Lil Baby, Pop Smoke, and More Nominated for 2021 Grammy Awards

The coveted Grammy Awards are right around the corner and the nominations for next year’s biggest day in music have been announced. On Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 24), the Recording Academy unveiled the full list of nominees for the 2021 Grammy Awards. Harvey Mason Jr., the chair and interim Recording Academy President/CEO introduced the candidates—alongside a host of artists and celebrities—during a livestream.

Lil Baby received two nods for his anthemic protest track, “The Bigger Picture,” for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance. The late Pop Smoke was also nominated for Best Rap Performance with “Dior.” Travis Scott snagged a Best Melodic Rap Performance nomination for “Highest in the Room.”

DaBaby and Roddy Ricch are up for Record of the Year with their collaborative effort “Rockstar.”

Also, 2020 XXL Freshman Chika received a nod for Best New Artist.

Within the list of gifted artists, Nas, Jay Electronica, D Smoke, Freddie Gibbs and the Alchemist and Royce Da 5’9” were all nominated for the Best Rap Album category.

Last year, J. Cole and his Dreamville collective were up for the award for their album Revenge of the Dreamers III. Meek Mill’s Championships, Tyler, The Creator’s Igor, 21 Savage’s I Am > I Was and YBN Cordae’s The Lost Boy were nominated as well.

The former Odd Future member took home the honor, but not without calling out the Grammy Awards for their voting process.

“I’m half and half on it,” Tyler said. “Um on one side, I’m grateful that what I can make can just be acknowledged in a world like this but also it sucks that, whenever we, and I mean guys that look like me, do anything that’s genre-bending or that’s anything, they always put it in a rap or urban category, which is … and I don’t like that ‘urban’ word. It’s just the politically correct way to say the N-Word to me. So when I hear that I’m just like ‘Why can’t we just be in pop?.'”

He continued: “So I felt like half of me feels like the rap nomination was a backhanded compliment. Like, ‘Oh, my little cousin wants to play the game. Let’s give him the unplugged controller so he can shut up and feel good about it.’ That’s what it felt like a bit. But another half of me is very grateful that the art that I made can be acknowledged on a level like this when I don’t do the radio stuff. I’m not playing in Target. I’m in a whole different world than what a lot of people here listen to so I’m grateful and like ehh.”

The 2021 Grammy Awards, which will be hosted by Trevor Noah, is set to take place on Jan. 31, 2021 on CBS at 8 p.m. EST. Check out the full list of nominations for the 2020 Grammy Awards.

2021 Grammy Awards Nominees

Record of the Year

“Black Parade,” Beyoncé
“Colors,” Black Pumas
“Rockstar,” DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch
“Say So,” Doja Cat
“Everything I Wanted,” Billie Eilish
“Don’t Start Now,” Dua Lipa
“Circles,” Post Malone
“Savage,” Megan Thee Stallion

Album of the Year

Chilombo, Jhené Aiko
Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition), Black Pumas
Everyday Life, Coldplay
Djesse Vol. 3, Jacob Collier
Women in Music Pt. III, Haim
Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa
Hollywood’s Bleeding, Post Malone
Folklore, Taylor Swift

Song of the Year

“Black Parade,” Denisia Andrews, Beyoncé, Stephen Bray, Shawn Carter, Brittany Coney, Derek James Dixie, Akil King, Kim “Kaydence” Krysiuk and Rickie “Caso” Tice, songwriters (Beyoncé)
“The Box,” Samuel Gloade and Rodrick Moore, songwriters (Roddy Ricch)
“Cardigan,” Aaron Dessner and Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
“Circles,” Louis Bell, Adam Feeney, Kaan Gunesberk, Austin Post and Billy Walsh, songwriters (Post Malone)
“Don’t Start Now,” Caroline Ailin, Ian Kirkpatrick, Dua Lipa and Emily Warren, songwriters (Dua Lipa)
“Everything I Wanted,” Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
“I Can’t Breathe,” Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.)
“If the World Was Ending,” Julia Michaels and JP Saxe, songwriters (JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels)

Best New Artist

Ingrid Andress
Phoebe Bridgers
Chika
Noah Cyrus
D Smoke
Doja Cat
Kaytranada
Megan Thee Stallion

Best Rap Performance

“Deep Reverence,” Big Sean featuring Nipsey Hussle
“Bop,” DaBaby
“What’s Poppin,” Jack Harlow
“The Bigger Picture,” Lil Baby
“Savage,” Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé
“Dior,” Pop Smoke

Best Melodic Rap Performance

“Rockstar,” DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch
“Laugh Now Cry Later,” Drake featuring Lil Durk
“Lockdown,” Anderson .Paak
“The Box,” Roddy Ricch
“Highest in the Room,” Travis Scott

Best Rap Song

“The Bigger Picture,” Dominique Jones, Noah Pettigrew and Rai’shaun Williams, songwriters (Lil Baby)
“The Box,” Samuel Gloade and Rodrick Moore, songwriters (Roddy Ricch)
“Laugh Now Cry Later,” Durk Banks, Rogét Chahayed, Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Ron LaTour and Ryan Martinez, songwriters (Drake featuring Lil Durk)
“Rockstar,” Jonathan Lyndale Kirk, Ross Joseph Portaro IV and Rodrick Moore, songwriters (DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch)
“Savage,” Beyoncé, Shawn Carter, Brittany Hazzard, Derrick Milano, Terius Nash, Megan Pete, Bobby Session Jr., Jordan Kyle Lanier Thorpe and Anthony White, songwriters (Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé)

Best Rap Album

Black Habits, D Smoke
Alfredo, Freddie Gibbs and the Alchemist
A Written Testimony, Jay Electronica
King’s Disease, Nas
The Allegory, Royce Da 5’9”

Best R&B Performance

“Lightning & Thunder,” Jhené Aiko featuring John Legend
“Black Parade,” Beyoncé
“All I Need,” Jacob Collier featuring Mahalia and Ty Dolla Sign
“Goat Head,” Brittany Howard
“See Me,” Emily King

Best R&B Song

“Better Than I Imagine,” Robert Glasper, Meshell Ndegeocello and Gabriella Wilson, songwriters (Robert Glasper featuring H.E.R. and Meshell Ndegeocello)
“Black Parade,” Denisia Andrews, Beyoncé, Stephen Bray, Shawn Carter, Brittany Coney, Derek James Dixie, Akil King, Kim “Kaydence” Krysiuk and Rickie “Caso” Tice, songwriters (Beyoncé)
“Collide,” Sam Barsh, Stacey Barthe, Sonyae Elise, Olu Fann, Akil King, Josh Lopez, Kaveh Rastegar and Benedetto Rotondi, songwriters (Tiana Major9 and Earthgang)
“Do It,” Chloe Bailey, Halle Bailey, Anton Kuhl, Victoria Monét, Scott Storch and Vincent Van Den Ende, songwriters (Chloe X Halle)
“Slow Down,” Nasri Atweh, Badriia Bourelly, Skip Marley, Ryan Williamson and Gabriella Wilson, songwriters (Skip Marley and H.E.R.)

Best Progressive R&B Album

Chilombo, Jhené Aiko
Ungodly Hour, Chloe X Halle
Free Nationals, Free Nationals
F**k Yo Feelings, Robert Glasper
It Is What It Is, Thundercat

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

“Un Dia (One Day),” J Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny and Tainy
“Intentions,” Justin Bieber featuring Quavo
“Dynamite,” BTS
“Rain on Me,” Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande
“Exile,” Taylor Swift featuring Bon Iver

Best Dance Recording

“On My Mind,” Diplo & Sidepiece
“My High,” Disclosure Featuring Aminé & Slowthai
“The Difference,” Flume featuring Toro y Moi
“Both of Us,” Jayda G
“10%,” Kaytranada Featuring Kali Uchis

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album

Run to the Father, Cody Carnes
All of My Best Friends, Hillsong Young & Free
Holy Water, We The Kingdom
Citizen of Heaven, Tauren Wells
Jesus Is King, Kanye West

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

Jack Antonoff
Dan Auerbach
Dave Cobb
Flying Lotus
Andrew Watt

See the full list of Grammy Award nominees here.