Jay Z just celebrated a birthday this week (December 4) and now he has plenty of reasons to keep the party going!
On top of signing a $240 million contract for his sports agency client Robinson Cano, Hov has scored the most nominations for the 56th Grammy Awards with nine nods, including one for Best Rap Album and two for both Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, a category that Beyonce appears on too for their duet “Part II (On The Run)” (we already can’t wait to see what she’ll wear to match his inevitable Tom Ford suit!).
Kendrick Lamar, Justin Timberlake, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and Pharrell Williams are right behind the leading man, with seven nods a piece. Kendrick will battle it out with Macklemore and Lewis for both Best New Artist and Album of The Year, while Pharrell is truly his own competition with a notable two Album of the Year nominations for this year’s summer hits: Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.” Drake and Daft Punk score five nods while Bruno Mars, Lorde, and Taylor Swift pick up four apiece.
While we love seeing some of the great usual suspects in the mix, we’re really excited to see a few new faces in the running too, like Tamar Braxton, Mack Wilds and TGT — who are each first time nominees. This year’s awards list feels more current and diverse with more of the artists we love, for once (though Kanye is sure to be unhappy with the announcement: “Yeezus” was passed over for major categories — again — though he did snag two nominations ).
Music’s biggest night will air live from L.A.’s Staples Center on Sunday, January 26, at 8 p.m. on CBS. Check out all the major nominee categories below, and visit Grammy.com for the full list:
Record of the Year
Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams – “Get Lucky”
Imagine Dragons – “Radioactive”
Lorde – “Royals”
Bruno Mars – “Locked Out of Heaven”
Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams – “Blurred Lines”
Album of the Year
Sara Bareilles – The Blessed Unrest
Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – The Heist
Taylor Swift – Red
Song of the Year
Pink feat. Nate Ruess – “Just Give Me a Reason”
Bruno Mars – “Locked Out of Heaven”
Katy Perry – “Roar”
Lorde – “Royals”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – “Same Love”
Best New Artist
James Blake
Kendrick Lamar
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Kacey Musgraves
Ed Sheeran
Best Pop Solo Performance
Sara Bareilles – “Brave”
Lorde – “Royals”
Bruno Mars – “When I Was Your Man”
Katy Perry – “Roar”
Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”
Best Pop Vocal Album
Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience: The Complete Experience
Lorde – Pure Heroine
Lana Del Rey – Paradise
Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines
Bruno Mars – Unorthodox Jukebox
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams – “Get Lucky”
Pink Featuring Nate Ruess – “Just Give Me A Reason”
Rihanna Featuring Mikky Ekko – “Stay”
Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams – “Blurred Lines”
Justin Timberlake & Jay Z – “Suit & Tie”
Best R&B Performance
Tamar Braxton – “Love And War”
Anthony Hamilton – “Best Of Me”
Hiatus Kaiyote Featuring Q-Tip – “Nakamarra”
Miguel Featuring Kendrick Lamar – “How Many Drinks?”
Snarky Puppy With Lalah Hathaway – “Something”
Best Urban Contemporary Album
Tamar Braxton – Love And War
Fantasia – Side Effects Of You
Salaam Remi – One: In The Chamber
Rihanna – Unapologetic
Mack Wilds – New York: A Love Story
Best R&B Album
Faith Evans – R&B Divas
Alicia Keys – Girl On Fire
John Legend – Love In The Future
Chrisette Michele – Better
TGT – Three Kings
Best Rap Performance
Drake – “Started From The Bottom”
Eminem – “Berzerk”
Jay Z – “Tom Ford”
Kendrick Lamar – “Swimming Pools (Drank)”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz – “Thrift Shop”
Best Rap Song
ASAP Rocky Featuring Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar – “F—in’ Problem”
Jay Z featuring Justin Timberlake – “Holy Grail”
Kanye West – “New Slaves”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – “Thrift Shop”
Drake – “Started From the Bottom”
Best Rap Album
Drake – Nothing Was The Same
Jay Z – Magna Carta…Holy Grail
Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid, M.A.A.D City
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – The Heist
Kanye West – Yeezus