Culture & Entertainment
From Pop to Jazz, to Hip-Hop and R&B, with a dash of Urban Contemporary, Black artists showed up and out in 2018.
With Janelle Monáe dropping her alter ego and delivering some ravenous, android funk, Cardi B's bloody-shoed boasts, and an all-star force representing for Wakanda, 2018 wrapped up to be one of the best years for Black artists.
Though vastly different in tone and technique, Black artists echoed similar themes of Black American political disillusionment, good and bad relationships, female empowerment, the struggle for higher standards, and the pressure to maintain an authentic version of oneself. With the 61st Grammy Awards coming up, hosted by 15-time Grammy award-winner, Alicia Keys, check out the list below to discover the innovative, formidable Black artists nominated this year:
Janelle Monáe
Colette Aboussouan/Time Out
Janelle Monae
Nominated for: Album of the Year and Best Music Video
Last year, Janelle Monáe released Dirty Computer, where she admittedly stripped away her alter ego and created what is considered her best work yet. In this coming-out album, Monáe celebrates female power and "Black girl magic." With songs about Black womanhood, queerness, sexual liberation, and accepting oneself, Monáe shows that in the act of revealing your true self, you can create a lustrous, transcending work of art.
Top Songs: "Django Jane," "Screwed" (ft. Zoe Kravitz), "I Like That," "I Got the Juice" (ft. Pharrell Williams), "Pynk," and "Make Me Feel"
▲Black Panther: The Album, Music from and Inspired by Various Artists
Paola Kudacki/GQ
Kendrick Lamar
Nominated for: Record of the Year Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Song Written for Visual Media
The soundtrack to one of the biggest movies of 2018 is packed with hip-hop and R&B star power. Co-produced by Kendrick Lamar and Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith the Black Panther album is finely-tuned, aware of its audience, its purpose, and its influence. With themes of blackness as an identity, spirituality, power dynamics, self-doubt, and the onus of kingship, the Black Panther album is ambitious, awe-inspiring, and, quite frankly, a breath of fresh air.
Top Songs: "All the Stars" (Kendrick Lamar and SZA), "The Ways" (Khalid and Swae Lee), "Opps" (Vince Staples and Yugen Blakrok), "I Am" (Jorja Smith), and "King's Dead" (Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future, James Blake)
▲Chloe x Halle
Robin Harper/Courtesy of the artist
Chloe x Halle
Nominated for Best New Artist and Best Urban Contemporary Album
Launching their careers by doing covers of pop songs on YouTube, Chloe x Halle have come a long way from their simple upbringing in Atlanta, GA. Now, the kids are showing they are indeed alright, with their virtuoso — and Grammy nominated — debut album, The Kids Are Alright. This harmonious duo gives best of both worlds, by allowing Halle's angelic vocals to make you feel as if you're floating to Heaven, only for Chloe's soulful, fervent vocals to keep you settled gleefully on Earth.
Top Songs: "The Kids Are Alright," "Hi Lo" (ft. Goldlink), "Everywhere," "Down," "Happy Without Me" (ft. Joey BadA$), and "Cool People"
▲Jorja Smith
c/o Color Studios
Jorja Smith
Nominated for Best New Artist
If you haven't heard of Jorja Smith yet, it's about time you do. She launched her career in 2016 with debut single "Blue Lights," a song that discusses why someone should have a guilty conscience even though you have done nothing wrong, Smith has been a new, establishing force in the music industry. With releasing her debut album Lost and Found and being featured on the Insecure: Season Two soundtrack, The Black Panther album, and more, Jorja Smith brings a "refreshing vulnerability to hip-hop and R&B."
Top Songs: "Blue Lights," "On My Mind," "February 3rd," "Fine Lines," and "Carry Me Home" (ft. Maverick Sabre)
▲Miguel
Fabien Kruszelnicki/The Cut
Miguel
Nominated for Best R&B Song, Best Urban Contemporary Album and Song Written for Visual Media
Miguel's fourth studio album War and Leisure differs from the rest with less digital funk and more reverbed-out guitars. Showing his maturation as a songwriter, Miguel delivers an album that exemplifies his continual growth as an artist and individual. As a compelling collection of pop-like R&B tracks, Miguel's War and Leisure album ensures that you will have a worthy soundtrack to come through and chill with.
Top Songs: "Banana Clip," "Pineapple Skies," "Come Through and Chill" (ft. J. Cole), and "Sky Walker" (ft. Travis Scott), and "Told You So"
▲Anderson .Paak
Hollie Fernando/Rolling Stone
Anderson .Paak
Nominated for Best Rap Performance
If you were to search Anderson .Paak on YouTube, the first video you would see is "Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert." This 15-minute video alone explains why the Grammys took it upon themselves to nominate him for Best Rap Performance. With an ever-present mesmeric smile, funky beat, charismatic lyrics, and rusty voice, there is no wonder Anderson .Paak is nominated with some of the best.
Top Songs: "Bubblin," "Anywhere" (ft. Snoop Dogg & the Last Artful, Dodgr), "Trippy" (ft. J. Cole), "Tints" (ft. Kendrick Lamar), "Come Down" (ft. T.I.), and "Without You (Rapsody)"
▲H.E.R.
Jimmie Armentrout/ELLE
H.E.R.
Nominated for Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Best R&B Performance, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Album
Gabriella Wilson, also known as H.E.R., rose to fame by participating in 2009's Radio Disney's Next Big Thing. Now, she has proven herself to be one of R&B's biggest artist with her release of her self-titled album, H.E.R.. Showcasing many shades of love and heartbreak, H.E.R. also shows that she has agency and self-empowerment. Nominated this year for five Grammys, H.E.R. shows that by purposely lacking exposure, hiding her face, and insisting on letting the music be the most important thing, is, in fact, what is best.
Top Songs: "Focus," "Every Kind of Way," "Best Part" (ft. Daniel Caesar), and "Losing"
▲The Carters
The Carters/Instagram
Beyonce & Jay-Z
Nominated for Best R&B Performance and Best Urban Contemporary Album
With an album that reflects Beyoncé's Formation Tour unofficial slogan "God is God and I am not" and Jay-Z's willingness to be demystified, the Carters released an album that revealed they are people, too. Everything is Love is the refreshing final chapter in a trilogy of albums that includes Beyoncé's 2016 unburdening Lemonade and Jay's 2017 troubled conscience in 4:44. Connecting the dots between their love and their legacy, Beyoncé and Jay-Z create a stunning album that showcases their talents together and individually.
Top Songs: "Summer," "Apeshit," "Nice," "Heard About Us," and "Friends"▲Leon Bridges
Jack McKain/Courtesy of the artist
Leon Bridges
Nominated for Best R&B Album and Best Traditional R&B Performance
Nominated three years ago for Best R&B album, Leon Bridges is back again with the all-consuming reminiscent feeling that comes from listening to R&B music of the past, in the present. With a more adventurous album, Good Thing favors the present while keeping the warmth of classic R&B melodies and songwriting. After listening to this album, it'll leave you questioning two things: Who the hell does Leon Bridges think he is? And where the hell has he been all this time?
Top Songs: "Bet Ain't Worth the Hand," "Bad Bad News," "Shy," "Beyond," and "You Don't Know"
Bonus: "River" (Coming Home album)
▲Lalah Hathaway
Denny Kim
Lalah Hathaway
Nominated for Best R&B Performance, Best Traditional R&B Performance, and Best R&B Album
Winner of the 59th Grammy Awards Best Traditional R&B Performance, Lalah Hathaway is back with her thick, smoky, and soulful voice. Taking a sharp stylistic route and choosing to swap out her poise, gentle storm R&B for beautiful, unsteady beats and digital grooves. With just being twenty-eight minutes long, Hathaway shows that there can Honestly be a blessing in such brevity.
Top Songs: "YOY," "Made for Love," "Call on Me," and "Honestly"
▲Meshell Ndegeocello
Meshell Ndegeocello
Nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album
In 2018, bent but never bound to tradition, Meshell Ndegeocello released her latest body of work Ventriloquism. Over the past 25 years, Ndegeocello has effortlessly merged soul, rock, and hip-hop to make R&B music that can be seen as ambitious, clever, and interstellar. "Some albums are testimony, some confessions, and some are escape. Ventriloquism, the latest album from Meshell Ndegeocello, is a place, like its process, to take refuge from one storm too many."
Top Songs: "I Wonder If I Take You Home," "Nite and Day," "Don't Disturb This Groove," and "Sensitivity"
▲Ella Mai
Flaunt Magazine
Ella Mai
Nominated for Song of the Year and Best R&B Song
From uploading song covers on Instagram in 2015, to becoming one of the most recognized names and faces in 2018, Ella Mai has shown that she is a worthy adversary in the music industry. With her breakout warm, syrupy-sweet single "Boo'd Up" Ella Mai has become a household name and a competitor for this year's Song of the Year. Although her debut album did not qualify for this year's upcoming Grammy Awards, there are rumors that this will not be the only Grammy Awards she'll ever attend.
Top Songs: "Boo'd Up," "Trip," "10,000 Hours," "Everything" (ft. John Legend), "Whatchamacallit" (ft. Chris Brown), "Naked," and "Shot Clock"
▲Chris Dave and the Drumhedz
Detroit Jazz Festival/Chris Dave
Chris Dave and the Drumhedz
Nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album
Steeped in hip-hop, jazz, and R&B, the Houston-born musicians of Chris Dave and the Drumhedz present a strong argument for the drummer as a modern bandleader. Drumming since the age of three, and having played with D'Angelo, Maxwell, Adele and countless others, Chris Dave has gained a reputation that has allowed him to pack his debut album with renowned artists and exceptional talent.
Top Songs: "Lady Jane," "Trippy Tipsy," "Black Hole" (ft. Anderson .Paak), "Spread Her Wings" (ft. Bilal and Tweet), and "Destiny N Stereo" (ft. Elzhi, Phonte Coleman, and Eric Roberson)
▲Toni Braxton
DEF JAM
Toni Braxton
Nominated for Best R&B Album, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Performance
Last, but certainly not least, seven-time Grammy winner Toni Braxton's Sex & Cigarettes is an album worth listening to if you haven't already. Described as "exquisitely anguished R&B," Sex and Cigarettes showcases Braxton's masterly emotional range, from simmering anger to tender regret.
Top Songs: "Long As I Live," "Deadwood," "Sex & Cigarettes," and "FOH"
▲The Grammys airs on Sunday, February 10 at 5 pm PST/8 pm EST.
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