The 2020 Grammy nominations are coming this Wednesday. Hip-hop fans know that the Grammy committee has a tenuous history of getting it right when it comes to hip-hop (how many times can they wrong Kendrick!?), but every year is a new chance to reward the most deserving nominees. Hopefully, 2020 is a fresh start that shows hip-hop finally getting the recognition it has long deserved.
We compiled a list of a few notable artists who should see nominations not just in rap categories, but also for the Album Of The Year and Best New Artist categories. The future starts now.
Rapsody
Category: Best Rap Album
Rapsody has been rapping toe to toe with hip-hop’s most well-regarded acts for years, and her Eve album was roundly lauded as one of 2019’s best efforts. It’s time for the North Carolina artist to get her due as a hip-hop heavyweight, and the Grammy committee can help that happen with a nomination (and win) for Best Rap Album.
Tyler The Creator
Category: Album Of The Year
Tyler called out the Grammy committee in 2018 for what he perceived as a lack of love for his Flower Boy album, it looks like Tyler is primed for vindication with his latest effort. IGOR, his sonic smorgasbord of an album, is one of the few hip-hop albums that prognosticators are predicting to get an Album Of The Year nomination. The nod would be well-deserved.
YBN Cordae
Category: Best New Artist
There’s a good chance Megan Thee Stallion, DaBaby, and LIl Nas X will be hip-hop’s contributions to the Best New Artist category. But YBN Cordae deserves more than a passing glance in the deliberation process. His The Lost Boy album is one of the most refined hip-hop albums of the year. The release showed that he has what it takes to be in the Grammy nomination running for years to come — why not this year?
Little Brother
Category: Best Rap Album
Little Brother popped up from a nine-year hiatus with May the Lord Watch, a powerful comeback album that exemplified why a who’s who of today’s rap is inspired by the unheralded North Carolinians. It’s only right that Little Brother gets the roses they’ve always deserved with a Grammy nod for Best Rap Album.
DaBaby
Category: Best New Artist, Best Rap Song
It seems like everybody loves DaBaby. Will the Grammy committee feel the same way? The surging Charlotte rapper broke through for his city and hit us with two well-regarded albums in the same year. That should garner him strong consideration as a Best New Artist nominee. And his “Suge” single just may get some love for Best Rap Song or Performance.
Megan Thee Stallion
Category: Best New Artist
Will the Hot Girl Summer carry into February? It should. Megan The Stallion’s Fever and a slew of features have entrenched her as a hip-hop star on the cusp of superstardom. She has the confidence and charisma of a nine-time Grammy winner, but she’s just getting started. It seems like a no-brainer that she’ll be a nominee for Best New Artist, and “Hot Girl Summer” just may get a nod for Best Rap Performance.
Lil Nas X
Category: Song Of The Year, Best Rap Performance
Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” is such a historically titanic hit that it has the former social media troll in the running for a slew of awards this coming February. The controversial rap-country fusion will surely be in the conversation for Song Of The Year and Best Rap Performance. Lil Nas X should also end up receiving a nomination for Best New Artist.
Young Thug
Category: Best Rap Performance
Young Thug has long been a cult favorite, but his only Grammy nod has been as part of a collective on Childish Gambino’s “This Is America.” Things could change this year. His hypnotic “Hot” single with Gunna is one of the year’s most beloved records. Will it get him a nomination for Best Rap Performance?
Post Malone
Category: Best Rap Performance
Post Malone is a Grammy mainstay. Last year his “Rockstar” track with 21 Savage received two Grammy nominations. This year, the genre-bending artist will likely be in line for more nominations for his “Sunflower” collaboration with Swae Lee.
21 Savage & J Cole
Category: Best Rap Song
This one isn’t just about nominating quality music, it’s about making some amends. 21 Savage was a noticeable omission from last year’s ceremony after his ICE arrest. And J. Cole has long had gripes with the committee. Though he’s told off the Grammy committee numerous times, the committee has a chance to get on the right side of history by nominating 21 and Cole’s “A Lot” for a Best Rap Song Grammy.
Lil Wayne
Categories: Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song
Lil Wayne’s triumphant comeback to the game wasn’t just for diehards — people enjoyed the album, and it sold a boatload of records. Will the finale to the beloved Carter series get an Album Of The Year nomination? Even if Carter 5 doesn’t get the nod, “Uproar” was one of the hottest songs of last holiday season and should be in the running for Best Rap Song.
Lil Baby & Gunna
Category: Best Rap Song
Lil Baby & Gunna were rap’s co-rookies of the year in 2018, and their “Drip Too Hard” track was a major reason why. The song is Grammy eligible for 2020, and the murky earworm should definitely be in consideration of a nomination for Best Rap Song.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
