Kendrick Lamar leads Grammy nominations

Kendrick Lamar is the front runner for the 58th Grammy Awards which take place on February 15th 2016.
The hip hop star has picked up eleven nominations for his critically lauded To Pimp A Butterfly album which may very well land him the coveted Album of The Year.


He will battle it out with Taylor Swift and The Weeknd who have both earned 7 nods apiece , and are featured in the main categories for Album , Record & Song of The Year.
Swift , previously won , Album Of The Year back in 2010 for sophomore album Fearless. After the phenomenal success of 1989 , it surely must be considered the favourite to scoop the hotly contested Best Pop vocal Album.


The other notable nominees this year include Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars ,Ed Sheeran , Drake ,  Kanye West , Meghan Trainor and country star Sam Hunt.


Heres a look at some of the main categories and who's in contention

Best New Artist
Courtney Barnett
James Bay
Sam Hunt
Tori Kelly
Meghan Trainor

Record of the Year
“Really Love” D’Angelo and the Vanguard
“Uptown Funk,” Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
“Thinking Out Loud,” Ed Sheeran
“Blank Space,” Taylor Swift
“Can’t Feel My Face,” the Weeknd

Song of the Year
“Alright,” Kendrick Lamar
“Blank Space,” Taylor Swift
“Girl Crush,” Little Big Town
“See You Again,” Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth
“Thinking Out Loud,” Ed Sheeran

Album of the Year:
Sound & Color, Alabama Shakes
To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar
Traveller, Chris Stapleton
1989, Taylor Swift
Beauty Behind the Madness, The Weeknd


Best Pop Solo Performance
“Heartbeat Song,” Kelly Clarkson
“Love Me Like You Do,” Ellie Goulding
“Thinking Out Loud,” Ed Sheeran
“Blank Space,” Taylor Swift
“Can’t Feel My Face,” The Weeknd

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Ship to Wreck,” Florence + the Machine
“Sugar,” Maroon 5
“Uptown Funk,” Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
“Bad Blood,” Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar
“See You Again,” Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth

Best Pop Vocal Album
Piece by Piece, Kelly Clarkson
How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, Florence + the Machine
Uptown Special, Mark Ronson
1989, Taylor Swift
Before This World, James Taylor

Best Dance Recording
“We’re All We Need,” Above & Beyond featuring Zoë Johnston
“Go,” The Chemical Brothers
“Never Catch Me,” Flying Lotus featuring Kendrick Lamar
“Runaway (U & I),” Galantis
“Where Are Ü Now,” Skrillex and Diplo with Justin Bieber

Best Dance Album
Our Love, Caribou
Born in the Echoes, The Chemical Brothers
Caracal, Disclosure
In Colour, Jamie xx
Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü, Skrillex and Diplo

Best Rock Performance
“Don’t Wanna Fight,” Alabama Shakes
“What Kind of Man,” Florence + the Machine
“Something from Nothing,” Foo Fighters
“Ex’s & Oh’s,” Elle King
“Moaning Lisa Smile,” Wolf Alice

Best Rock Song (awarded to songwriters)
“Don’t Wanna Fight,” Alabama Shakes
“Ex’s & Oh’s,” Elle King
“Hold Back the River,” James Bay
“Lydia,” Highly Suspect
“What Kind of Man,” Florence + the Machine
Best Rock Album
Chaos and the Calm, James Bay
Kintsugi, Death Cab for Cutie
Mister Asylum, Highly Suspect
Drones, Muse
.5: The Gray Chapter, Slipknot

Best Alternative Music Album
Sound & Color, Alabama Shakes
Vulnicura, Björk
The Waterfall, My Morning Jacket
Currents, Tame Impala
Star Wars, Wilco

Best R&B Performance
“If I Don’t Have You,” Tamar Braxton
“Rise Up,” Andra Day
“Breathing Underwater,” Hiatus Kaiyote
“Planes,” Jeremih featuring J. Cole
“Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey),” The Weeknd

Best R&B Song
“Coffee,” Miguel
“Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey),” The Weeknd
“Let It Burn,” Jazmine Sullivan
“Really Love,” D’Angelo
Best Urban Contemporary Album
Ego Death, The Internet
You Should Be Here, Kehlani
Blood, Lianne La Havas
Wildheart, Miguel
Beauty Behind the Madness, The Weeknd
Best R&B Album
Coming Home, Leon Bridges
Black Messiah, D’Angelo and the Vanguard
Cheers to the Fall, Andra Day,
Reality Show, Jazmine Sullivan
Forever Charlie, Charlie Wilson
Best Rap Performance
“Apparently,” J. Cole
“Back to Back,” Drake
“Trap Queen,” Fetty Wap
“Alright,” Kendrick Lamar
“Truffle Butter,” Nicki Minaj featuring Drake and Lil Wayne
“All Day,” Kanye West featuring Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom and Paul McCartney
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
“Only Man Can Change the World,” Big Sean featuring Kanye West and John Legend
“Glory,” Common and John Legend
“Classic Man,” Jidenna featuring Roman GianArthur
“These Walls,” Kendrick Lamar featuring Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat
“Only,” Nicki Minaj featuring Drake, Lil Wayne and Chris Brown
Best Rap Song
“All Day,” Kanye West featuring Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom and Paul McCartney
“Alright,” Kendrick Lamar
“Energy,” Drake
“Glory,” Common and John Legend
“Trap Queen,” Fetty Wap
Best Rap Album
2014 Forest Hills Drive, J. Cole
Compton, Dr. Dre
If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, Drake
To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar
The Pinkprint, Nicki Minaj
Best Country Solo Performance
“Burning House,” Cam
“Traveller,” Chris Stapleton
“Little Toy Guns,” Carrie Underwood
“John Cougar, John deere, John 3:16,” Keith Urban
“Chances Are,” Lee Ann Womack
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“Stay a Little Longer,” Brothers Osborne
“If I Needed You,” Joey+Rory
“The Driver,” Charles Kelly, Dierks Bentley & Eric Paslay
“Girl Crush,” Little Big Town
“Lonely Tonight,” Blake Shelton featuring Ashley Monro

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Jeff Bhaskar
Dave Cobb
Diplo
Larry Klein
Blake Mills
Best Music Video
“LSD,” A$AP Rocky
“I Feel Love (Every Million Miles),” The Dead Weather
“Alright,” Kendrick Lamar
“Bad Blood,” Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar
“Freedom,” Pharrell Williams