Album of the Year Snubs: The 1990s and 2010s

They did Kendrick dirty, man.

All the Snubs - With the 2016 GRAMMYs out of the way, we're digging through the distant past (1990s) and recent past (2010s) for the R&B and hip hop albums that were close in receiving the coveted Album of the Year award (we covered the 2000s already) from the National Academy of Recorded Arts & Sciences (NARAS). They almost had it! — Jon Reyes (Photos from left: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images, Kevin Winter/Getty Images, Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NARAS)

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All the Snubs - With the 2016 GRAMMYs out of the way, we're digging through the distant past (1990s) and recent past (2010s) for the R&B and hip hop albums that were close in receiving the coveted Album of the Year award (we covered the 2000s already) from the National Academy of Recorded Arts & Sciences (NARAS). They almost had it! — Jon Reyes (Photos from left: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images, Kevin Winter/Getty Images, Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NARAS)

Native Son - Contrary to some reports, To Pimp a Butterfly is not based on To Kill a Mockingbird. Explaining several meanings behind the album’s concept, Kendrick stated, “The butterfly represents the thoughtfulness and how people view me in society and on the TV screen and what I can do with this is say, 'Middle fingers up' to everybody where I come from ... or I can do something productive with it. That’s one meaning. Or I can go a little bit deeper and show how the industry looks at artists and how they pimp artists out or how the world views us coming from an urban community and the hood.” (Photo: Interscope Records)

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Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) - Man, this was a close one. But once again, Kendrick Lamar was beat out by the powers of pop music with Taylor Swift's 1989 and its gargantuan impact on the charts.While it didn't come as a surprise to many who have said that Kendrick and the Weeknd being in the same category split up the R&B and hip hop vote, it was still shocking to watch 1989 beat out one of the most important albums of the past year. (Photo: Interscope Records)

Beyoncé - Beyoncé - All Beyonce’s self-titled album did was spawn five singles — including “Drunk in Love,” “Partition” and “Flawless” — and serve as a springboard for her worldwide “On The Run Tour” with hubby Jay Z. Lightwork for Queen Bey. (Photo: Parkwood/Columbia)

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Beyoncé, Beyoncé (2015) - As it turns out, this was a snub that will be remembered. Bey’s surprise album was beat out by Beck’s sad and somber Morning Phase. Obviously, Kanye West couldn’t resist his epic rudeness for a not quite (but almost) flashback to the Taylor Swift/Hennessy debacle.(Photo: Parkwood/Columbia)

Kendrick Lamar - “Sherane a.k.a. Master’s Splinter Daughter,” good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012) - For his modern-day opus, Kendrick Lamar starts off perfectly and subtly as he tells us the story of falling for Sherane “the hood rat” while painting the canvas with vivid illustrations of growing up in Compton.(Photo: Top Dawg Entertainment, Interscope)

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Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d city (2014) - This was an interesting year for hip hop and in the general category. Kendrick’s second album was snubbed by NARAS in the Best Rap Album category, with the award going to Macklemore, and was snubbed in this category by giving it to the highly popular Random Access Memories by Daft Punk.(Photo: Top Dawg Entertainment, Interscope)

Frank Ocean, Channel Orange - Though one could argue his 2011 "mixtape," Nostalgia, Ultra, was his true first album, Ocean's incredible studio debut, Channel Orange, not only inspired this list, but it's a worthy inclusion. With songs like "Thinkin Bout You" and "Pyramids," it's already safe to say that Frank's one of the best, most introspective, most innovative soul-music lyricists in years. (Photo: Courtesy Island Def Jam Records)

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Frank Ocean, Channel Orange (2013) - Frank’s record label debut was a critic favorite but it stood no chance against Babel by Mumford & Sons, a band comprised of sons of well-off English families with country music undertones.(Photo: Island Def Jam Records)

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Rihanna, Loud (2012) - This really wasn’t a snub because this year the award went to Adele’s 21. We’re letting this one go. BUT STILL.(Photo: Def Jam Recordings)

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Rihanna, Loud (2012) - This really wasn’t a snub because this year the award went to Adele’s 21. We’re letting this one go. BUT STILL.(Photo: Def Jam Recordings)

Eminem, Recovery (2011) - The first hip hop album nominated for the award in this decade, it lost to Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs because, you know...indie rock.(Photo: Aftermath/Interscope Records)

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Eminem, Recovery (2011) - The first hip hop album nominated for the award in this decade, it lost to Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs because, you know...indie rock.(Photo: Aftermath/Interscope Records)

Beyoncé: I Am… Sasha Fierce - Kicking off our list is the undisputed queen of perfect brows: Beyoncé. While the latest trend of filling in eyebrows lends to an overdone and borderline painted on look, Bey keeps it natural, using only what she’s got. On the standard cover for her third LP, I Am...Sasha Fierce, Bey lets her dark Creole arches shine and we love it!(Photo: Columbia Records)

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Beyonce I Am...Sasha Fierce (2010) - Bey’s first nomination for the Album of the Year award was rightfully earned. The dual disc album propelled Bey into super stardom (especially with songs like “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” and “Halo”). But then Taylor Swift was, you know, Taylor Swift, so Bey didn’t stand a chance with NARAS voters.(Photo: Columbia Records)

Fugees - “How Many Mics?”, The Score (1996) - An intro that would introduce the world at large to an incredibly skillful group where in one track manages to reference Frederick Douglass, Tommy Mottola, Stanley Kubrick, Nation of Islam, and more while outstandingly flexing intellectual muscle at a time when hip hop was shedding blood and losing constituents.  Honorable mention goes to the "Chinese Restaurant Skit," where a restaurant owner is getting trolled by patrons asking for no onions in their rice, as the owner becomes infuriated and attacks Kung-Fu style, but not before shouting "But like Burger King, have it your way!"(Photo: Ruffhouse Records, Columbia Records)

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The Fugees, The Score (1997) - The Score was the second hip hop album to be nominated for the Album of the Year award (if you’re counting MC Hammer’s Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em as hip hop). But, alas, the stars were not aligned for The Fugees because Celine Dion was out in the streets singing.(Photo: Ruffhouse Records, Columbia Records)

The Evolution of Mariah Carey - Mariah did it again in 1995 with Daydream, topping the charts and selling over 10 million copies in the U.S. alone. The album featured more of a hip hop/R&B sound than her previous pop-oriented efforts, and included "Fantasy," which debuted at No. 1 — making Carey the first female artist to do so.(Photo: Columbia Records)

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Mariah Carey, Daydream (1996) - This would be the end of Mariah’s pure-pop foray and the beginning of her hip-hop-and-R&B-tinged career. This year, NARAS was absolutely taken with a Canadian singer-songwriter by the name of Alanis Morissette. Mariah never had a chance.(Photo: Columbia Records)

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Pharrell Williams, GIRL (2015) - Up against Beck’s Morning Phase and Beyoncé’s album, Pharrell’s odds weren’t in his favor. While not an epic snub by any means, it was definitely a head scratcher next to Beck’s win.(Photo: Columbia Records)

Various Artists, Waiting to Exhale (Soundtrack) (1997) - The soundtrack to Whitney Houston’s film was definitely a contender the year that Celine Dion won. It spawned seven singles. Two of those were No. 1 hits. Three of them were top ten hits. It would be the last album Whitney would be nominated for in this category.(Photo: Arista Records)

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Various Artists, Waiting to Exhale (Soundtrack) (1997) - The soundtrack to Whitney Houston’s film was definitely a contender the year that Celine Dion won. It spawned seven singles. Two of those were No. 1 hits. Three of them were top ten hits. It would be the last album Whitney would be nominated for in this category.(Photo: Arista Records)

Babyface, The Day (1998) - Babyface’s fifth studio album was an all-star affair that included Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, LL Cool J and Eric Clapton. But in the eyes of NARAS not even an Eric Clapton feature could compete against Bob Dylan, who the award went to that year.(Photo: Epic Records)

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Babyface, The Day (1998) - Babyface’s fifth studio album was an all-star affair that included Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, LL Cool J and Eric Clapton. But in the eyes of NARAS not even an Eric Clapton feature could compete against Bob Dylan, who the award went to that year.(Photo: Epic Records)