Awards season is about to kick off strong thanks to the 2026 Grammys, which are set for Sunday (Feb. 1). This year, there are more than a handful of our favorite musical artists up for awards and because you know how we get down on this side of the internet–we’re here to keep you abreast of the most notable Black nominees.
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But before we get into that and before one foot steps on that red carpet, here are some important details you need to know about this year’s ceremony. Things will all kick off hours ahead of the main show with the Premiere Ceremony, which will take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles at 3:30 p.m. PT/6:00 p.m. ET. Viewers can stream that event live on the Grammys website and on the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel. Expected performers include Israel Houghton, Tasha Cobbs Leonard and more.
For the actual awards ceremony itself, folks can watch that go down beginning at 5 p.m.PT/8:00 P.M.ET on CBS and available to stream live on Paramount+ and on-demand. Trevor Noah will be back as the host for the final time and there are more than a handful of Black artists set to perform like Clipse, Tyler the Creator and more.
And if you haven’t been keeping up with the awards show and don’t exactly the main people who are up for what, then allow us to give you a quick run down of the most popular categories with Black artists that are likely to be televised.
Album of the Year
For Album of the Year, Black nominees to root for include “Let God Sort Em Out” (Clipse); “GNX” (Kendrick Lamar); “Mutt” (Leon Thomas”; and “Chromakopia (Tyler the Creator). Should Tyler, Clipse or Kendrick win, it will mark the first time that a true hip-hop album will take home the trophy. For Clipse especially, it would be a momentous occasion as this album is their first one in nearly 20 years.
Record, Song of the Year & Best New Artist
For Record and Song of the Year, Black nominees to root for include “Anxiety” by Doechii and “Luther” by Kendrick Lamar, feat. SZA. Best New Artist, Black nominees include Olivia Dean and Leon Thomas.
Rap Categories
When it comes to Best Rap Album, nominees to root for include “God Does Like Ugly” (JID); “GNX” (Kendrick Lamar); “Chromakopia” (Tyler the Creator); “Glorious” (GlorRilla) and “Let God Sort Em Out (Clipse). The Best Rap Song category is also stacked with contenders like: “Anxiety” (Doechii); “The Birds Don’t Sing” (Clipse Feat. John Legend & Voices of Fire); “Sticky” (Tyler, the Creator Feat. GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne); “TGIF”, (GloRilla) and “tv off” (Kendrick Lamar Feat. Lefty Gunplay)
R&B Categories
Moving to R&B, nominees to root for for Best R&B Album include “Escape Room” (Teyana Taylor); “Mutt” (Leon Thomas); “Beloved” (Givēon); “Why Not More?” (Coco Jones) and “The Crown” by Ledisi. For Best R&B Song, the nominees are “Folded” (Kehlani); “Heart of a Woman” (Summer Walker); “It Depends” (Chris Brown” and “Yes It Is” by Leon Thomas.
Should Teyana walk away with a win, this would be yet another major win for her as she’s been on amazing awards season run with her recent Golden Globe win.
Other nominees include Bruno Mars, Durand Bernarr, Destin Conrad, Terrace Martin & Kenyon Dixon, FLO and Cardi B.
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