Grammy awards 2018: Ed Sheeran snubbed as Jay-Z leads nominations

Rappers Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z dominate this year’s shortlists – while pop behemoths Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran are overlooked. Jay-Z is the leader of the 2018 Grammy Award nominations in a year where the top four categories are heavily dominated by rap and R&B artists, giving the often overlooked genres a strong chance of winning big.

Jay-Z’s personal and revealing album, “4:44,” is nominated for album of the year alongside Mars’ 90s-inspired R&B adventure “24K Magic,” Lamar’s hard-hitting rap masterpiece “DAMN.,” Gambino’s funk-soul project “Awaken My Love!” and Lorde’s critically acclaimed pop album, “Melodrama.”

Record of the year nominees include Jay-Z’s “The Story of O.J.,” a song about blackness and managing money that also references O.J. Simpson; Mars’ Top 5 hit, “24K Magic”; Lamar’s No. 1 smash, “Humble”; Gambino’s “Redbone,” which peaked at No. 12 on the Hot 100; and the year’s biggest hit, “Despacito,” by Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber.

“Despacito” is also nominated for song of the year — a songwriter’s award — along with Mars’ No. 1 hit, “That’s What I Like”; the title track from Jay-Z’s “4:44”; rapper Logic’s suicide prevention anthem, “1-800-273-8255”; and “Issues” by Julia Michaels, the singer who has written hits for Bieber, Selena Gomez and other pop stars.

Ed Sheeran’s third record, Divide, was largely snubbed. It did not receive a best album nod; instead, it was included in the best pop vocal album category alongside Coldplay, Lana Del Rey, Kesha, Lady Gaga and Imagine Dragons. His single Shape of You received a nomination for best pop solo performance. Taylor Swift’s single Look What You Made Me Do was eligible, but received no nominations.

Record of the Year

“Redbone” — Childish Gambino

“Despacito” — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber

“The Story Of O.J.” — Jay-Z

“HUMBLE” — Kendrick Lamar

“24K Magic” — Bruno Mars

 Album Of The Year

“Awaken, My Love!” — Childish Gambino

4:44 — Jay-Z

DAMN. — Kendrick Lamar

Melodrama — Lorde

24K Magic — Bruno Mars

 Song Of The Year

“Despacito” — Ramón Ayala, Justin Bieber, Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd, Erika Ender, Luis Fonsi & Marty James Garton, songwriters (Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber)

“4:44” — Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters (Jay-Z)

“Issues” — Benny Blanco, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Julia Michaels & Justin Drew Tranter, songwriters (Julia Michaels)

“1-800-273-8255” — Alessia Caracciolo, Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, Arjun Ivatury, Khalid Robinson, songwriters (Logic Featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid)

“That’s What I Like” — Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars)

 Best New Artist

Alessia Cara

Khalid

Lil Uzi Vert

Julia Michaels

SZA

 Best Pop Solo Performance

“Love So Soft” — Kelly Clarkson

“Praying” — Kesha

“Million Reasons” — Lady Gaga

“What About Us” — P!nk

“Shape Of You” — Ed Sheeran

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