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JAY-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars lead 2018 Grammy nominations

A year after Beyoncé topped the 2017 Grammy Awards nominations, her hubby is following suit.

A year after Beyoncé topped the 2017 Grammy Awards nominations, her hubby is following suit.

JAY-Z leads this year's pack with eight nods, including album of the year for 4:44, his critically acclaimed meditation on success, marriage and being black in America. He is joined in the Recording Academy's top category by Childish Gambino (Awaken! My Love), Kendrick Lamar (DAMN.), Lorde (Melodrama) and Bruno Mars (24K Magic).

It's the first album-of-the-year nod for JAY-Z (real name: Shawn Carter) as a lead artist, after being nominated as featured on Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city, Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III and Beyoncé's self-titled effort. With 21 wins and 74 nominations, the 47-year-old rap titan now ties Stevie Wonder and Georg Solti as the third most-nominated artist in Grammys history, behind Quincy Jones (79) and Paul McCartney (74).

JAY-Z's dominance is reflective of a more diverse slate across major categories, with hip-hop and R&B artists eclipsing pop, rock and country. In record of the year, his The Story of O.J. is nominated alongside Gambino's Redbone, Lamar's HUMBLE., Mars' 24K Magic and Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's Despacito featuring Justin Bieber. The latter is also nominated for song of the year with JAY-Z's 4:44, Mars' That's What I Like, Julia Michaels' Issues and Logic's 1-800-273-8255 featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid.

Michaels, Cara and Khalid all scored nominations in the best new artist category, which is rounded out by R&B chanteuse SZA and rapper Lil Uzi Vert, both of whom scored streaming summer hits in The Weekend and XO Tour Llif3, respectively.

This year's nominees represent "a great statement about diversity: not only in terms of the artists, but the membership that makes those choices," says Recording Academy president Neil Portnow. "It also shows that hip hop and urban music is so prevalent. It pervades society to an extent where it really is reflective of the times, and that's how we would wish to be presenting our nominations in any given year. In some respects, it may be historic and that's something we're very proud of."

Lamar, with seven nominations, and Mars, with six, also made strong showings in below-the-line categories. DAMN., Lamar's third album-of-the-year contender after good kid and To Pimp a Butterfly, is in the running for best rap album, while its explosive lead single, HUMBLE., is up for best rap song, performance and music video. Mars, fresh off a 2016 win for record of the year (Mark Ronson's Uptown Funk) is vying for R&B album against Gambino, another major player with five nods.

Grammy nominations are voted on by 13,000 industry professionals, with more than 22,000 entries submitted to the Recording Academy annually. In order to be eligible this year, recordings must have been released between Oct. 1, 2016, and Sept. 30.

The 60th annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast live on CBS on Jan. 28 (7:30 ET / 4:30 PT) from New York's Madison Square Garden. The ceremony, which has been held at Los Angeles' Staples Center in recent years, returns to the East Coast for the first time since 2003.

Nominees in key categories for the 60th annual Grammy Awards, airing live on CBS on Jan. 28 (7:30 ET/4:30 PT):

Album of the year

Childish Gambino, Awaken, My Love
Jay-Z, 4:44
Kendrick Lamar, Damn
Lorde, Melodrama
Bruno Mars, 24K Magic

Record of the year (goes to artist, engineers, mixers)

Childish Gambino, Redbone
Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber, Despacito
Jay-Z, The Story of O.J.
Kendrick Lamar, Humble
Bruno Mars, 24K Magic

Song of the year (goes to writers)

Despacito
Performed by: Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber
Written by: Ramón Ayala, Justin Bieber, Jason "Poo Bear" Boyd, Erika Ender, Luis Fonsi & Marty James Garton

4:44
Performed by: Jay-Z
Written by: Shawn Carter and Dion Wilson

Issues
Performed by: Julia Michaels
Written by: Benny Blanco, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik, Hermansen, Julia Michaels & Justin Drew Tranter

1-800-273-8255
Performed by: Logic feat. Alessia Cara & Khalid
Written by: Alessia Caracciolo, Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, Arjun Ivatury and Khalid Robinson

Best new artist

Alessia Cara
Khalid
Lil Uzi Vert
Julia Michaels
SZA

Pop categories

Pop solo performance

Kelly Clarkson, Love So Soft
Kesha, Praying
Lady Gaga, Million Reasons
Pink, What About Us
Ed Sheeran, Shape of You

Pop duo/group performance

The Chainsmokers and Coldplay, Something Just Like This
Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber, Despacito
Imagine Dragons, Thunder
Portugal, The Man, Feel It Still
Zedd & Alessia Cara, Stay

Pop vocal album

Coldplay, Kaleidoscope EP
Lana Del Rey, Lust for Life
Imagine Dragons, Evolve
Kesha, Rainbow
Lady Gaga, Joanne
Ed Sheeran, ÷ (Divide)

Country categories

Country solo performance

Sam Hunt, Body Like a Back Road
Alison Krauss, Losing You
Miranda Lambert, Tin Man
Maren Morris, I Could Use a Love Song
Chris Stapleton, Either Way

Country duo/group performance

Brothers Osborne, It Ain't My Fault
Zac Brown Band, My Old Man
Lady Antebellum, You Look Good
Little Big Town, Better Man
Midland, Drinkin' Problem

Country album

Kenny Chesney, Cosmic Hallelujah
Lady Antebellum, Heart Break
Little Big Town, The Breaker
Thomas Rhett, Life Changes
Chris Stapleton, From a Room, Volume 1

Country song (goes to songwriters)

Better Man
Performed by: Little Big Town
Written by: Taylor Swift

Body Like a Back Road
Performed by: Sam Hunt
Written by: Zach Crowell, Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne

Broken Halos
Performed by: Chris Stapleton
Written by: Mike Henderson and Chris Stapleton

Drinkin' Problem
Performed by: Midland
Written by: Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne and Mark Wystrach

Tin Man
Performed by: Miranda Lambert
Written by: Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert and Jon Randall

Rock categories

Rock album

Mastadon, Emperor of Sand
Metallica, Hardwired ... to Self-Destruct
Nothing More, The Stories We Tell Ourselves
Queens of the Stone Age, Villains
The War on Drugs, A Deeper Understanding

Alternative music album

Arcade Fire, Everything Now
Gorillaz, Humanz
LCD Soundsystem, American Dream
Father John Misty, Pure Comedy
The National, Sleep Well Beast

Rock performance (single or track)

Leonard Cohen, You Want It Darker
Chris Cornell, The Promise
Foo Fighters, Run
Kaleo, No Good
Nothing More, Go to War

Metal performance

August Burns Red, Invisible Enemy
Body Count, Black Hoodie
Code Orange, Forever
Mastadon, Sultan's Curse
Meshuggah, Clockworks

Rock song (goes to songwriters)

Atlas, Rise!
Performed by: Metallica
Written by: James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich

Blood in the Cut
Performed by K. Flay
Written by: JT Daly and Kristine Flaherty

Go to War
Performed by: Nothing More
Written by: Ben Anderson, Jonny Hawkins, Will Hoffman, Daniel Oliver, David Pramik and Mark Vollelunga

Run
Performed and written by: Foo Fighters

The Stage
Performed by: Avenge Sevenfold
Written by: Zachary Baker, Brian Haner, Matthew Sanders, Jonathan Seward and Brooks Wackerman

Rap categories

Rap performance (single or track)

Big Sean, Bounce Back
Cardi B, Bodak Yellow
Jay-Z, 4:44
Kendrick Lamar, Humble
Migos feat. Lil Uzi Vert, Bad and Boujee

Rap album

Jay-Z, 4:44
Kendrick Lamar, Damn
Migos, Culture
Rapsody, Laila's Wisdom
Tyler the Creator, Flower Boy

Rap/sung collaboration

6Lack, Prblms
Goldlink feat. Brent Faiyaz & Shy Glizzy, Crew
Jay-Z feat. Beyoncé, Family Feud
Kendrick Lamar feat. Rihanna, Loyalty
SZA feat. Travis Scott, Love Galore

Rap song (goes to songwriters)

Bodak Yellow
Performed by: Cardi B
Written by: Dieuson Octave, Klenord Raphael, Shaftizm, Jordan Thorpe, Washpoppin and J White

Chase Me
Performed by: Danger Mouse feat. Run The Jewels and Big Boi
Written by: Judah Bauer, Brian Burton, Hector Delgado, Jaime Meline, Antwan Patton, Michael Render, Russell Simins and Jon Spencer

Humble
Performed by Kendrick Lamar
Written by: K. Duckworth, Asheton Hogan and M. Williams II

Sassy
Performed by: Rapsody
Written by: E. Gabouer and M. Evans

The Story of O.J.
Performed by: Jay-Z
Written by: Shawn Carter and Dion Wilson

R&B categories

R&B album

Daniel Caesar, Freudian
Ledisi, Let Love Rule
Bruno Mars, 24K Magic
PJ Morton, Gumbo
Musiq Soulchild, Feel the Real

Urban contemporary album

6lack, Free 6Lack
Childish Gambino, Awaken, My Love!
Khalid, American Teen
SZA, Ctrl
The Weeknd, Starboy

R&B performance

Daniel Caesar feat. Kali Uchis, Get You
Kehlani, Distraction
Ledisi, High
Bruno Mars, That's What I Like
SZA, The Weekend

Traditional R&B performance

The Baylor Project, Laugh and Move On
Childish Gambino, Redbone
Anthony Hamilton feat. the Hamiltones, What I'm Feelin'
Ledisi, All the Way
Mali Music, Still

R&B song (goes to songwriters)

First Began
Performed and written by: PJ Morton

Location
Performed by: Khalid
Written by: Alfredo Gonzalez, Olatunji Ige, Samuel David Jiminez, Christopher McClenney, Khalid Robinson and Joshua Scruggs

Redbone
Performed by: Childish Gambino
Written by: Donald Glover and Ludwig Goransson

Supermodel
Performed by: SZA
Written by: Tyran Donaldson, Terrence Henderson, Greg Landfair Jr., Solana Rowe and Pharrell Williams

That's What I Like
Performed by: Bruno Mars
Written by: Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus and Jonathan Yip

American roots music categories

American roots performance

Alabama Shakes, Killer Diller Blues
Blind Boys of Alabama, Let My Mother Live
Glen Campbell, Arkansas Farmboy
Leonard Cohen, Steer Your Way
Alison Krauss, I Never Cared for You

American roots song

Cumberland Gap
Performed by: David Rawlings
Written by: David Rawlings & Gillian Welch

I Wish You Well
Performed by: The Mavericks
Written by: Raul Malo and Alan Miller

If We Were Vampires
Performed by: Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit
Written by: Jason Isbell

It Ain't Over Yet
Performed by: Rodney Crowell feat. Rosanne Cash & John Paul White
Written by: Rodney Crowell

My Only True Friend
Performed by: Gregg Allman
Written by: Gregg Allman and Scott Sharrard

Other categories

Song written for visual media

City of Stars (La La Land)
Written by: Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

How Far I'll Go (Moana)
Written by: Lin-Manuel Miranda

I Don't Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)
Written by: Jack Antonoff, Sam Dew and Taylor Swift

Never Give Up (Lion)
Written by: Sia Furler, Greg Kurstin

Stand Up for Something (Marshall)
Written by: Common and Diane Warren

Soundtrack for visual media

Baby Driver
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2
Hidden Figures: The Album
La La Land
Moana: The Songs

Comedy album

Dave Chappelle, The Age of Spin & Deep in the Heart of Texas
Jim Gaffigan, Cinco
Jerry Seinfeld, Jerry Before Seinfeld
Srah Silverman, A Speck of Dust
Kevin Hart, What Now?

Musical theater album

Come From Away
Dear Evan Hansen
Hello, Dolly!

Spoken word album

Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run
Shelly Peiken, Confessions of a Songwriter
Bernie Sanders and Mark Ruffalo, Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In
Carrie Fisher, The Princess Diarist

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