NEW YORK (Reuters) – After several near misses and heaps of outrage, this could finally be hip-hop and R&B’s year at the Grammy Awards on Sunday where rappers Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar dominate nominations for the top prizes on the biggest night in music.
Rap is now officially the biggest music genre in the United States after surpassing rock in 2017, but the odds are historically stacked against a hip-hop artist winning album of the year at the Grammys.
“Hip-hop and black music in general has really had its finger on the pulse of the American temperament for the last few years,” Ross Scarano, vice president of content at Billboard magazine, told Reuters.
“There is a sense that maybe this year some of the wrongs will be righted. I think people are looking to Kendrick and to Jay to do that,” Scarano said.
Factbox: Key nominations for the 2018 Grammy Awards
Ed Sheeran was snubbed in the album, song and record of the year categories despite his romantic pop album “Divide” being the biggest seller of 2017. That omission leaves only New Zealand-born singer-songwriter Lorde’s album “Melodrama” and the Latin global hit single “Despacito” to mount a serious challenge in the top races.
However, the Grammys aren’t just about the winners. In a three-hour live show where careers can be made or damaged, performers include Miley Cyrus, Elton John, U2, Sting, Kesha, Rihanna, Sam Smith, SZA and Broadway star Ben Platt.
The Grammy Awards, hosted by James Corden, will be broadcast live from New York’s Madison Square Garden on CBS television on Sunday starting at 7:30 pm ET.
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