The Recording Academy recently shared the 2018 Grammy nomination list for music’s biggest night, and there were some obvious selections but a number of surprises as well. One of the biggest shocks came in the category for Album of the Year, which featured not one, but four hip-hop/R&B acts. But, more importantly, the AOY nominations list contained a primarily POC roster, making it the first time a white male artist hasn’t made the cut in the last 19 years.

The five nominations for Album of the Year feature three hip-hop artists and men of color and one woman. The list includes Childish Gambino for Awaken, My Love!;  Lorde’s Melodrama; 4:44 by Jay-Z; Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN.; and Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic. 

This is a huge milestone for both hip-hop and artists of color, especially considering the recent controversy drawn from previous Grammys seasons. The awards ceremony garnered quite a bit of criticism last year, when Beyonce’s critically acclaimed album, Lemonade lost to Adele’s 25. And just one year before that, Taylor Swift’s 1989 beat out Kendrick’s To Pimp a Butterfly.  

In response to accusations of whitewashing the awards ceremony and not recognizing black artists’ contribution to modern music, Recording Academy president Neil Portnow released a statement pledging to acknowledge the diversity of the industry. In addition to opening the voting pool to a larger group of voters, the Academy also incorporated online voting for the first time this year. 

It's about time the Academy caught on. Congrats to all the nominees!