“Royalty” is his seventh album and continued his presence on urban radio, but the competition from new hip hop up-and-comers is fierce this year, and Brown continues to face controversy for run-ins with the law that may make him less appealing to awards voters. Meanwhile, Chris Brown doesn’t quite have the years behind him that Jackson and Usher boast (he’s only 27), but he’s already got plenty of music under his belt. Grammy for Best Rap Album: Drake, Chance the Rapper, Kanye West and Future are frontrunners Raymond” in 2010), but was met with a cooler commercial reception for his eighth album. Usher was once a leader in this field, winning the Contemporary R&B Album category twice (for “Confessions” in 2004 and “Raymond v. Usher released “Hard II Love” much more recently, this past September. Jackson’s comeback was warmly received but voters may not remember it since it was released way back on October 2, 2015, only two days into the eligibility period. Janet Jackson returned with 2015’s “Unbreakable” after a seven-year absence. On the opposite end of the spectrum from these newcomers, a slew of more seasoned players are hoping for a nomination. Of those contenders, I think Tiller and Paak have the best chances at getting rookie nominations, Tiller for his outstanding commercial success and Paak for the left-field brand of hip hop that earned The Internet and Kehlani nominations in this category just last year. Photo Gallery: Biggest stars who DIDN’T win Grammy for Best New Artist And Paak, while not as widely recognized as the others, received universal critical praise. Lanez has had much success with singles “Luv It” and “Say It,” while Tiller has achieved rare platinum status with his debut album.

Ty has the pedigree, having worked extensively with Kanye West, including on 2015’s “FourFiveSeconds” which also put him in the studio with Rihanna and Paul McCartney. In particular, a wave of male artists that blend singing and rapping go head to head this year: Ty Dolla Sign with “Free TC,” Tory Lanez with “I Told You,” Bryson Tiller with “T R A P S O U L” and Anderson Paak with “Malibu.” They all come to the race with different strengths. The subjectivity of what constitutes an “urban contemporary” album means that artists of a broad spectrum of R&B and hip hop styles are eligible. She won this category in 2013 for “Unapologetic” and I have no doubt she’ll contend here again in February. Fresh off of her lifetime achievement coronation at the MTV Video Music Awards, Rihanna’s status as a veteran of the Billboard charts - at just 28 years old she has already had 14 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 - has allowed her the freedom to experiment artistically.

It worked: critics and fans agreed that “Anti” is a huge win for Riri. The Queen of Barbados previously mixed pop, dancehall, and electronic in an effortless concoction, but her newest album plays almost exclusively to more traditional R&B and hip hop. Photo Gallery: Biggest Grammy Winners of All Time – See The Most Awarded ArtistsĪnother surprise 2016 release by a mega-watt A-lister will likely compete alongside “Lemonade.” Rihanna returned from the longest hiatus of her career (four years since her last studio album), unleashing “Anti,” her most R&B album to date. Given her strong Grammy history (she has won 20 times) and sterling reputation and legacy, Queen Bey is a lock for an Urban Contemporary Album nomination. It achieved an unprecedented level of critical acclaim for the pop star while still moving two million units and inspiring endless memes along the way. From her political statement at the Super Bowl to her divisive CMA performance on November 2, Beyonce’s newest album has been arguably the most relevant of 2016. Her sixth solo album, “Lemonade,” arrived without notice back in April and continues to inspire conversation and controversy.

“Blonde” likely would have been an Album of the Year contender, but unless there is some kind of underground write-in movement, Ocean will be absent completely from February’s ceremony.īeyonce may have been the frontrunner to win either way, but Ocean’s exemption leaves an even clearer path to the podium for her. Speaking of the category’s inaugural winner, Frank Ocean released not one, but two albums in 2016: a visual album “Endless” and his proper sophomore album “Blonde.” However, he failed to submit either effort for any Grammy consideration. Photo Gallery: Who Needs a Grammy to Reach EGOT?

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