In a word? Wow.
In a few more words? What the heck were you thinking, Grammy voters?!?
On Friday morning, nominations for the 2019 Grammy Awards were announced.
And while we’re fans of many of the artists and albums listed below, we’re also shocked over many of the artists and albums NOT nominated in various categories.
Who are the more egregious snubs?
Scroll down to see who’s up for the big awards and who really ought to have been instead…
Who IS Up in the Top Categories?
ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Cardi B, Invasion of Privacy; Janelle Monae, Dirty Computer; Brandi Carlile, By the Way, I Forgive You; Drake, Scorpion ; H.E.R., H.E.R.; Post Malone, Beer Bongs & Bentleys; Kacey Musgraves, Golden Hour; Feat. Kendrick Lamar, Black Panther: the Album.
Record of the Year
“I Like It†— Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin; “The Joke†— Brandi Carlile; “This Is America†— Childish Gambino; “God’s Plan — Drake; “Shallow†— Bradley Cooper & Lady Gaga; “All the Stars†— Kendrick Lamar & SZA; “Rockstar†— Post Malone featuring 21 Savage; “The Middle†— Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey
Song of the Year
“All the Stars†— Kendrick Duckworth, Solána Rowe, Al Shuckburgh, Mark Sears & Anthony Tiffith; “Boo’d Up†— Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai & Dijon McFarlane; “God’s Plan†— Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Brock Korsan, Ron LaTour, Matthew Samuels & Noah Shebib; “In My Blood†— Teddy Geiger, Schott Harris, Shawn Mendes & Geoffrey Warburton; “The Joke†— Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth; “The Middle†— Sarah Aarons, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Marcus Lomax, Kyle Trewartha and Anton Zaslavski; “Shallow†— Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt; “This Is America†— Donald Glover and Ludwig Goransson
Okay. So Who Got Snubbed?
Let’s start with Taylor Swift. According to Billboard, Reputation was the best-selling album of 2018 — and yet it only garnered a nomination for in the Best Pop Vocal Album category.
Talk About a Fall from Grace for Taylor, Huh?
Tell us about it.
And What About Travis Scott?
Forget his romance with Kylie for a moment. Astroworld sold over one million copies and included such contributors as Stevie Wonder, John Mayer and Earth, Wind & Fire’s Philip Bailey. The single “Sicko Mode†was the most popular record in the country this week.
And Ariana Grande?
Yes, she was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance (“God Is a Womanâ€Â) and Best Pop Vocal Album (Sweetener), but she also came up empty in the general categories. “Thank U, Next†arrived too late to be considered, the “Sweetener” earned Grande her biggest opening sales week of her career.
And Teyana Taylor?
K.T.S.E. was an album overlooked in the major R&B categories, as voters seemed to favor veteran artists such as Toni Braxton.
And Beyonce and Jay-Z?!?
There was no love for “Everything is Love,” the beloved couple’s popular collaboration. So much for the Grammys making it up to Beyonce after “Lemonade” somehow did NOT win Album of the Year in the past.
And Kanye West?
Incredibly, he has never won a Grammy outside of the rap and R&B categories. That won’t change this year… and we’ll probably be stuck having to hear all about it.
And Chris Stapleton?
We thought he had the best chance at getting a nomination in the main categories. And while his “From A Room: Volume 2†release did earn him a pair of nominations in the country fields, he didn’t break through beyond this genre.
And Justin Timberlake?
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (alongside Stapleton) was the only nomination for Timberlake and his “Man of the Woods†album this year.
And Lil Wayne?
Yes, “Tha Carter V” did come out just prior to the Grammy eligibility period. It was as anticipated as almost any hip hop album this year — yet didn’t receive a single nomination.
And Post Malone?
Werid one here: Post Malone was excluded from consideration in the Best New Artist category because his Stoney album had already introduced him to music fans. Yet… Alessia Cara was permitted into the category last year, despite having a huge hit already in “Here.”
And Juice Wrld?
“Lucid Dreams†was a smash. The guy came out of nowhere. But voters ignored him in every category, including such seemingly obvious ones as Best New Artist and Best Rap Song.