VA - 2019 Grammy Nominees (2019)

On this annual installment, Grammy Nominees 2019 compiles a surprisingly mainstream-friendly batch of hits that manages to capture the 2018 zeitgeist, representative of a year where women issued some of the strongest and most critically acclaimed efforts and rap dominated the charts. Hip-hop's extremes are represented on one end by socially conscious and culture-forward hits by Kendrick Lamar and SZA ("All the Stars" from the Black Panther soundtrack) and Childish Gambino ("This Is America"), balanced by trap-flavored chart-toppers by Drake ("God's Plan") and Post Malone and 21 Savage ("rockstar"). Country crossovers Maren Morris (with Zedd and Grey on "The Middle") and Kacey Musgraves ("Slow Burn") share space with R&B-pop gems by Janelle Monae ("Make Me Feel") and Album of the Year nominee H.E.R. ("Best Part"). Meanwhile, contemporary pop stars (Ariana Grande, Camila Cabello, and Taylor Swift) bridge the generation gap with their forebears (Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Backstreet Boys). In the end, the collection proves it was indeed the year of Cardi B, with the Album of the Year-nominated rapper receiving two inclusions with her island-flavored, Record of the Year-nominated smash "I Like It" and her appearance on Maroon 5's Pop Duo/Group Performance-nominated "Girls Like You." ~ Neil Z. Yeung

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