After a pretty great year for hip-hop – depending on who you're asking – a lot of fans wondered what the Grammys would nominate for Best Rap Album. On Friday (November 7), the Recording Academy finally revealed their choices, and we're sure they will cause a lot of conversation.
As caught by Kurrco, here are the nominees: Kendrick Lamar's GNX, Tyler, The Creator's CHROMAKOPIA, Clipse's Let God Sort Em Out, GloRilla's GLORIOUS, and JID's God Does Like Ugly. Curiously, three of the five nominees came out in 2024, which mirrors other recent Grammys nominee pools. Nevertheless, it seems like many folks were right in their predictions.
The only major omission on this list from fans' general predictions is MUSIC, the album from Playboi Carti that ended a long-lamented drought for the Atlanta MC. Of course, there are other 2025 albums in the hip-hop world that could've also gotten a nomination. But considering the scale, success, and quality of what we did get, it was always going to be a tough conversation.
Furthermore, many other rap artists submitted their material for Grammys consideration, and it's always a shame to see certain folks cut out of the convo. Nevertheless, this list should cause enough debate for fans and is a pretty solid view of where the art form is today. Maybe you disagree, but that's the beauty and frustration of merit-based awards.
Best Rap Album Grammy Nominees
Speaking more specifically about the nominees, Kendrick Lamar's presence is unsurprising. He submitted in a lot of categories this year and hopes to follow up a 2025 Grammys sweep with some more big awards. K.Dot did open his mouth, after all...
Seeing GloRilla's GLORIOUS on the list is a welcome surprise, and Clipse certainly succeeded with their Let God Sort Em Out comeback. Tyler, The Creator dropped a new album of his own in 2025, DON'T TAP THE GLASS, albeit with less of the conceptual depth of CHROMAKOPIA. Finally, JID's been waiting for his Grammy nomination for a while, so seeing God Does Like Ugly on here is gratifying for the fanbase.
We will see who takes the trophy home on February 1 of next year. Beyond the Best Rap Album category, there are many other trophies to win.
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