Grammy 2016 Nominations: Kendrick Lamar Leads The Line As Taylor Swift, Weeknd Dominate

Lamar’s Album “To Pimp a Butterfly” is up for album of the year and best rap album, with hit single, “These Walls” up for best rap collaboration.

Lamar, 28, was also nominated for song of the year, best rap performance, best rap song, best music video for his song “Alright”.

Elsewhere, Taylor Swift picked up nominations for record of the year, album of the year, song of the year, best music video for Bad Blood featuring Kendrick Lamar, best pop solo performance, best pop duo/group performance and best pop vocal album.

The Weeknd was nominated for record of the year and best pop solo performance for “Can’t Feel My Face”, album of the year and best urban contemporary album for “Beauty Behind the Madness”, best R&B performance, best song written for visual media and best R&B song for “Earned It”.

Rapper Drake scored five nominations, including best rap album for “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late”.

Voting for the second round commences next week, ends on January 15, 2016.

The 2016 Grammy Awards will take place on February 15 2016 at Los Angeles’ Staples Centre.

Here are the nominees:

Album of the Year
Sound & Color — Alabama Shakes
To Pimp a Butterfly — Kendrick Lamar
Traveller — Chris Stapleton
1989 — Taylor Swift
Beauty Behind the Madness — The Weeknd

Best New Artist
Courtney Barnett
James Bay
Sam Hunt
Tori Kelly
Meghan Trainor

Record of the Year
“Really Love” — D’Angelo and the Vanguard
“Uptown Funk” — Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
“Thinking Out Loud” — Ed Sheeran
“Blank Space” — Taylor Swift
“Can’t Feel My Face” — The Weeknd

Song of the Year
“Alright” — Kendrick Lamar
“Blank Space” — Taylor Swift
“Girl Crush” — Little Big Town
“See You Again” — Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth
“Thinking Out Loud” — Ed Sheeran

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Ship to Wreck” — Florence + The Machine
“Sugar” — Maroon 5
“Uptown Funk” — Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
“Bad Blood” — Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar
“See You Again” — Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth

Best Pop Solo Performance
“Heartbeat Song” — Kelly Clarkson
“Love Me Like You Do” — Ellie Goulding
“Thinking Out Loud” — Ed Sheeran
“Blank Space”— Taylor Swift
“Can’t Feel My Face” — The Weeknd

Best Pop Vocal Album
Piece By Piece — Kelly Clarkson
How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful — Florence + The Machine
Uptown Special — Mark Ronson
1989 — Taylor Swift
Before This World — James Taylor

Best Rap Collaboration
“One Man Can Change The World” — Big Sean featuring Kanye West and John Legend
“Glory” — Common and John Legend
“Classic Man” — Jidenna featuring Roman GianArthur
“These Walls” — Kendrick Lamar featuring Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat
“Only” — Nicki Minaj featuring Drake, Lil Wayne and Chris Brown

Best Rap Song
“All Day” — Kanye West featuring Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom and Paul McCartney
“Alright — Kendrick Lamar
“Energy” — Drake
“Glory” — Common and John Legend
“Trap Queen” — Fetty Wap

Best Rap Album
2014 Forest Hills Drive — J. Cole
Compton — Dr. Dre
If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late — Drake
To Pimp a Butterfly — Kendrick Lamar
The Pinkprint — Nicki Minaj

Best Rap Performance
“Apparently” — J. Cole
“Back to Back” — Drake
“Trap Queen” — Fetty Wap
“Alright” — Kendrick Lamar
“Truffle Butter” — Nicki Minaj featuring Drake and Lil Wayne

Best Country Album
Montevallo — Sam Hunt
Pain Killer — Little Big Town
The Blade — Ashley Monroe
Pageant Material — Kacey Musgraves
Traveller — Chris Stapleton

Best Country Solo Performance
“Burning House” — Cam
“Traveller” — Chris Stapleton
“Little Toy Guns” — Carrie Underwood
“John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16″ — Keith Urban
“Chances Are” — Lee Ann Womack

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“Stay a Little Longer” — Brothers Osborne
“If I Needed You” — Joey + Rory
“The Driver” — Charles Kelley, Dierks Bentley, Eric Paslay
“Girl Crush” — Little Big Town
“Lonely Tonight” — Blake Shelton featuring Ashley Monroe

Best Country Song
“Chances Are” — Lee Ann Womack
“Diamond Rings and Old Barstools” — Tim McGraw
“Girl Crush” — Little Big Town
“Hold My Hand” — Brandy Clark
“Traveller” — Chris Stapleton

Best Rock Album
Chaos and the Calm — James Bay
Kintsugi — Death Cab for Cutie
Mister Asylum — Highly Suspect
Drones — Muse
.5: The Gray Chapter — Slipknot

Best Dance Recording
“We’re All We Need” — Above and Beyond featuring Zoë Johnston
“Go” — The Chemical Brothers
“Never Catch Me” — Flying Lotus featuring Kendrick Lamar
“Runaway (U & I)” — Galantis
“Where Are Ü Now” — Skrillex and Diplo with Justin Bieber

Best Rock Performance
“Don’t Wanna Fight” — Alabama Shakes
“What Kind of Man” — Florence + The Machine
“Something From Nothing” — Foo Fighters
“Ex’s & Oh’s” — Elle King
“Moaning Lisa Smile” — Wolf Alice

Best Rock Song
“Don’t Wanna Fight” — Alabama Shakes
“Ex’s & Oh’s” — Elle King
“Hold Back the River” — James Bay
“Lydia” — Highly Suspect
“What Kind of Man” — Florence + The Machine

Best Dance/Electronic Album
Our Love — Caribou
Born in the Echoes — The Chemical Brothers
Caracal — Disclosure
In Colour — Jamie XX
Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü — Skrillex And Diplo

Best Dance Recording
“We’re All We Need” — Above and Beyond featuring Zoë Johnston
“Go” — The Chemical Brothers
“Never Catch Me” — Flying Lotus featuring Kendrick Lamar
“Runaway (U & I)” — Galantis
“Where Are Ü Now” — Skrillex and Diplo with Justin Bieber

Best R&B Song
“Coffee” — Miguel
“Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)” — The Weeknd
“Let It Burn” — Jazmine Sullivan
“Really Love” — D’Angelo and the Vanguard
“Shame” — Tyrese

Best R&B Performance
“If I Don’t Have You” — Tamar Braxton
“Rise Up” — Andra Day
“Breathing Underwater” — Hiatus Kaiyote
“Planes” — Jeremih featuring J. Cole
“Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey)” — The Weeknd

Best R&B Album
Coming Home — Leon Bridges
Black Messiah — D’Angelo and the Vanguard
Cheers to the Fall — Andra Day
Reality Show — Jazmine Sullivan
Forever Charlie — Charlie Wilson

Best Alternative Music Album
Sound & Color — Alabama Shakes
Vulnicura — Björk
The Waterfall — My Morning Jacket
Currents — Tame Impala
Star Wars — Wilco

Best Urban Contemporary Album
Ego Death — The Internet
You Should Be Here — Kehlani
Blood — Lianne La Havas
Wildheart — Miguel
Beauty Behind the Madness — The Weeknd

Best Jazz Instrumental Album
My Favorite Things — Joey Alexander
Breathless — Terence Blanchard featuring the E-Collective
Covered: Recorded Live at Capitol Studios — Robert Glasper and The Robert Glasper Trio
Beautiful Life — Jimmy Greene
Past Present — John Scofield

Best Musical Theater Album
Am American in Paris (original Broadway cast)
Fun Home (original Broadway cast)
Hamilton (original Broadway cast)
The King and I (2015 Broadway cast)
Something Rotten! (original Broadway cast)

Best Gospel Album
Destined to Win (Live) — Karen Clark Sheard
Living It — Dorinda Clark-Cole
One Place Live — Tasha Cobbs
Covered: Alive Is Asia [Live] (Deluxe) — Israel and Newbreed
Life Music: Stage Two — Jonathan McReynolds

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album
Whatever the Road — Jason Crabb
How Can It Be — Lauren Daigle
Saints and Sinners — Matt Maher
This Is Not a Test — Tobymac
Love Ran Red — Chris Tomlin

Best Latin Pop Album
Terral — Pablo Alborán
Healer — Alex Cuba
A Quien Quiera Escuchar (Deluxe Edition) — Ricky Martin
Sirope — Alejandro Sanz
Algo Sucede — Julieta Venegas

Best Americana Album
The Firewatcher’s Daughter — Brandi Carlile
The Traveling Kind — Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell
Something More Than Free — Jason Isbell
Mono — The Mavericks
The Phosphorescent Blues — Punch Brothers