2025 Grammy Hip-Hop And R&B Highlights

What’s Missing From Best Rap Album?

The Recording Academy named the following projects as nominees for the 2025 Best Rap Album award: Might Delete Later by J. Cole, The Auditorium, Vol. 1 by Common & Pete Rock, Alligator Bites Never Heal by Doechii, The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) by Eminem, and We Don’t Trust You” by Future & Metro Boomin.

The category notably excludes ScHoolboy Q’s Blue Lips, Rapsody’s Please Don’t Cry, and Doja Cat‘s Scarlet 2 Claude, all valiant efforts released in the Grammy Award eligibility period. They could all sub for J. Cole’s unremarkable offering where the most interesting moment (“7-Minute Drill”) was deleted or Eminem’s on-brand, stagnant concept album.

On the flip side, the nominations for both collaborative albums was a given. Future and Metro not only topped the charts, but their first of two releases cemented their undeniable chemistry and sparked the year’s biggest Hip-Hop moment, the ongoing feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. While Common and Pete Rock might not have experienced as much commercial success, the album showcases the beauty that comes as Hip-Hop ages, highlighting the artform’s heart and soul.

Doechii is a surprise nomination but not because she is not a worthy contender. She deserves the accolades for her first full-length under Top Dawg Entertainment. In it, the rising rap star also nominated for Best New Artist, proves she has plenty to say and an audience anticipating every word.

Melodic Rap And Virality

Some of the biggest digital trends this year came in the form of melodic rap, however, not all saw the success payoff with Grammy nominations. Notably, Jordan Adetunji’s “Kehlani” featuring the R&B singer herself earned a space in the 2025 nominee class alongside Latto’s “Big Mama.” Others such as Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby,” Flo Milli’s “Never Lose Me,” and Don Toliver’s “Attitude” were left behind.

The Best Rap Song category, highlighting the lyricists, the production, the composition, and the pens, also acknowledged songs that happened to have big moments on and offline. Kendrick Lamar‘s industry-shifting “Not Like Us” is one of the rapper’s two nods in the category, also earning a chance at the trophy in “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin.

Additionally, Ye and Ty Dolla $ign’s “Carnival” and GloRilla’s “Yeah Glo!” have the chance to parlay TikToks and memes into critical acclaim. Also competing in both categories is Rapsody. Her songs might not have had as many viral moments as her competitors, but “Asteroid” produced by Hit-Boy (Rap Song) and “3:AM” featuring Erykah Badu (Melodic Rap) are worthy contenders with the potential to take home the gold.

Did They Finally Get R&B Right?

Credit: www.vibe.com