The 2022 Grammy nominations are here and boy, do I bet Drake is pissed.
Nominated for Album of the Year are: Justin Bieber (Justice), Jon Batiste (WE ARE), Doja Cat (Planet Her), Billie Eilish (Happier Than Ever), H.E.R. (Back of My Mind), Lil Nas X (Montero), Kanye West (DONDA), Olivia Rodrigo (Sour), Taylor Swift (Evermore), and Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga (Love for Sale).
Not a Drake nor a Certified Lover Boy in sight.
According to Variety, Drizzy submitted the project for Album of Year, but declined to submit for Record of the Year or Song of the Year.
Toronto’s finest did clinch nominations in the Rap category, though: CLB is up for Best Rap Album and “Way 2 Sexy” (cringe-y music video and all) is in the running for Best Rap Performance.
Pretty good for someone who said that The Grammys “no longer matter.”
Elsewhere in notable nominations, BTS was given a nod for Best Pop Duo or Group Performance (“Butter”), marking the K-pop sensation’s second-ever Grammy nomination. Last year, the group made history by becoming the first K-pop act to ever receive a Grammy nom.
However, the group was snubbed for Record of the Year, a category that many felt was a shoo-in for the wildly popular act.
Leading the pack with 11 nominations — the most out of any artist this year — is Jon Batiste, the band leader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Olivia Rodrigo, whose whole-hearted embrace of Y2k fashion is clearly resonating, was nominated in all of the Big Four: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist.
Lil Nas X, our favorite musical prankster, did nicely as well. Aside from Album of the Year, the rapper is up for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, both for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).”
This year’s Grammys comes as the Recording Academy struggles to retain relevance. In 2020, the institution was widely panned for failing to recognize notable Black artists like Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Baby, Burna Boy, The Weeknd, and the late Pop Smoke.
While nominations such as Batiste’s are a welcome surprise, this year’s roundup of nods still, in some ways, feels like a game of favorites (how is Justin Bieber nominated in so many categories? And does anyone actually listen to FINNEAS?).
Come January, I wouldn’t be surprised if artists decide to return favor and snub the awards ceremony altogether, like The Weeknd did last year.
