In September, hitmaker Lizzo -- who is this year's most-nominated artist -- tied with Iggy Azalea for the longest-running No. Granted, there are some projects who missed the mark in time for consideration, such as Young M. However, in a year full of triumphant moments on wax, the fact that so many sonically diverse bodies of work were overlooked by the Academy is a disappointment -- but not a surprise. It appears that every year, there is sheer confusion regarding the criteria for nominations in the rap categories. Are they determined by mainstream success and popularity? Is it skill?

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The album yielded two No. The LP earned near-universal critical acclaim. Cardi was arguably the most influential new artist of , with dominant streaming figures and social media ubiquity including some salient political commentary. She also referenced that, at time she recorded the album, she was pregnant and navigating the complex process of preparing a much-anticipated debut. For breaking music news, follow augustbrown on Twitter. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
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The Grammy Award for Best Female Rap Solo Performance was an honor presented to female recording artists at the 45th Grammy Awards in and the 46th Grammy Awards in for quality rap solo performances. The Grammy Awards , an annual ceremony that was established in and originally called the Gramophone Awards, [1] are presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position". In , the Academy began to honor individual rap performances with the Best Rap Solo Performance category. The categories remained separated by gender until when they were combined into the genderless category originally called Best Rap Solo Performance. The category name remained unchanged until when it was split into separate categories for Female and Male Rap Solo Performance. The categories remained separated by gender for one additional year.
For the most part, male artists have won every year since Best Rap Album became an annual Grammys category in , with the group Naughty by Nature named the first winners. With a victory for her album Invasion of Privacy , Cardi B not only becomes the first woman to win best rap album as a solo artist but also takes home her first ever Grammy win. In her acceptance speech, Cardi B thanked her collaborators and gave a special shoutout to her daughter, Kulture, who was born last July. Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita. By Mahita Gajanan. Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Now. Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME.