Grammy Nominations 2025: 7 Burning Questions We Have About the Selections

Kendrick toppled Drake but can he topple Taylor?

It would have been a massive swing and a miss from the Recording Academy if they didn’t acknowledge the most important and culturally dominant song of the year in the Song of the Year category.

Though Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” earned plenty of nods for the 2025 Grammys, the track’s inclusion in the illustrious category wasn’t necessarily assured. Last year, the closest thing to a “rap” song included in the category was SZA’s “Kill Bill,” an excellent track, but one that definitely leans more towards pop, soul, and R&B than rap.

Because of the Recording Academy‘s history, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the nominating committee overlook something like “Not Like Us,” even though it was a defining moment in the biggest beef hip-hop has seen in decades. It’s up for debate whether or not “Not Like Us” is the “best” song to be released in 2024, but it certainly is worthy of the Song of the Year designation.

“Not Like Us” is going up against a gauntlet of competitors: “Fortnight” from Taylor Swift, who has been a Grammy powerhouse her entire career; Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!”—the breakout pop hit of the year; “Texas Hold ‘Em” from Beyoncé, who has the most nominations this year; and “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” from Shaboozey, which is the longest running No. 1 of the year. It’s a brutal field, let’s see if Kendrick can do it.

Another interesting angle: Drake has a famously testy relationship with the Academy, so a win here would feel like a nice little "fuck you" for the institution. —Will Schube

Will Beyoncé finally get her album of the year Grammy?

The Recording Academy hasn’t always been kind to Beyoncé when it comes to the Album of the Year category. Though she’s arguably the most popular performer on Earth, and now is the most nominated artist in the Grammys’ history, with 99 nominations, she’s yet to bring home the hardware in this one particular category.

For those unfamiliar: In 2010, Bey lost to Taylor Swift's Fearless. In 2015? She lost to Beck’s Morning Phase. Two years later, she lost to Adele’s 25. And in 2023, she took an L to Harry Styles’ for Harry’s House. There is no argument that can be made in which Beyoncé shouldn’t have at least one Album of the Year trophy.

In 2025, she’s up against André 3000, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, Jacob Collier, Sabrina Carpenter, and Taylor Swift. I could see almost anyone taking home this award, but Beyoncé deserves it on merit alone, and the fact that Grammys have been historically kind to crossover country records. —Will Schube

Is the best rap album this year actually a mixtape?

There isn’t a long history of mixtapes or unofficial rap albums getting nominations at the Grammys. The first came back in 2017 with Drake's If You're Reading This It's Too Late. A year later, Chance the Rapper's Coloring Book won the award. The precedent for mixtapes earning their due place at the Grammys is new, despite the format being a hallmark of rap for decades.

This year, though, J. Cole’s Might Delete Later and Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal, both received nominations in the Best Rap Album category. Ironically, Cole’s mixtape made it, despite the project’s most important track, “Seven Minute Drill,” being removed from the project. Doechii’s mixtape, which is widely considered one of the best rap releases of the year, certainly deserves a spot on the list, where she’ll be joining Cole, Eminem, Future and Metro Boomin, and Common and Pete Rock.

The Recording Academy can be stuck in the past in many aspects of the way they view hip-hop, but they seemed to nail Doechii’s place in rap’s Grammy hierarchy, and though Cole haters can argue that his project isn’t worthy of a nomination, it’s interesting to see the Academy continuing to expand their view of what an album can be…finally. —Will Schube

Do the notable snubs tell us anything?

Last month, the Hollywood Reporter revealed that Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” was submitted for Best Rap Song and Best Melodic Rap Performance. This was considered curious, especially since Tommy had previously declared, in a now-deleted tweet, that he wasn’t “hip-hop” (though he later clarified, writing, “I’ll say again, I’m thankful for everything. I’m saying I don’t wanna be boxed in. I grew up on hip-hop, but I’m a singer.”)

Ultimately, it didn’t matter much—Richman didn’t receive a single nomination for his breakout hit. This was surprising, given the song’s widespread success and the fact that it transcended the “TikTok hit” label that often hinders a track’s credibility. (Though that didn’t seem to hurt Jordan Adetunji who picked up a nomination for "KEHLANI.") Furthermore, “Million Dollar Baby” had an old-school funky groove and sound that Grammy voters typically gravitate toward, which makes the snub all the more curious.

Two other major snubs stand out this year. First, Tyla won the inaugural Best African Music Performance Grammy for her hit “Water” last year. But this time around, she was shut out completely. Despite solid follow-up singles like “Truth or Dare” and “Jump” with Gunna and Skillibeng, neither her debut nor her subsequent work received any nominations.

And while Megan Thee Stallion already has a shelf full of Grammys, she won’t be adding to her haul this year—despite strong moments, including her No. 1 hit “Hiss” and collaborations on tracks like GloRilla’s “Wanna Be” and “Mamushi” with Yuki Chiba. What must sting, also, is seeing some of her collaborative peers, like GloRilla and Cardi B, being nominated for songs that had comparable impact. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Does Playboi Carti getting his first real grammy nomination mean anything?

Amongst a certain age group, there is no one more influential in modern rap music than Playboi Carti. He is Kanye West for teenagers, and despite the way he has pushed hip-hop to new places, this omnipresence has never reflected itself in success at the Grammys.

Ironically enough, Playboi has finally received his first real nomination thanks to his feature on Ye and Ty Dolla $ign’s Vulture track with Rich the Kid, “Carnival.” (I say "real" because he technically got an Album of the Year nomination for appearing on Donna but that feels slight.)

The song, which is nominated for Best Rap Song, is a nice metaphor for the torch passing going on in mainstream rap. Playboi probably can’t earn Recording Academy recognition without the help of established stars like Ye and Kid Cudi, but it always takes the Academy a number of years to catch up with what’s actually popular in rap music, what actually moves the needle.

Though there are other moments in Carti’s discography probably more deserving of nomination or this large spotlight, but it’s recognition nevertheless. With Carti’s forthcoming album again rumored to be arriving soon, it’s possible this may be the first in a string of Grammy nods for rap’s pioneering force. —Will Schube

Is it too early to declare or too late to declare Doechii the future of TDE?

SZA picked up two Grammy nominations for her work on “Saturn,” but that wasn’t the big story for TDE. Neither was ScHoolboy Q, who didn't receive any nominations for his excellent Blue Lips album. The big news was the success of Doechii, who received three nominations: Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Album, and Best New Rap Artist, largely due to the success of her album-of-the-year contender, Alligator Bites Never Heal.

Since signing to the label in 2022, there’s been much talk about her being the future of one of rap’s most storied labels. For the first time, those proclamations are really starting to materialize.

It genuinely feels like this is her moment, and it speaks volumes about her potential. Doechii is radical in her delivery, but also accessible and traditional enough to capture Grammy attention—much like another former TDE member, who’s also quite a fan.

What’s interesting is that her album was released on August 30th, the same day the eligibility window closed—making it a last-minute buzzer beater for the label. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

What does André's Album of the Year nomination mean?

This one’s curious: New Blue Sun by André 3000, which wasn’t very commercially successful and received mostly middling reviews, still earned a Album of the Year nomination, one of three he would receive.

In the lead-up to the album, André did a lot of press, mostly describing New Blue Son as an experiment more than anything else. And the album often feels more like a couple of improvised moments captured rather than a fully realized album. (To his credit, it does feature real musical craft, with contributions from percussionists like Carlos Niño and Deantoni Parks, keyboardist Surya Botofasina, and more.)

In part, the notation continues the Grammys’ history of highlighting work that’s more traditional in form, even if it doesn’t always land.

André is also the only rapper to receive an Album of the Year nomination this year—even though he might balk at that characterization. Looking at the Best Rap Album nominees, none of selections seem to truly fit the bill of what the Grammys are typically looking for—traditionalism mixed with commercial success and a splash of stardom—other than Eminem’s The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce). —Dimas Sanfiorenzo