To date, Lauryn Hill is the only woman ever to win the Grammy for Best Rap Album (with The Fugees for “The Score” in 1997), and no woman has ever done it solo. That could change this year thanks to Cardi B. The breakthrough hip-hop star may be the best chance yet to shatter the recording academy’s stubborn glass ceiling.
Cardi B is nominated for her debut, “Invasion of Privacy,” which was released this past spring to critical acclaim and chart-topping record sales. And it has already helped her make history for female rappers. Her singles “Bodak Yellow” (which was nominated for Grammys last year) and “I Like It” (which is nominated this year) both hit number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, which made her, perhaps surprisingly, the first female rapper ever to top the chart more than once in her entire career. Then she picked up a third number-one as a featured artist on Maroon 5‘s “Girls Like You,” for which she is also nominated for a Grammy.
Now she’s in the catbird seat for Best Rap Album. And why is that? Because she’s the only nominee in the category who is also nominated for Album of the Year, which has been a very reliable predictor of who will win. There have been 13 years when at least one Best Rap Album contender was also up for Album of the Year, and it won every single time except once: in 2017 when Album of the Year contender Drake (“Views”) lost Best Rap Album to Chance the Rapper (“Coloring Book”).
As luck would have it, the recording academy might have cleared the way for a Cardi B win this year because Drake (“Scorpion”) was eligible for Best Rap Album but wasn’t nominated, even though he’s nominated alongside Cardi B for Album of the Year. Does that make Cardi B a lock for the genre award, or will she be upset like drake was two years ago? She’s up against another critically acclaimed chart-topper: “Astroworld” by Travis Scott. Then there’s another critical darling, “DAYTONA” by Pusha T, and a posthumous nomination for “Swimming” by Mac Miller. Can Cardi B hold them off?
Be sure to make your Grammy predictions so that Hollywood record executives and top name stars can see how their music is faring in our Grammy odds. Don’t be afraid to jump in now since you can keep changing your predictions until winners are announced on Sunday, February 10. And join in the fierce debate over the 2019 Grammys taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our music forums. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
