The September 30th eligibility deadline for the 2019 Grammy Awards passed yesterday, meaning every album that will eventually be nominated for Best Rap Album is now out. Now, I am aware that, for many in this sub, the Grammy's do not mean a whole lot. In fact, if the award show isn't received with general apathy then it is most likely to be with straight negativity. I would not say this is entirely unwarranted as their track record is far from spotless. However, the Grammy Awards maintain their standing as the biggest, most prestigious, most sought after, and most talked about award in music. This, coupled with the added attention on hip-hop at the award show as it becomes the dominant genre in music--it was not so long ago that Best Rap Album was awarded off-air before the actual ceremony--means that the Grammy's are still worth discussing. This is why I have taken the liberty of compiling a list of all eligible albums for the 2019 awards as well as some analysis on which albums are most likely to pick up nominations come award season.
Eligible Albums
| Album Name | Artist | First Week Sales | Billboard 200 | Highest-charting single | Metacritic Rating |
| Scorpion | Drake | 732k | 1 | 1 | 67 |
| Astroworld | Travis Scott | 537k | 1 | 4 | 84 |
| Tha Carter V | Lil Wayne | ~500k | 1 | - | - |
| Beerbongs & Bentleys | Post Malone | 461k | 1 | 1 | 51 |
| Kamikaze | Eminem | 434k | 1 | 6 | 62 |
| KOD | J. Cole | 397k | 1 | 10 | 73 |
| Revival | Eminem | 267k | 1 | 11 | 50 |
| Invasion of Privacy | Cardi B | 255k | 1 | 1 | 84 |
| ye | Kanye West | 208k | 1 | 8 | 64 |
| Culture II | Migos | 199k | 1 | 6 | 69 |
| Queen | Nicki Minaj | 185k | 2 | 10 | 70 |
| Black Panther: The Album | Kendrick Lamar & Various Artists | 154k | 1 | 7 | 80 |
| Kids See Ghosts | Kids See Ghosts | 142k | 2 | 39 | 84 |
| ? | XXXTentacion | 131k | 1 | 1 | - |
| The Beautiful & Damned | G-Eazy | 122k | 3 | 4 | 59 |
| Bobby Tarantino | Logic | 119k | 1 | 22 | - |
| Iridescense | Brockhampton | ~100k | 1 | - | 84 |
| Young Sinatra IV | Logic | ~100k | 2 | - | - |
| Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho | Travis Scott & Quavo | 90k | 3 | 65 | 66 |
| Rolling Papers 2 | Wiz Khalifa | 80k | 2 | 72 | 56 |
| Zoo | Russ | 79k | 4 | - | - |
| Daytona | Pusha-T | 77k | 3 | 65 | 86 |
| Nasir | Nas | 77k | 5 | 96 | 58 |
| Testing | ASAP Rocky | 75k | 4 | 45 | 67 |
| Super Slimey | Future & Young Thug | 75k | 2 | 50 | 66 |
| Pressure | Jeezy | 72k | 6 | - | 66 |
| Life's a Trip | Trippie Redd | 72k | 4 | 46 | - |
| Harder Than Ever | Lil Baby | 71k | 3 | 6 | - |
| Mr. Davis | Gucci Mane | 70k | 2 | 11 | 77 |
| Swimming | Mac Miller | 66k | 3 | 33 | 78 |
| Lil Boat 2 | Lil Yachty | 64k | 2 | 73 | 53 |
| The World Is Yours | Rich the Kid | 59k | 2 | 13 | - |
| Beast Mode 2 | Future | 57k | 3 | 53 | 77 |
| SR3MM | Rae Sremmurd | 57k | 6 | 28 | 76 |
| Stay Dangerous | YG | 56k | 5 | 16 | 71 |
| Perception | NF | 55k | 1 | 12 | - |
| Day69 | 6ix9ine | 55k | 4 | 12 | - |
| Victory Lap | Nipsey Hussle | 53k | 4 | - | 80 |
| Without Warning | 21 Savage & Offset | 53k | 4 | 13 | 78 |
| Die Lit | Playboi Carti | 51k | 3 | 46 | 71 |
| Double or Nothing | Big Sean & Metro Boomin | 50k | 6 | 80 | 54 |
| I Want to Die in New Orleans | Suicideboys | 46k | 9 | - | - |
| Lil Pump | Lil Pump | 45k | 3 | 3 | - |
| Until Death Call My Name | YoungBoy Never Broke Again | 43k | 7 | 31 | - |
| Slime Language | Young Thug | 41k | 8 | 78 | 68 |
| Goodbye and Good Riddance | Juice WRLD | 39k | 6 | - | - |
| I Still Am | Yo Gotti | 38k | 6 | 8 | - |
| Saturation III | Brockhampton | 36k | 15 | - | 82 |
| 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time | Big K.R.I.T. | 33k | 7 | - | 80 |
| Activated | Tee Grizzley | 33k | 10 | - | - |
| Redemption | Jay Rock | 31k | 13 | 21 | 81 |
| Role Model | Young Dolph | 30k | - | - | - |
| Total Xanarchy | Lil Xan | 28k | 10 | 64 | 49 |
| Vacation in Hell | Flatbush Zombies | 27k | 11 | - | 79 |
| Dex Meets Dexter | Famous Dex | 25k | 12 | 28 | - |
| The Saga Continues | Wu-Tang Clan | 25k | 15 | - | 64 |
| Amen | Rich Brian | 20k | 18 | - | 68 |
| Syre | Jaden Smith | 20k | 24 | - | 69 |
| 4Respect 4Loyalty 4Freedom | YoungBoy Never Broke Again | 20k | 14 | - | - |
| Streams of Thought, Vol. 1 | Black Thought | 10k | 62 | - | 81 |
| Planet | Tech N9ne | - | 14 | - | - |
| Ray Ray from Summerhill | YFN Lucci | - | 14 | - | - |
| Swervo | G Herbo & Southside | - | 15 | - | - |
| Catch These Vibes | PnB Rock | - | 17 | - | - |
| Life of a Dark Rose | Lil Skies | - | 23 | - | - |
| Book of Ryan | Royce da 5'9" | - | 24 | - | 84 |
| Ta13oo | Denzel Curry | - | 28 | - | 85 |
| El Gato: The Human Glacier | Gucci Mane | - | 28 | - | - |
| Simi | Blockboy JB | - | 28 | 5 | - |
| 2 Heartless | Moneybagg Yo | - | 31 | - | - |
| Milky Way | Bas | - | 35 | - | - |
| PRhyme 2 | PRhyme | - | 40 | - | - |
| Bless Yo Trap | Smokepurpp & Murda Beatz | - | 40 | - | - |
| Trial By Fire | Yelawolf | - | 42 | - | - |
| No Shame | Hopsin | - | 42 | - | - |
| Rich As In Spirit | Rich Homie Quan | - | 42 | - | - |
| Heart Break Kodak | Kodak Black | - | 48 | - | - |
| Beware the Book of Eli | Ski Mask the Slump God | - | 50 | - | - |
| OnePointFive | Amine | - | 53 | - | - |
| Drip Season 3 | Gunna | - | 55 | - | - |
| International Artist | A Boogie wit da Hoodie | - | 57 | - | - |
| The Play Don't Care Who Makes It | 2 Chainz | - | 58 | - | - |
| N-- Get Shot Everyday | Young Dolph | - | 59 | - | - |
| Strange Reign | Tech N9ne Collabos | - | 61 | - | - |
| No Dope on Sundays | Cyhi the Prince | - | 65 | - | - |
| Gangin | SOB x RBE | - | 74 | - | - |
| Paranonia 2 | Dave East | - | 78 | - | - |
| Year of the Snitch | Death Grips | - | 97 | - | 69 |
| Connected and Respected | E-40 and B-Legit | - | 103 | - | - |
| Wasted Talent | Jim Jones | - | 131 | - | - |
| Freddie | Freddie Gibbs | - | 142 | - | 84 |
| Bible of Love | Snoop Dogg | - | 148 | - | 54 |
| Return of the Trill | Bun B | - | 150 | - | - |
| L.O.D. | Desiigner | - | 161 | - | - |
| Freda's Son | YFN Lucci | - | 167 | - | - |
| Rubba Band Business | Juicy J | - | 191 | - | 59 |
| Room 25 | Noname | - | - | - | 93 |
| Care for Me | Saba | - | - | - | 92 |
| God Level | 03 Greedo | - | - | - | 87 |
| Ephorize | Cupcakke | - | - | - | 84 |
| Radio Silence | Talib Kweli | - | - | - | 78 |
| Elephants on Acid | Cypress Hill | - | - | - | 68 |
| Rapper From the Country | Bubba Sparxxx | - | - | - | - |
| Up to Something | Skippa Da Flippa | - | - | - | - |
| Drogas Wave | Lupe Fiasco | - | - | - | - |
| Binge | Machine Gun Kelly | - | - | - | - |
| Mumple Rap | Belly | - | - | - | - |
| Make America Crip Again | Snoop Dogg | - | - | - | - |
| Punken | Maxo Kream | - | - | - | - |
| Veteran | JPEGMafia | - | - | - | - |
| Kyoto | Tyga | - | - | - | - |
| The Spring Collection | Currensy | - | - | - | - |
| GOOD Job, You Found Me | Valee | - | - | - | - |
| Molly World | Robb Banks | - | - | - | - |
| Battered Bruised & Bloody | Carnage | - | - | - | - |
| Light of Mine | Kyle | - | - | - | - |
| Ethernet | Wifisfuneral | - | - | - | - |
| Fleurever | Jazz Cartier | - | - | - | - |
| On the Rvn | Young Thug | - | - | - | - |
Now this list is by no means comprehensive as I'm sure there were far more than 120 projects released within the eligibility period. However, I would be surprised if an album not on this list were to receive a nomination. I included each album's first week sales, highest Billboard 200 placement, highest-charting single, and Metacritic rating as there are two main indicators that help predict which album may get nominated: commercial success and critical acclaim.
To figure out which albums are most likely to receive nominations, I believe it is useful to go back and look at which albums the Grammys have nominated in the past. So here I've included the winners and nominees for the past seven Grammy Awards (winners in bold).
2018
| Album | Artist | First Week Sales | Billboard 200 | Billboard Year End | Highest Charting Single | Metacritic Rating |
| DAMN | Kendrick Lamar | 603k | 1 | 1 | 1 | 95 |
| 4:44 | Jay-Z | 262k | 1 | 36 | 23 | 82 |
| Culture | Migos | 131k | 1 | 8 | 1 | 79 |
| Laila's Wisdom | Rapsody | 17k | 125 | - | - | 87 |
| Flower Boy | Tyler, the Creator | 106k | 2 | 136 | 87 | 84 |
2017
| Album | Artist | First Week Sales | Billboard 200 | Billboard Year End | Highest Charting Single | Metacritic Rating |
| Coloring Book | Chance the Rapper | 38k | 8 | 72 | 43 | 89 |
| And the Anonymous Nobody... | De La Soul | 23k | 12 | - | - | 77 |
| Major Key | DJ Khaled | 96k | 1 | 76 | 13 | 67 |
| Views | Drake | 1040k | 1 | 2 | 1 | 69 |
| Blank Face LP | ScHoolboy Q | 74k | 2 | 134 | 40 | 81 |
| The Life of Pablo | Kanye West | 94k | 1 | 27 | 34 | 75 |
2016
| Album | Artist | First Week Sales | Billboard 200 | Billboard Year End | Highest Charting Single | Metacritic Rating |
| To Pimp A Butterfly | Kendrick Lamar | 324k | 1 | 16 | 39 | 96 |
| 2014 Forest Hills Drive | J. Cole | 371k | 1 | 8 | 36 | 67 |
| Compton | Dr Dre | 295k | 2 | 45 | - | 82 |
| If You're Reading This It's Too Late | Drake | 535k | 1 | 4 | 26 | 78 |
| The Pinkprint | Nicki Minaj | 244k | 2 | 7 | 2 | 70 |
2015
| Album | Artist | First Week Sales | Billboard 200 | Billboard Year End | Highest Charting Single | Metacritic Rating |
| The Marshall Mathers LP 2 | Eminem | 792k | 1 | 5 | 1 | 72 |
| The New Classic | Iggy Azalea | 52k | 3 | 42 | 1 | 56 |
| Nobody's Smiling | Common | 24k | 6 | - | - | 78 |
| Because the Internet | Childish Gambino | 96k | 7 | 45 | 64 | 64 |
| Blacc Hollywood | Wiz Khalifia | 90k | 1 | 93 | 43 | 54 |
| Oxymoron | ScHoolboy Q | 139k | 1 | 49 | 38 | 78 |
2014
| Album | Artist | First Week Sales | Billboard 200 | Billboard Year End | Highest Charting Single | Metacritic Rating |
| The Heist | Macklemore | 78k | 2 | 15 | 1 | 74 |
| Nothing Was the Same | Drake | 658k | 1 | 11 | 4 | 79 |
| Magna Carta Holy Grail | Jay-Z | 528k | 1 | 12 | 4 | 60 |
| Good Kid, M.A.A.D City | Kendrick Lamar | 242k | 2 | 80 | 17 | 91 |
| Yeezus | Kanye West | 327k | 1 | 37 | 56 | 84 |
2013
| Album | Artist | First Week Sales | Billboard 200 | Billboard Year End | Highest Charting Single | Metacritic Rating |
| Take Care | Drake | 631k | 1 | 3 | 7 | 78 |
| Based on a T.R.U. Story | 2 Chainz | 147k | 1 | 108 | 24 | 55 |
| Food & Liquor II | Lupe Fiasco | 96k | 5 | 190 | 71 | 70 |
| Life is Good | Nas | 149k | 1 | 90 | - | 81 |
| God Forgives, I Don't | Rick Ross | 218k | 1 | 49 | 71 | 70 |
| Undun | The Roots | 48k | 17 | - | - | 88 |
2012
| Album | Artist | First Week Sales | Billboard 200 | Billboard Year End | Highest Charting Single | Metacritic Rating |
| My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | Kanye West | 496k | 1 | 11 | 12 | 94 |
| Lasers | Lupe Fiasco | 204k | 1 | - | 9 | 57 |
| Watch the Throne | Jay-Z and Kanye West | 436k | 1 | 9 | 5 | 76 |
| Pink Friday | Nicki Minaj | 375k | 1 | 7 | 3 | 68 |
| Tha Carter IV | Lil Wayne | 964k | 1 | 6 | 3 | 60 |
Now before I go any further it's worth mentioning THAT THE GRAMMY NOMINATION PROCESS IS RIGGED. I repeat, THE GRAMMY NOMINATION PROCESS IS RIGGED. To arrive at the nominations, every member of the Recording Academy receives a nomination ballot where they can vote on which albums they believe deserve nominations in their respective categories. Now, once those ballots are tallied, there is a secret committee that takes the top 20 or so in all major categories and then decides which of them should be nominated. It is not a purely democratic process where the top vote earners all receive nominations. Now, it's not as rigged as the MTV Video Music Awards, but there is still room for the committee to nominate albums as they see fit. However, the greater number of votes you receive, the higher the likelihood that your album will be included. In that way, commercial success plays a very large part in the nomination process, as the more people that know about your album, the more likely you are to receive a high number of votes.
So now on to the albums most likely to receive nominations:
Virtual Locks
SCORPION - DRAKE
- First Week Sales - 732k
- Billboard 200 - 1
- Highest Charting Single - 1
- Metacritic Rating - 67
- Previous Nominations - 5
- Previous Wins - 1
While Scorpion's artistic merit can and has been argued, its commercial success cannot. Drake's latest project has gone on to not just be the most successful album of the year, but one of the most successful albums of all time. Spawning three number one singles totaling 29 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, seven top ten singles, over a billion debut streams, and countless more broken records, Scorpion has cemented Drake's position as not just one of the most successful rappers of all-time, but one of the all-time most successful musicians, full stop. Even with its lukewarm critical reception, excluding an album with the dominating commercial success of Scorpion would be unprecedented—never has the highest-selling hip-hop album not received a nomination, and seven of the last nine highest-selling albums for a year received an Album of the Year nomination. With Album of the Year expanding from five to eight nominees this year, I would expect Scorpion to pick up a nomination in both.
KAMIKAZE - EMINEM
- First Week Sales - 434k
- Billboard 200 - 1
- Highest Charting Single - 6
- Metacritic Rating - 62
- Previous Nominations - 7
- Previous Wins - 6
Fun fact: every studio album Eminem has released for the last twenty years has received a Best Rap Album nomination. Another fun fact: Encore is the only album in that span not to win Best Rap Album, losing in 2006 to Late Registration. Eminem seems to have a reserved nomination in the category. Despite this, Revival threatened to test that theory as the album received the worst commercial and critical reception of his entire career. Had it been nominated, its Metacritic score of 50 would have been the lowest in the history of the category. However, Kamikaze was heralded by many as a return to form for the MC, generating the hype and conversation that Revival lacked. It almost assuredly earned him his eighth Best Rap Album nomination.
Likely Contenders
INVASION OF PRIVACY - CARDI B
- First Week Sales - 255k
- Billboard 200 - 1
- Highest Charting Single - 1
- Metacritic Rating - 84
- Previous Nominations - 0
- Previous Wins - 0
In a category dominated by established acts, Cardi B could become the first artist to receive a Best Rap Album nomination with their debut album since Iggy Azalea in 2015 with The New Classic. Like Azalea, Cardi B boasts a number one single on her album. However, Invasion of Privacy would go on to sell nearly five times as much as The New Classic in their respective first weeks, as well as receiving much higher critical acclaim (a Metacritic score of 84 compared to 52). Invasion of Privacy ticks all the boxes in terms of what it takes to get nominated; commercial success, critical acclaim, multiple number one singles, and a charming, magnetic artist that grabs headlines and the hearts of the public.
KIDS SEE GHOSTS - KIDS SEE GHOSTS
- First Week Sales - 142k
- Billboard 200 - 2
- Highest Charting Single - 39
- Metacritic Rating - 84
- Previous Nominations - 7
- Previous Wins - 4
ye - KANYE WEST
- First Week Sales - 208k
- Billboard 200 - 1
- Highest Charting Single - 8
- Metacritic Rating - 64
- Previous Nominations - 7
- Previous Wins - 4
I'm including these two albums together as I think it's unlikely that Kanye receives a nomination for both—it's worth noting that Kanye is the only artist to ever receive two nominations in the same year (2012 for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Watch the Throne). When deciding which of these two albums is more likely to receive a nomination, both succeed where the other fails. On one side, you have ye with its greater commercial success and the name recognition of Kanye West clearly attached. On the other, there is Kids See Ghosts with its much higher critical acclaim. ye would become the first Kanye West album to not receive a nomination since 808s and Heartbreaks if it is left off. However, the past two years have shown the Recording Academy is no longer shying away from new and previously un-nominated artists as six of the eleven nominations have been awarded to first-time nominees, which bodes well for the potential nomination for Kids See Ghosts. It's also true that's Kanye's recent, for lack of a better word, antics may have caused him to lose quite a bit of favor with the voters and the Academy, which could cause him to be snubbed altogether.
DAYTONA - PUSHA-T
- First Week Sales - 77k
- Billboard 200 - 3
- Highest Charting Single - 65
- Metacritic Rating - 86
- Previous Nominations - 0
- Previous Wins - 0
Daytona fits the classic nomination case of a respected, old school MC turning back the clock and producing some of the best work of their career. Such is the case for Pusha T with Daytona. Despite only middling commercial success, Daytona was one of the most well-regarded albums of the year in a category that's increasingly recognizing critical success. Being mentioned on nearly every "Best Albums of 2018 (So Far)" list and coming in at #1 on numerous rap-specific lists of the same nature, a Grammy snub for Daytona would be for many only further proof of just how out of touch the award show is with the genre.
ASTROWORLD - TRAVIS SCOTT
- First Week Sales - 537k
- Billboard 200 - 1
- Highest Charting Single - 4
- Metacritic Rating - 84
- Previous Nominations - 0
- Previous Wins - 0
For some artists, a Grammy nomination is a symbol that they've finally arrived, not just at stardom, but at potential super stardom. Such was the case last year with Tyler, the Creator. With Flower Boy, Tyler outputted the most critically acclaimed work of his career and was awarded and recognized with a Grammy nomination for it. Coincidentally, Astroworld received the same Metacritic score as Flower Boy at 84. Couple the warm critical reception with outstanding commercial success—Astroworld ranks as the second highest-selling rap album of the period—and Travis has put together a piece of work that will make it hard for the Academy to ignore.
BEERBONGS & BENTLEYS - POST MALONE
- First Week Sales - 461k
- Billboard 200 - 1
- Highest Charting Single - 1
- Metacritic Rating - 51
- Previous Nominations - 0
- Previous Wins - 0
The middle-aged, white men at my office have told me no less than five times how much their kids love Post Malone and how talented of an artist he is. That tells you everything you need to know about his chances of picking up a Grammy nomination. Despite his obvious appeal to the voters, Beerbongs & Bentleys would be the lowest rated album in the history of the category. I'm not sure even his commercial success or his lack of melanin can overcome that.
THA CARTER V - LIL WAYNE
- First Week Sales - ~500k
- Billboard 200 - 1
- Highest Charting Single - N/A
- Metacritic Rating - N/A
- Previous Nominations - 2
- Previous Wins - 1
There's still much to be decided on Tha Carter V. As of this writing, we do not know the final sales tally or exactly how the album is going to be received by critics. What we do know is that the commercial success is going to be undeniable and Tha Carter V will be one of the top two or three selling albums of the eligibility period. What we also know is that Lil Wayne has received Grammy nominations for the last two Tha Carter installments. Will the streak continue with V?
Dark Horses
BLACK PANTHER: THE ALBUM - KENDRICK LAMAR & VARIOUS ARTISTS
- First Week Sales - 154k
- Billboard 200 - 1
- Highest Charting Single - 7
- Metacritic Rating - 80
- Previous Nominations - 3
- Previous Wins - 2
While soundtracks have had success outside of their dedicated categories—O' Brother Where Art Though soundtrack won Album of the Year in 2002—a nomination for Best Rap Album would be a first (while Lose Yourself won for Best Rap Song, the 8 Mile soundtrack picked up no nominations as a whole). However, the Academy loves Kendrick Lamar and having his name attached as the primary artist could go a long way in securing a nomination. Additionally, Black Panther as a film is nearly universally beloved and may receive multiple Academy Award nominations. The Grammys may decide to get in on that action by having the soundtrack represented here.
KOD - J. COLE
- First Week Sales - 397k
- Billboard 200 - 1
- Highest Charting Single - 10
- Metacritic Rating - 73
- Previous Nominations - 1
- Previous Wins - 0
If the Academy loves Kendrick, then they hate J. Cole. While Drake and Kendrick pick up nominations for every album they release, the only J. Cole project to receive a nomination was 2014 Forest Hills Drive. Twice in his career, J. Cole has had the highest-selling rap album not to receive a nomination (I'm not counting More Life last year as Drake did not submit it for consideration). That type of track record makes it hard to think that Cole will once again receive a nomination in a year that is as competitive as this one.
ROOM 25 - NONAME
- First Week Sales - N/A
- Billboard 200 - N/A
- Highest Charting Single - N/A
- Metacritic Rating - 93
- Previous Nominations - 0
- Previous Wins - 0
CARE FOR ME - SABA
- First Week Sales - N/A
- Billboard 200 - N/A
- Highest Charting Single - N/A
- Metacritic Rating - 92
- Previous Nominations - 0
- Previous Wins - 0
Since Macklemore famously won Best Rap Album over Kendrick, the Grammy's have seemed to be consciously attempting to reward critical success whenever possible. This is no more evident than with Rapsody's nomination last year for Laila's Wisdom, an album that barely sold but was received with widespread critical acclaim. If the Recording Academy were to continue that trend these are the two albums that would be in contention. Both, while selling so little that first week sales numbers aren't even available, were regarded as two of the best individual pieces of hip-hop music to be released during the eligibility period with a care for lyricism, message, and musicality. Both face uphill battles though as they would likely be the first albums nominated after not even charting on the Billboard 200.
SWIMMING - MAC MILLER
- First Week Sales - 66k
- Billboard 200 - 3
- Highest Charting Single - 33
- Metacritic Rating - 78
- Previous Nominations - 0
- Previous Wins - 0
? - XXXTENTACION
- First Week Sales - 131k
- Billboard 200 - 1
- Highest Charting Single - 1
- Metacritic Rating - N/A
- Previous Nominations - 0
- Previous Wins - 0
The draw for either of these albums is the posthumous honor, as I don't believe either would receive nominations had it not been for either artists' untimely passing. Of the two, I would expect Swimming to be the more likely as Mac Miller was and continues to be much more well-regarded among the public than XXXTentacion. However, Swimming's commercial success doesn't come close to that of ? as it can boast both a #1 debut but also a #1 single in SAD!.
DROGAS WAVE - LUPE FIASCO
- First Week Sales - N/A
- Billboard 200 - N/A
- Highest Charting Single - N/A
- Metacritic Rating - N/A
- Previous Nominations - 4
- Previous Wins - 0
QUEEN - NICKI MINAJ
- First Week Sales - 185k
- Billboard 200 - 2
- Highest Charting Single - 10
- Metacritic Rating - 70
- Previous Nominations - 2
- Previous Wins - 0
The potential for a nomination for either of these two albums rests in the established names of the artists. Lupe has been nominated for Best Rap Album on four occasions. Nicki has had two albums nominated. If the voters see either of these names on the ballot, they may go ahead and include them as they are known quantities with previous Grammy success.
