Bernie Sanders, Jay-Z, Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar: They are all among the nominees for Grammy awards.
While Bernie Sanders could win a Grammy, many of the Grammy nominees are stars in rap, hip-hop and R&B.
For Sanders, it’s his first Grammy nod. But not to worry. It’s not for anything he sang.
The Vermont senator who was edged out for the Democratic presidential nomination last year is nominated in the spoken-word category for the audio book of “Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In,” with actor Mark Ruffalo.
His competition is Neil Degrasse Tyson for “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry,” Bruce Springsteen for “Born to Run,” Shelly Peiken for “Confessions of a Serial Songwriter” and the late Carrie Fisher for “The Princess Diarist.”
Variety notes that politicians have a history of winning this category.
“Barack Obama won the Grammy in 2006 for ‘Dreams From My Father’ and in 2008 for ‘The Audacity of Hope.’ Bill Clinton received the honor in 2005 for ‘My Life,'” the trade said. “Hillary Clinton … earned a Grammy nod in 2004 for her memoir ‘Living History’ and won in 1997 for ‘It Takes a Village,’ which she recorded when she was first lady.”
While Bernie Sanders may still be a big political name, the Recording Academy focused on rap, hip-hop and R&B for its top awards, including album of the year. At the top of the list unveiled Tuesday is Jay-Z.
“Jay-Z leads the pack with eight nominations this year, including nods for album of the year, record of the year, song of the year and best rap album,” Billboard said.
“Kendrick Lamar follows with seven nods, while Bruno Mars is the third most-nominated artist with six. SZA is 2018’s most Grammy-nominated woman with five nods; Khalid, Childish Gambino and producer No I.D. also scored five noms.”
Billboard lists all the nominees.
The Grammy Awards show airs on CBS on Sunday, Jan. 28.