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Grammys Annouce a Rap Review Committee
Grammys Annouce a Rap Review Committee

Here Are Our 2018 Grammy Predictions

Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: Grammys

Okayplayer's @KevitoClark goes all “psychic hotline” to predict who will take home the golden gramophone at this year's Grammys?

We’re only but a few days away from the 2018 Grammys being telecast live on CBS. If anything we should know about this year is to expect the unexpected, right Golden Globes? Since the Recording Academy announced all the nominees in all 84 categories, we thought it would be best to hone in on the ones that matter to us and our @Okayplayer readers. So, no “classical albums,” and all hip-hop & R&B, guys, which is historical in its own right as for the first time in Grammys history there is no white person nominated for the Academy’s four flagship categories (“Album of the Year,” “Song of the Year,” “Record of the Year,” “Best New Artist”).

Jay-Z led all competition for the 60th Grammy Awards with eight nods. Followed by his successor, Kendrick Lamar, the TDE-superstar’s album, DAMN., scored seven nominations. Bruno Mars kept his streak alive with six, plus will endear a whole new legion of fans when he performs “Finesse (Remix)” during the program. Donald Glover better known as Childish Gambino also looks to have a solid run at a golden gramophone with five noms, as SZA, Khalid and producer No I.D. each also have five chances at winning.

With the world watching to see who will be awarded these markers of success, our own managing editor, @KevitoClark, broke out his not-so-crystal ball to offer some insight as to who he thinks will win the 2018 Grammys. Did he get it right? Should he trade in his laptop for a gig with Dionne Warwick? Find out when the 60th Grammy Awards air live from New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. EST on CBS.


Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Photo Credit: Ural Garrett for Okayplayer

Record Of The Year:

“Redbone” — Childish Gambino

(Ludwig Goransson, producer; Donald Glover, Ludwig Goransson, Riley Mackin & Ruben Rivera, engineers / mixers; Bernie Grundman, mastering engineer)

“Despacito” — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber

(Josh Gudwin, Mauricio Rengifo & Andrés Torres, producers; Josh Gudwin & Jaycen Joshua, engineers / mixers; Dave Kutch, mastering engineer)

“The Story Of O.J.” — Jay-Z

(Jay-Z & No I.D., producers; Jimmy Douglas & Gimel “Young Guru” Keaton, engineers / mixers; Dave Kutch, mastering engineer)

“HUMBLE.” — Kendrick Lamar

(Mike Will Made It, producer; Derek “MixedByAli” Ali, James Hunt & Matt Schaeffer, engineers / mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer)

“24K Magic” — Bruno Mars

(Shampoo Press & Curl, producers; Serban Ghenea, John Hanes & Charles Moniz, engineers / mixers; Tom Coyne, mastering engineer)

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PREDICTION: There wasn’t anywhere I went in the country in 2017 that didn’t play these songs. Most specifically, “Despacito,” “24K Magic,” and “HUMBLE.” Childish Gambino made history, of course, with “Redbone,” but I don’t see lightning striking twice for the nawf Atlanta savior. With that in mind, I am calling for an upset, nay, a changing of the guards, as Kendrick Lamar usurps his idol, Jay-Z, and wins “Record Of The Year” for “HUMBLE.”


Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Photo Credit: Vickey Ford of Sneakshot for Okayplayer

Album Of The Year:

“Awaken, My Love!”Childish Gambino

(Ludwig Goransson, producer; Bryan Carrigan, Donald Glover, Ludwig Goransson, Riley Mackin & Ruben Rivera, engineers / mixers; Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, songwriters; Bernie Grundman, mastering engineer)

4:44Jay-Z

(Jay-Z & No I.D., producers, Jimmy Douglas & Gimel “Young Guru” Keaton, engineers / mixers; Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters; Dave Kutch, mastering engineer)

DAMN.Kendrick Lamar

(DJ Dahi, Sounwave & Antony Tiffith, producers; Derek “MixedByAli” Ali, James Hunt & Matt Schaeffer, engineers / mixers; K. Duckworth, D. Natche, M. Spears & A. Tiffith, songwriters; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer)

MelodramaLorde

(Jack Antonoff & Lorde, producers; Serban Ghenea, John Hanes & Laura Sisk, engineers / mixers; Jack Antonoff & Ella Yelich-O’Connor, songwriters, Randy Merrill, mastering engineer)

24K MagicBruno Mars

(Shampoo Press & Curl, producers; Serban Ghenea, John Hanes & Charles Moniz, engineers / mixers; Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence & Bruno Mars, songwriters; Tom Coyne, mastering engineer)

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PREDICTION: You can already cross Lorde off the list as she didn’t lord anywhere near the charts IMO. And as much as “Awaken, My Love!” and 24K Magic were outright pop culture successes, there may be a hefty contingent of Grammy voters who would want to see the old guard go home with the golden gramophone. If I were predicting on familiarity then, of course, Brooklyn’s own, Jay-Z, would go home with the prize. But my Spidey-senses are tingling that impact in life and pop culture matter more to these voters, and cannot pass up the chance to award Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. with “Album Of The Year” since most of its songs were on top 10 of the charts anyway.


Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: Twitter

Song Of The Year:

“Despacito” — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber

(Ramón Ayala, Justin Bieber, Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd, Erika Ender, Luis Fonsi & Marty James Garton, songwriters)

“4:44” — Jay-Z

(Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters)

“Issues” — Julia Michaels

(Benny Blanco, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Julia Michaels & Justin Drew Tranter, songwriters)

“1-800-273-8255” — Logic ft. Alessia Cara & Khalid

(Alessia Caracciolo, Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, Arjun Ivatury & Khalid Robinson, songwriters)

“That’s What I Like” — Bruno Mars

(Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters)

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PREDICTION: You couldn’t go too far with a radio playing nearby and not hear Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like”. It certainly issa bop as the young folks love to say, plus whenever it comes on it just makes you feel good. Which is an attribute that another song on this list has, “Despacito,” which even if you don’t know all the words, makes you feel like you’re right in the mix of a party with a nice margarita in your hand doing a mean bochata. Suffice all of that, I have a sneaking suspicion that Logic may eek this one out as “message” songs are few and far inbetween these days, especially one that actually gets its point across.


Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Photo Credit: Benjamin Lozovsky of BFA.com

Best New Artist:

Alessia Cara

Khalid

Lil Uzi Vert

Julia Michaels

SZA

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PREDICTION: Cross Lil Uzi Vert off your list right now because if you think your grandmother is afraid of the Luv Is Rage rapper, you can only imagine how the Recording Academy was when they first heard “XO Tour Llif3”. Much love to our First Look Friday star, Khalid, but his inaugural romp across the country didn’t really result in anything stronger than “Location” for the 25-and-older crowd. Alessia Cara and Julia Michaels, to be honest, might do better in the background than up front, which leaves SZA as our frontwoman to take home the “Best New Artist” prize, and kick off a very good night for TDE.


Grammy Nominated Superstar Bruno Mars Teases His \u201c24K Magic Live At The Apollo\u201d Special Source: Bruno Mars

Best R&B Performance:

“Get You” — Daniel Caesar ft. Kali Uchis

“Distraction” — Kehlani

“High” — Ledisi

“That’s What I Like” — Bruno Mars

“The Weekend” — SZA

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PREDICTION: My personal, non-professional choice would be Daniel Caesar’s “Get You” because the song was everywhere, plus a legion of people around the country were proposing to their significant others at his live shows. But since this isn’t my personal predictions list, I’d have to cross off the Toronto crooner, plus Kehlani and Ledisi. The two that are at the top of this list are Bruno Mars and SZA. I see this going Bruno’s way because the grooves are more upbeat, you can get down to it at a club or in the car, while SZA’s “The Weekend” leaves you a bit wanting in that department.


Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Photo Credit: Ural Garrett for Okayplayer

Best Traditional R&B Performance:

“Laugh And Move On” — The Baylor Project

“Redbone” — Childish Gambino

“What I’m Feelin’” — Anthony Hamilton ft. The Hamiltones

“All The Way” — Ledisi

“Still” — Mali Music

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PREDICTION: While I personally love what Anthony Hamilton and The Hamiltones are doing in the studio, on the internets and on stage — there is clearly a winner in this category as Childish Gambino continues his award-winning streak with a golden gramophone for “Redbone,” which I might add should bode well for Jordan Peele to take home “Best Director” honors at the upcoming Oscars (:: knocks on wood ::).


Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: Glassnote Records

Best R&B Song:

“First Began” — PJ Morton

(PJ Morton, songwriter)

“Location” — Khalid

(Alfredo Gonzalez, Olatunji Ige, Samuel David Jiminez, Christopher McClenney, Khalid Robinson & Joshua Scruggs, songwriters)

“Redbone” — Childish Gambino

(Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, songwriters)

“Supermodel” — SZA

(Tyran Donaldson, Terrence Henderson, Greg Landfair Jr., Solana Rowe & Pharrell Williams, songwriters)

“That’s What I Like” — Bruno Mars

(Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters)

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PREDICTION: Ooh, I got to admit this is a tough one for me as I absolutely thought “Supermodel” was a different type of vibe for SZA (even if K. Dot disagreed) and my love for “That’s What I Like” and “Redbone” is well documented on my Apple Music play counter (489 & 501, respectively). “Location” was and still is a hit that gets multiple play, but I’m not sure it’ll hold a candle to the other members of this category. And no shots to PJ Morton, who absolutely blew our audience away with a live performance last year at our OKP HQ, but he needs a few more hits in the chamber to break out and get the props he deserves. With that said, my pick for “Best R&B Song” will go to a song that sounds like an oldy, but will forever be a goody — Childish Gambino’s “Redbone”.


Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Photo Credit: Ben Hausdorf for RCA Records

Best Urban Contemporary Album:

Free 6LACK6LACK

“Awaken, My Love!”Childish Gambino

American TeenKhalid

CTRLSZA

StarboyThe Weeknd

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PREDICTION: Clearing Starboy, Free 6LACK and American Teen off the board for none other than the fact that while we may love them dearly, the Recording Academy probably only played the hits from these albums and ignored the creative output from these projects. Instead, the head-to-head battle will be between Childish Gambino and SZA. Now, the former totally departed from his old persona to give us this singing-funky-downright-groovetastic new entity that was on our televisions and movie screens. The latter, SZA, shot out like a rocket launched from the Hubble, and proved that what we’ve all known for the last five years was true: Solana Rowe is a star. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that SZA takes home the “Best Urban Contemporary Album” because she gave us some tried-and-true R&B in a way that differed from ‘Bino’s experimental funk.


Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: Daniel Caesar

Best R&B Album:

FreudianDaniel Caesar

Let Love RuleLedisi

24K MagicBruno Mars

GumboPJ Morton

Feel The RealMusiq Soulchild

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PREDICTION: The mercy nod had to have gone to Musiq Soulchild on this one as Feel The Real didn’t come off as good or genuine when we heard it here at OKP HQ. Gumbo, while highly appreciated in this writer’s music queue, didn’t quite hit the mark with the Recording Academy. Same can be said for Let Love Rule, which leaves only Bruno and Daniel to take home the “Best R&B Album” prize. I predict an upset in this category as the Toronto singer-songwriter takes it over Bruno Mars because his album was a nouveau wave of R&B that propelled the genre into the future, while 24K Magic borrowed its best ingredients from sounds of the past.


Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: YouTube / Vevo

Best Rap Performance:

“Bounce Back” — Big Sean

“Bodak Yellow” — Cardi B

“4:44” — Jay-Z

“HUMBLE.” — Kendrick Lamar

“Bad & Boujee” — Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert

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PREDICTION: Let’s be clear… while it is nice to think of the Bronx beauty, Cardi B, as a future Grammy Award winner — her time is not yet nigh. Big Sean, after his last misstep, won’t be taking home any golden gramophones to G.O.O.D. Music no time soon. And for as powerful and ripe with pop culture goodness “Bad & Boujee” was — I feel that the Recording Academy is going to want to make a statement with rap going into Mango Mussolini’s second year as president. Suffice it to say that for how much popular vote may sway in Jay-Z’s favor, I am going to say that “HUMBLE.” hit that much harder and will win “Best Rap Performance” as Kenny was everywhere from the NBA courts to championship halftime shows and all over the globe playing this hit to sold out arenas and the like.


Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: YouTube

Best Rap / Sung Performance:

“PRBLMS” — 6LACK

“Crew” — Goldlink ft. Brent Faiyaz & Shy Glizzy

“Family Feud” — Jay-Z ft. Beyoncé

“LOYALTY.” — Kendrick Lamar ft. Rihanna

“Love Galore” — SZA ft. Travis Scott

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PREDICTION: The popular opinion would be to go for “LOYALTY.” or “Family Feud,” as those two songs really stand out from the rest of the pack. I mean you have two of the best female R&B / Pop stars in the game accompanying their male counterparts, so why wouldn’t you not be able to pick between one or the other? Well, my prediction is that the DMV’s own Goldlink will make a dent after creating some history of his own, and take home the “Best Rap / Sung Performance”. “Crew” was everywhere, the remix was even cherished for its own unique style, so the Recording Academy should reward Goldlink for doing something completely different than his contemporaries.


Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: YouTube

Best Rap Song:

“Bodak Yellow” — Cardi B

(Dieuson Octave, Klenord Raphael, Shaftizm, Jordan Thorpe, Washpoppin & J White, songwriters)

“Chase Me” — Danger Mouse ft. Run The Jewels & Big Boi

(Judah Bauer, Brian Burton, Hector Delgado, Jaime Meline, Antwan Patton, Michael Render, Russell Simins & Jon Spencer, songwriters)

“HUMBLE.” — Kendrick Lamar

(K. Duckworth, Asheton Hogan & M. Williams II, songwriters)

“Sassy” — Rapsody

(E. Gabouer & M. Evans, songwriters)

“The Story Of O.J.” — Jay-Z

(Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters)

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PREDICTION: Ooh, a tough one, but I can already say that “Chase Me” and “Bodak Yellow” (despite being the people’s choice) are out of here. I would love to start off 2018 with Rapsody becoming an official Grammy Award winner, but I don’t think the Recording Academy has the cajones to pull that off. Which, again, leaves us with the old guard (Jay-Z) and the new wave (Kendrick Lamar). “The Story Of O.J.” was absolutely relevant to today’s conversation about black success in America, but “HUMBLE.” definitely was the statement that we wanted to send out to those cockney plucks in our lives. Both made cultural impacts on us in a major artistic way, but this audiophile’s vote is going to go for “HUMBLE.” for “Best Rap Song”.


Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: YouTube

Best Rap Album:

4:44Jay-Z

DAMN.Kendrick Lamar

CultureMigos

Laila’s WisdomRapsody

Flower BoyTyler, the Creator

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PREDICTION: Real talk, I’d be over the moon if Tyler took home “Best Rap Album” at this year’s Grammys. His project is sonically above-and-beyond measure, while capturing new and old fans alike with his nuanced take on life, love and blackness. Sadly, I know he was usurped by others in this category. If I were a voting member I would’ve placed my ballot for Rapsody, as her project gave me all that I needed and more, while showcasing her extremely impressive talent that she’s been putting on display for years. Migos, no shots, but I respect the hits from that album without really seeing how it changed the game in any major way. 4:44 was the “album of the year” for washed people who now rock dad hats and jeans, but my prediction is that DAMN.—with its impressive storytelling and creative replay value—will take home the prize of “Best Rap Album”.


Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: Twitter

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical:

Calvin Harris

(“Don’t Quit,” “Funk Wav. Bounces Vol. 1)

Greg Kurstin

(“Concrete And Gold,” “Dear Life,” “Dusk Till Dawn,” “LOVE.,” “Strangers,” “Wall Of Glass”)

Blake Mills

(“Darkness And Light,” “Eternally Even,” “God Only Knows,” “Memories Are Now,” “No Shape,” “Semper Femina”)

No I.D.

(“America,” “The Autobiography,” “4:44”)

The Stereotypes

(“Before I Do,” “Better,” “Deliver,” “Finesse,” “Mo Bounce,” “Sunshine,” “That’s What I Like”)

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PREDICTION: I’m not going to lie, y’all… I’m rooting for No I.D. to pull an upset with this one. After winning his first and only Grammy almost 10 years ago, the Chicago beatsmith should get the props he rightfully deserves for cooking up a true adult contemporary hip-hop album for the 40-and-over crowd. In a better world, at least, right? To be blunt, I see The Stereotypes taking this award home as four of their seven tracks have scored top 20 and above on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.


Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: TIDAL

Best Music Video:

“Up All Night” — Beck

(Canada, video director; Laura Serra Estorch & Oscar Romagosa, video producers)

“Makeba” — Jain

(Lionel Hirle & Gregory Ohrel, video directors; Yodelice, video producer)

“The Story Of O.J.” — Jay-Z

(Shawn Carter & Mark Romanek, video directors; Daniel Midgley, video producer)

“HUMBLE.” — Kendrick Lamar

(The Little Homies & Dave Meyers, video directors; Jason Baum, Dave Free, Jamie Rabineau, Nathan K. Scherrer & Anthony Tiffith, video producers)

“1-800-273-8255” — Logic ft. Alessia Cara & Khalid

(Andy Hines, video director; Andrew Lerios, video producer)

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PREDICTION: While “HUMBLE.” and its imagery and craziness matched the frenetic pacing of the song, “1-800” and “Up All Night” drizzled with creativity — the one on this list that wouldn’t make it out the gate is Jain’s “Makeba,” as it didn’t hold up to the creativity superiority of this true Grammy Award winner. “The Story Of O.J.” was such a feat of creativity for Jay-Z that it made everyone stop and pay attention to the rest of the videos that followed suit. The “Jaybo” character, which Jay-Z has since trademarked for future use, was a mixture of America’s dark and ugly past with black America’s ability to take the negative and turn it into amazingness. With that in mind, as we’re headfirst in a culture of racism and mediocrity the likes we’ve never wanted for our generation, Jay-Z’s “The Story Of O.J.” is the right choice for the Recording Academy to pick for “Best Music Video”.