Nominations for the 2018 Grammy awards were officially announced today, and minority artists are topping this year’s ballot.
Jay-Z received eight nominations for his album “4:44,” and Kendrick Lamar received seven for his album “DAMN.” Both include a number of references to race and racial politics.
The New York Times notes that while all major award shows are under scrutiny for how they handle diversity, “The Grammy nominations are striking, as minority artists dominate the ballot in nearly all of the most prestigious categories, including record, song and album of the year.”
Contenders for record of the year include Jay-Z for “The Story of O.J.,” Kendrick Lamar for “HUMBLE.,” Bruno Mars for “24K Magic,” Childish Gambino for “Redbone,” and Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee with Justin Bieber for “Despacito.”
The 60th annual Grammy awards will be broadcast from Madison Square Garden on January 28th. This year’s show will be the first to be held in New York in the past 15 years.
You can see the full list of this year’s Grammy nominees on the Grammy’s website.