2014 Grammy Nominations Announced: Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Daft Punk, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Leads Nods

Posted December 9, 2013 by J Matthew Cobb in News

Jay-Z, Daft Punk, Justin Timberlake, Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Drake lead the list of Grammy nominees for 2014

Look like it was a big year for hip-hop according to Grammy voters.

Leading the way with the most numbers, Jay-Z racked up a whopping nine nominations in total including a nod for Best Rap Album. Trailing right behind him are Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams with seven nods; Drake earned five.

Justin Timberlake was passed over in the album of the year category for his best-selling The 20/20 Experience disc, but managed to impress the Grammy voters with nods for best pop vocal album. His single “Mirrors” is nominated for best pop solo performance and also shares a nomination with Jay Z in the best pop duo/group category for the song “Suit & Tie.”

Daft Punk also racked up some heavy nods in the major categories. Their album, Random Access Memories, is featured in the pool of Album of the Year, along with sets from Sara Bareilles (The Blessed Unrest), Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Taylor Swift (Red). “Get Lucky,” their best charted single of 2013, is also nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and will face off with Pink/Nate Ruess (“Just Give Me a Reason”), Rihanna/MikkyEkko (“Stay”), Justin Timberlake/Jay-Z (“Suit & Tie”) and Robin Thicke/T.I./Pharrell (“Blurred Lines”).

Very weird news about the Grammy nominations this year surrounds the snubs of Jason Isbell in the bluegrass and folk categories for his album Southeastern and 17-year old breakout artist Lorde in the New Artist category. Her hit, “Royals,” did earn nominations for record of the year, song of the year and best pop solo performance. Janelle Monaé’s terrific album Electric Lady also failed to earn entry in the R&B categories. and this is just weird too: Because of the Nirvana sample on Jay-Z’s “Holy Grail,” the rock band may just walk away with their first win in the Best Rap Song category.

Robin Thicke, who performed at the Grammy nomination concert and who upsetted Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” in a Billboard poll for Best Summer Song of 2013, did manage to pull off two nominations for song of the year and best pop duo/group performance, but the song’s extensive lawsuit troubles with Marvin Gaye’s estate and the scathing Rolling Stone op-ed about it being the “worst song of the year” may hurt Thicke’s chances.

A few more mentionables:

72-year old pop legend Dionne Warwick earned her fourteenth Grammy nomination this year with Now. Despite having Grammy power with five wins on her resume, she faces a grueling match with jazz pop legend Tony Bennett (Viva Duets), Michael Bublé (To Be Loved) and Cee Lo Green’s holiday album, Cee Lo’s Magic Moment.

Florence Welch isn’t a dance/electronica chick, but she might be going home with a big win in the category for Best Dance Recording thanks to her duet with Calvin Harris on “Sweet Nothing.” It faces tracks by Zedd/Foxes (“Clarity”), Armin Van Buuren, Kaskade and Duke Dumont.

Bruno Mars, who entered last year’s Grammys without any major wins, will enter the 2014 race with nominations for best pop vocal album (Unorthodox Jukebox), best pop solo performance (“When I Was Your Man”), song of the year (“Locked Out of Heaven”) and record of the year (“Locked Out of Heaven”).

Alabama Shakes, who was nominated for Best New Artist in 2013, earned a nomination for a non-album single, “Always Alright” in the category of Best Rock Performance. The Athens, Ala. band are up against some mighty contenders with David Bowie’s “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)” and Imagine Dragons’s crossover hit “Radioactive” also on the list. Bowie is also up for Best Rock Album with The Next Day.

Here’s a broader look at the Grammy nominations for 2014:

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 Leiws
Red – Taylor Swift

Record of the Year
“Get Lucky” – Daft Punk and Pharrell
“Radioactive” – Imagine Dragons
“Royals” – Lorde
“Locked Out of Heaven” – Bruno Mars
“Blurred Lines” – Robin Thicke ft. T.I. and Pharrell

Song of the Year
“Just Give Me a Reason” – Pink ft. Nate Ruess
“Locked Out of Heaven” – Bruno Mars
“Roar” – Katy Perry
“Royals” – Lorde
“Same Love” – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Mary Lambert

Best New Artist
James Blake
Kendrick Lamar
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Kacey Musgraves
Ed Sheeran

Best Pop Solo Performance
“Brave” — Sara Bareilles
“Royals” — Lorde
“When I Was Your Man” — Bruno Mars
“Roar” — Katy Perry
“Mirrors” — Justin Timberlake

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Get Lucky” – Daft Punk and Pharrell
“Just Give Me a Reason” – Pink ft. Nate Ruess
“Stay” – Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko
“Blurred Lines” – Robin Thicke ft. T.I and Pharrell
“Suit & Tie” – Justin Timberlake ft. Jay Z<

Best Dance/Electronica Album
Random Access Memories — Daft Punk
Settle — Disclosure
18 Months — Calvin Harris
Atmosphere — Kaskade
A Color Map of the Sun — Pretty Lights

Best Rock Performance
“Always Alright” — Alabama Shakes
“The Stars (Are Out Tonight)” — David Bowie
“Radioactive” — Imagine Dragons
“Kashmir” (Live) — Led Zeppelin
“My God Is the Sun” — Queens of the Stone Age
“I’m Shakin’” — Jack White

Best Rock Album
13 — Black Sabbath
The Next Day — David Bowie
Mechanical Bull — Kings of Leon
Celebration Day — Led Zeppelin
…Like Clockwork — Queens of the Stone Age
Psychedelic Pill — Neil Young With Crazy Horse

Best Alternative Music Album
The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You — Neko Case
Trouble Will Find Me — The National
Hesitation Marks — Nine Inch Nails
Lonerism — Tame Impala
Modern Vampires of the City — Vampire Weekend

Best R&B Performance
“Love and War” — Tamar Braxton
“Best of Me” — Anthony Hamilton
“Nakamarra” — Hiatus Kaiyote ft. Q-Tip
“How Many Drinks?” — Miguel ft. Kendrick Lamar
“Something” — Snarky Puppy With Lalah Hathaway

Best Urban Contemporary Album
Love and War — Tamar Braxton
Side Effects of You — Fantasia
One: In the Chamber — Salaam Remi
Unapologetic — Rihanna
New York: A Love Story — Mack Wilds

Best R&B Album
R&B Divas — Faith Evans
Girl on Fire — Alicia Keys
Love in the Future — John Legend
Better — Chrisette Michele
Three Kings — TGT

Best Rap Performance
“Started from the Bottom” — Drake
“Berzerk” — Eminem
“Tom Ford” — Jay Z
“Swimming Pools (Drank)” — Kendrick Lamar
“Thrift Shop” — Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
“Power Trip” — J.Cole ft. Miguel
“Part II (On the Run)” — Jay Z ft. Beyoncé
“Holy Grail” — Jay Z ft. Justin Timberlake
“Now Or Never” — Kendrick Lamar ft. Mary J. Blige
“Remember You” — Wiz Khalifa ft. The Weeknd

Best Rap Album
Nothing Was the Same — Drake
Magna Carta…Holy Grail — Jay Z
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City — Kendrick Lamar
The Heist — Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Yeezus — Kanye West

Best Country Solo Performance
“I Drive Your Truck” — Lee Brice
“I Want Crazy” — Hunter Hayes
“Mama’s Broken Heart” — Miranda Lambert
“Wagon Wheel” — Darius Rucker
“Mine Would Be You” — Blake Shelton

Best Country Album
Night Train – Jason Aldean
Two Lanes of Freedom – Tim McGraw<
Same Trailer Different Park – Kacey Musgraves
Based on a True Story… – Blake Shelton
Red – Taylor Swift

Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Guided Tour — The New Gary Burton Quartet
Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue — Terri Lyne Carrington
Life Forum — Gerald Clayton
Pushing the World Away — Kenny Garrett
Out Here — Christian McBride Trio

Best Gospel Album
Grace (Live) — Tasha Cobbs
Best for Last: 20 Year Celebration Vol. 1 — Donald Lawrence
Best Days Yet — Bishop Paul S. Morton
God Chaser (Live) — William Murphy
Greater Than (Live) — Tye Tribbett

Best Tropical Latin Album
3.0 — Marc Anthony
Como Te Voy a Olvidar — Los Angeles Azules
Pacific Mambo Orchestra — Pacific Mambo Orchestra
Sergio George Presents Salsa Giants — Various Artists
Corazón Profundo — Carlos Vives

Best Americana Album
Old Yellow Moon — Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
Love Has Come for You — Steve Martin & Edie Brickell
Buddy and Jim — Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale
One True Vine — Mavis Staples
Songbook — Allen Toussaint

Best Comedy Album
Calm Down Gurrl — Kathy Griffin
I’m Here to Help — Craig Ferguson
A Little Unprofessional — Ron White
Live — Tig Notaro
That’s What I’m Talkin’ About — Bob Saget

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Rob Cavallo
Dr. Luke
Ariel Rechtshaid
Jeff Tweedy
Pharrell Williams

For the full list of categories and nominations, click here or go to the nomination page at the Grammy’s official website.

The 56th annual Grammy Awards will be announced in both televised (CBS; 8:00 p.m. ET/PT) and non-televised forms on January 26, 2014.