Jon Muñoz
The 2025 Grammy nominations have finally been revealed and have featured a star-stacked list: Billie Eilish, Charli XCX, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Sabrina Carpenter, and more. Most of these big pop artists have been nominated for overall categories such as “Album of the Year” and “Record of the Year.” Despite this powerful roster, for some unexplained reason, hip-hop artists, except Kendrick Lamar, are not featured in these lists.
The Grammy Awards is one of the most celebrated and prestigious awards in music history. It is also one of the longest-lasting award shows in entertainment history.
“The Grammy Awards were first presented by NARAS [National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, commonly called the Recording Academy] in Los Angeles in 1959, when 28 prizes were given. Winners included Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and the Kingston Trio,” said Britannica.
The special element of the Grammys is the celebration of our favorite artist’s work and the recognition of it on a national scale. Seeing artists such as Beyoncé and Billie Eilish sweep the Grammys despite it being annoying for other artists is a fascinating thing to witness.
The Grammy Awards have recently announced their nominations for next year’s award show. The roster features big names such as Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and more. For many music fans, most of these names do not surprise many at this point. We have seen most of these artists be showered with nominations and awards in these ceremonies. While I do think they should be rewarded and acknowledged for their work, I think it is time to switch it up a bit. In fact, for next year’s ceremony, only one hip-hop artist was nominated for general categories such as “Record of the Year” and “Song of the Year”: Kendrick Lamar for “Not Like Us.”
Kendrick Lamar has been not only a powerhouse creatively speaking, but he is also one of the most beloved Grammy picks.
“To date, the California native has secured 50 GRAMMY nominations and won 17 trophies,” said BLEU Magazine.
While it is incredible to see him receive his flowers, it is a shame that he is one of the few who gets this type of treatment for overall categories. I believe it is time to nominate other talented hip-hop artists for these categories and stop placing them in their typical place.
In fact, this year alone, some of the highest-rated and commercially successful music came from hip-hop. Albums like WE DON’T TRUST YOU were commercial successes for Future and Metro Boomin, selling over 251,000 album units in their first week.
Another well-received hip-hop record was Blue Lips by ScHoolboy Q. While not as commercially successful as the previously mentioned project, it was still critically praised.
“The TDE [Top Dawg Entertainment] rapper’s sixth album is a daring feat that finds the sweet spot between comfort and anguish. It’s the rawest and most adventurous music of his career,” said Dylan Green from Pitchfork, giving the album a positive 8.3 out of 10 rating.
Hip-hop artists have the metrics and credibility to tackle these types of categories. The last time hip-hop won “Album of the Year” was in 2004 for Speakerboxxx/The Love Below by Outkast. It has been a staggering 20 years since hip-hop won the category.
While there isn’t a clear reason as to why the Grammys have not selected more hip-hop-based picks, there still can be theories made. Without a doubt, the awards have favored pop over almost any other genre for most of its runtime. Despite the hip-hop win with Outkast, the album still had pop appeal which might have been what drew them to select the album. It is no surprise that the pop genre appeals to a more broad audience than hip-hop or most genres do. However, that does not mean that it should overtake the awards ceremony every single time. They are leaving in the dark some of the most underrated and talented artists out there for the expense of a popularity show. If the Grammys want more respect and authority from hip-hop artists and their communities, they should recognize this transformative genre and properly reward them.
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Photo courtesy of Grammy Awards.