Rapper Kendrick Lamar tops Grammy nods, Taylor Swift leads in main categories

English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran’s viral ballad “Thinking Out Loud” was also nominated for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

The Grammy nominations came out earlier today, and they seemed to have ruffled quite a few feathers of those who were snubbed.

Maroon 5 also posted a message to Facebook after receiving a Grammy nod for “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance” for their song “Sugar”.

James is also nominated for Best Rock Album for Chaos and the Calm and Best Rock Song for “Hold Back the River”.

Best country album: “Montevallo”, Sam Hunt; “Pain Killer”, Little Big Town; “The Blade”, Ashley Monroe; “Pageant Material”, Kacey Musgraves; “Traveller”, Chris Stapleton.

While Lamar, 28, was way ahead of the pack in the number of nominations, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd tied for second with seven nominations each. His success at recent awards shows demonstrates that he’s an important presence on this year’s circuit like Swift. Wiz Khalifa said he wanted to celebrate with a smoke.

On both nominations Ludwig is named as mastering engineer.

“It’s a testimony to his artistry”, Portnow said of Lamar. “And this is one of those instances where the work pays off”.

Erotic drama Fifty Shades of Grey powered The Weeknd to three of his Grammy nods for single Earned It, which was featured on the movie’s soundtrack.

The Grammy Awards are given out by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, so the Grammys winners are decided upon by musicians, producers, and other people working in the industry.

Urban is nominated alongside Cam (Burning House), Chris Stapleton (Traveller), Carrie Underwood (Little Toy Guns) and Lee Ann Womack (Chances Are). Garth Brooks, who marked a comeback after 13 years last year, was surprisingly shut out of the country categories.

Grammy-nominated rapper Kendrick Lamar has been named the Grand Marshal for this year’s Compton Christmas Parade. “Don’t Wanna Fight” got the nod for best rock performance. Lamar’s fortunes reversed past year, when he won a pair of Grammys for his song i. For example, Rihanna‘s single “FourFiveSeconds”, featuring Paul McCartney and Kanye West, would have seemed tailor-made for Grammy judges who generally love cross-genre and perhaps even more importantly, trans-generational collaborations.

Other categories to watch include best musical-theater album, which pits the phenom Hamilton against cast recordings of other acclaimed new Broadway musicals and revivals; and spoken-word album, for which nominees include Amy Poehler, Patti Smith, Dick Cavett and former president Jimmy Carter.