The Recording Academy announced the nominations for the 56th annual Grammy Awards, honoring the best in music from the past year. Rapper Jay Z earned the most nominations, while Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams were clustered together in second place.
Jay Z’s Magna Carta ... Holy Grail was surprisingly not nominated for Album of the Year, but his hit collaboration with Timberlake, “Suit & Tie,” is up for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. His song “Tom Ford” was nominated for Best Rap Performance and Magna Carta was nominated for Best Rap Album. The album’s cover design was nominated for Best Recording Package and his video Picasso Baby was nominated for Best Music Video.
He is also competing against himself in the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. “Part II (On The Run)” with wife Beyonce Knowles and “Holy Grail” with Timberlake are both up for that Grammy. “Holy Grail” was also nominated for Best Rap Song.
In addition to nominations for his work with Jay Z, Timberlake was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance (“Mirrors”); Best Pop vocal Album (The 20/20 Experience - The Complete Experience); Best R&B song (“Pusher Love Girl”); and Best Music Video (“Suit & Tie”).
Lamar, Williams and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis also scored seven nominations and Drake and engineer Bob Ludwig were nominated five times.
The nominees in the top categories are:
Record of the Year:
“Get Lucky” - Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams
“Radioactive” - Imagine Dragons
“Royals” - Lorde
“Locked out of Heaven” - Bruno Mars
“Blurred Lines” - Robin Thicke, T.I. & Pharrell Williams
Album of the Year:
The Blessed Unrest - Sara Bareilles
Random Access Memories - Daft Punk
Good Kid, M.a.a.d City - Kendrick Lamar
The Heist - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Red -Taylor Swift
Song of the Year: (goes to the songwriters)
“Just Give Me A Reason” - Pink
“Locked out of Heaven” - Bruno Mars
“Roar” - Katy Perry
“Royals” - Lorde
“Same Love” - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
You can check out the full list of nominees here. The Grammys are scheduled for Jan. 26 at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. CBS is airing the ceremony live.
image: CBS