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The Grammy Awards are the biggest event in American music, and it seems like the surrounding debate around winners, losers, and snubs grows louder every year. They’re the musical equivalent of the Super Bowl—except that the results are calculated not by objective statistics, but by a panel of aging industry experts who aren’t necessarily known for having their finger on the pulse. Naturally, they don’t always get it right, and the history of the Grammys over nearly six decades is riddled with upsets, controversies, and decisions that provoke no other response than “WTF?” Biggie, Tupac, Bjork, Nas, Depeche Mode, Public Enemy, the Strokes, Justin Bieber, and Nicki Minaj? None of these iconic artists have ever won a Grammy, hard as it may be to believe. Kanye West has yet to win Album of the Year even once; even Macklemore seemed perplexed when he beat Kendrick Lamar in 2014. And let’s not forget the year Christopher Cross swept all four main award categories. We’ve compiled 13 of the best albums that got strangely passed over for the coveted Album of the Year award. Sure, the Grammys may not always make the most logical choices, but isn’t ripping on their bizarre decisions the best part of every year, anyway?
Kendrick Lamar, Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City
Year: 2014
Lost to: Daft Punk, Random Access Memories
Other nominees: Sara Bareilles, The Blessed Unrest; Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, The Heist; Taylor Swift, Red
Having returned for their first official album in eight years with 2013’s loving prog-rock/disco homage, Random Access Memories, French robot overlords Daft Punk cleaned house at last year’s 56th Annual Grammy Awards, winning Album of the Year, Record of the Year (with Pharrell Williams, for “Get Lucky”), and three other awards. Meanwhile, Seattle MC Macklemore and his producer Ryan Lewis stole the show, winning four Grammys, including Best New Artist, and performing their gay rights anthem “Same Love” alongside a live, mass wedding. Overlooked throughout all of this was Kendrick Lamar, the Compton rapper whose major label debut, Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City, a writerly concept album that followed a teenage Lamar on a journey through the daily struggles of his hometown, had been heralded as an instant classic. Lamar had received a whopping seven nominations, including Album of the Year, Best New Artist, and Best Rap Song, and lost every one of them. Rap fans everywhere were shocked—including Macklemore himself, who sent Lamar a highly public apology text (which he later Instagrammed): “You got robbed. I wanted you to win.”
Frank Ocean, Channel ORANGE
Year: 2013
Lost to: Mumford & Sons, Babel
Other nominees: The Black Keys, El Camino; fun., Some Nights; Jack White, Blunderbuss
Frank Ocean’s debut album, Channel ORANGE, seemed like a sure shot for Album of the Year at the 2013 Grammys, and the Odd Future affiliate and longtime songwriter-to-the-stars was poised to take home Best New Artist, too. The album—an intricately detailed R&B/jazz-funk opus spanning from Hollywood brats to trick-turning pharoah queens—received rave reviews upon its release in 2012, and was called the album of the year by Billboard, The A.V. Club, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, Spin, and in The Village Voice’s Pazz & Jop critics’ poll. But in an upset very few expected, Ocean was bested by British folk four-piece Mumford & Sons’ sophomore album, Babel, and again by NYC indie pop group fun. for Best New Artist. Ocean did manage to take home the Best Urban Contemporary Album award, as well as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, along with Kanye West and Jay Z, for his contributions to Watch The Throne’s “No Church in the Wild.” But his upsets felt like a continuance of the Grammys’ eyebrow-raising tradition of overlooking R&B and hip-hop excellence in the awards’ general categories.
Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III
Year: 2009
Lost to: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Raising Sand
Other nominees: Coldplay, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends; Ne-Yo, Year of the Gentleman; Radiohead, In Rainbows
The most talked-about album of 2008 was easily Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III, his sixth and most commercially successful album. After an extended series of leaks and delays (which inadvertently resulted in some of Wayne’s most entertaining mixtapes ever, in the meantime), Tha Carter III was named the best-selling album of 2008 in the U.S., and spawned some of the most successful singles of Wayne’s career. It may not be the favorite of longtime Wayne purists, but it was powerful, immaculately curated, and balanced experimentation of approachability—the kind of rap album that forced non-rap fans to pay attention. Wayne received eight nominations at the 2009 Grammys, and won four, including Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song (for “Lollipop”), and Best Rap Solo Performance (for “A Milli”). But the Album of the Year category was a tight race between a talented group of nominees, and Wayne was bested by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ country collaboration, Raising Sand.
Amy Winehouse, Back to Black
Year: 2008
Lost to:Herbie Hancock, River: The Joni Letters
Other nominees: Foo Fighters, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace; Vince Gill, These Days; Kanye West, Graduation
For all intents and purposes, Amy Winehouse’s second album, Back to Black, dominated the 2008 Grammys. The album—a charismatic, blunt, and often-heartbreaking fusion of retro girl-group sounds and 21st century aesthetics—garnered Winehouse six nominations that year, putting her in a position to become the most-awarded female musician in one night in the award show’s history. She won five of them (including Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Song of the Year, for “Rehab”), but in an upset no one saw coming, Album of the Year went to jazz pianist Herbie Hancock for River: The Joni Letters, his tribute album to Joni Mitchell. (It’s worth noting that Kanye West’s powerhouse of a third album, Graduation, was passed over as well, though West had received eight separate nominations.) Of course, no one would debate the album’s classic status. Until Adele’s 21 broke its record, Back to Black was recognized as the best-selling U.K. album of the 2000s. But it’s hard not to wish that Winehouse could have swept that year’s awards for what became her final release, before her untimely death in 2011.
Kanye West, The College Dropout
Year: 2005
Lost to:Ray Charles, Genius Loves Company
Other nominees: Green Day, American Idiot; Alicia Keys, The Diary of Alicia Keys; Usher, Confessions
When Kanye West’s debut album celebrated its 10th anniversary last February, the many loving tributes across the Internet felt like a knighting ceremony: This was, officially, a classic album of the 21st century. Even West himself took a moment to look back at his official breakthrough, tweeting: “Ten years ago today we finally released what had been my life’s work up to that point: The College Dropout. I say 'finally' because it was a long road, a constant struggle and a true labor of love to not only convince my peers and the public that I could be an artist, but to actually get that art out for the world to hear.”
But at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, the focus was not on West’s debut, but on genius soul pioneer Ray Charles, who had passed away the previous year and in whose memory the ceremony was dedicated. West received an astounding 10 nominations, and won three of them (including Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song, for “Jesus Walks”). But Charles posthumously won five awards, including Album of the Year for 47th Annual Grammy Awards for Genius Loves Company, the last album he recorded before his death. West has gone on to win a total of 21 Grammys throughout his career, but strangely enough, never in the Album of the Year category. Late Registration and Graduation were nominated but didn’t win, and his preceding three albums did not receive Album of the Year nominations at all.
Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP
Year: 2001
Lost to: Steely Dan, Two Against Nature
Other nominees: Beck, Midnight Vultures; Radiohead, Kid A; Paul Simon, You’re the One
Eminem’s debut album, The Slim Shady LP, had stormed rap’s gates in 1999, turning the Detroit native into an instantly infamous celebrity who was known as much for his pot-shotting controversies as his nimble, witty lyrics. But the next year’s follow-up, The Marshall Mathers LP, established Eminem as not just a flash-in-the-pan class clown, but a legitimate pop force. The album sold over 1.76 million copies in its first week of U.S. sales, making it the fastest-selling studio album by a solo artist in American music history. Eminem received four Grammy nominations in the 2001 awards show, and won three of them: Best Rap Album, Best Rap Solo Performance (for “The Real Slim Shady”), and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (along with Dr. Dre for “Forgot About Dre”). But he failed to clinch the Album of the Year award, which went, instead, to Two Against Nature, Steely Dan’s long-awaited first studio album in 20 years.
TLC, FanMail
Year: 2000
Lost to: Santana, Supernatural
Other nominees: Backstreet Boys, Millennium; Dixie Chicks, Fly; Diana Krall, When I Look in Your Eyes
The 42nd Annual Grammy Awards, held in 2000, might be best remembered for non-musical reasons: it was the year of Jennifer Lopez’s now-legendary Versace dress. But musically, the ceremony was dominated by Santana, who tied Michael Jackson’s record for most awards won in a single night (eight!) with their 17th album, Supernatural. The best redemption story of the night, though, was TLC’s comeback. The forward-thinking R&B trio had filed for bankruptcy and gone on hiatus after their groundbreaking 1994 sophomore album CrazySexyCool (the best-selling album by an American girl group, which won two Grammys of its own in 1996, though it was not nominated for Album of the Year). But with their 1999 comeback album, FanMail, the trio more than redeemed themselves; the album birthed their now-classic singles “No Scrubs” and “Unpretty,” spent five consecutive weeks on top of the Billboard charts, and earned the group eight Grammy nods. They won three, including Best R&B Album, but weren’t able to top Santana’s reign of glory. It was the last Grammys ceremony that Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes would be part of; the luminous singer and rapper was killed in a car crash in Honduras in 2002.
The Fugees, The Score
Year: 1997
Lost to: Celine Dion, Falling Into You
Other nominees: Beck, Odelay; The Smashing Pumpkins, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness; V/A, Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album
The 39th Annual Grammy Awards, held in 1997 at Madison Square Garden, doubled as the Fugees’ unofficial swan song. The often-political, reggae-tinged hip-hop trio, comprised of Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras, had skyrocketed to sudden prominence with their sophomore album, The Score. With three undeniable singles (“Killing Me Softly,” “Fu-Gee-La,” and “Ready or Not”), the album was certified six-times platinum, and is generally considered to be one of the most essential hip-hop albums of all time. The Fugees won two Grammys that year: Best Rap Album, as well as Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group for “Killing Me Softly.” But they failed to clinch Album of the Year, which went, instead, to Celine Dion’s fourth English-language album, Falling Into You. The Fugees never appeared at another Grammy Awards again; in fact, they disbanded that same year, with each individual member going on to pursue solo careers. (Hill, however, finally nabbed Album of the Year with her only solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, two years later.)
Mariah Carey, Daydream
Year: 1996
Lost to:AlanisMorrisette, Jagged Little Pill
Other nominees: Michael Jackson, HIStory: Past Present and Future, Book I; Joan Osborne, Relish; Pearl Jam, Vitalogy
Mariah Carey had already established herself as a powerful pop force—with a voice that set new vocal standards that remain largely unreachable to this day—by the release of Daydream in 1995. But the album, her fifth, took the singer to another level of pop dominance as she moved closer toward hip-hop-influenced sounds. The lead single, “Fantasy,” became the first by a female musician to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100, and “One Sweet Day,” in collaboration with Boyz II Men, remains the longest-running No. 1 song in history, having spent 16 weeks at the top mark. It was, and still is, Carey’s highest-selling album of her career—not only that, it remains one of the best-selling albums of all time, with over 25 million copies sold worldwide. Carey was poised to dominate the 1996 Grammys, but despite her six nominations (including Record of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Album of the Year), she was shut out completely in a controversial upset. Album of the Year went to Alanis Morissette’s grunge-pop breakthrough, Jagged Little Pill. (It’s likely that the unexpected defeat was like rain on Mariah’s wedding day.)
Janet Jackson, Control
Year: 1987
Lost to: Paul Simon, Graceland
Other nominees: Peter Gabriel, So; Barbra Streisand, The Broadway Album; Steve Winwood, Back in the High Life
Janet Jackson’s third album, 1986’s Control, marked not only Jackson’s freedom from her family’s control over her career (her early releases were overseen by her father), but also her explosive breakthrough into the mainstream. The Jimmy Jam- and Terry Lewis-produced R&B opus took risks that paid off, innovatively combining new-jack swing, funk, disco, and rap, along with spectacularly choreographed, super-stylish music videos that showed off her dance skills and made her an MTV staple. It was futuristic but relatable, empowering but a little nasty, and it went five-times platinum, selling over 14 million copies worldwide. Jackson was nominated for three Grammys in 1987 (Album of the Year, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Best R&B Song, for “What Have You Done For Me Lately”), but didn’t win any of them; Album of the Year went to Paul Simon for his admittedly excellent sixth album, Graceland. But Jackson went on to make Grammy history many times over the course of her achievement-filled career: She became the first female artist to be nominated for Producer of the Year in 1990, for her fourth album, Rhythm Nation 1814, and she remains the only artist in Grammy history to receive nominations across five different genres (Pop, Rock, Dance, Hip-Hop, and R&B).
Whitney Houston, Whitney Houston
Year: 1986
Lost to: Phil Collins, No Jacket Required
Other nominees: Dire Straits, Brothers in Arms; Sting, The Dream of the Blue Turtles; USA for Africa, We Are the World
If there was a single dominant narrative of the 1986 Grammys, it was the success of the charity single “We Are the World” by sprawling supergroup USA for Africa—led by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie—which took home four awards. But the biggest breakthrough success story of the night went to diva-in-training Whitney Houston, who had sprung onto the scene the previous year with her self-titled debut album and a voice that stopped listeners in their tracks. After a slow start, Whitney Houston gradually gathered steam throughout 1985—it took 50 weeks on the Billboard charts to finally hit No. 1, where it then spent 14 weeks atop the throne. Houston became the first female artist to land three No. 1 singles on a debut album (“How Will I Know,” “Greatest Love of All,” and “Saving All My Love for You”). Houston received four nominations for her first Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, but only left with the award for Best Pop Vocal Performance. However, the ceremony’s biggest controversy emerged from a category in which she hadn’t even been nominated. Houston was omitted from that year’s Best New Artist nominations—a category many had assumed she’d win—on a technicality for having appeared as a guest vocalist on Jermaine Jackson and Teddy Pendergrass albums prior to her debut. Arista Records president Clive Davis publicly refuted the decision, but it stuck, and Best New Artist ultimately went to Sade.
Prince and the Revolution, Purple Rain
Year: 1985
Lost to: Lionel Richie, Can’t Slow Down
Other nominees: Cyndi Lauper, She’s So Unusual; Bruce Springsteen, Born in the U.S.A.; Tina Turner, Private Dancer
Purple Rain, the soundtrack to the 1984 film of the same name, as well as the sixth album from Prince and the Revolution, is generally considered to be one of the greatest albums of all time. It spent 24 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, spawned worldwide hits “When Doves Cry” and “Let’s Go Crazy,” in addition to three other successful singles (“I Would Die 4 U,” “Take Me With U,” and title track “Purple Rain”), has been certified 13-times platinum, and is one of the best-selling soundtracks in history. In 2008, Entertainment Weekly called it the best album of the last 25 years; in 2012, Slant Magazine called it the second-best album of the ’80s, only after Thriller. In short, there’s no sense debating Purple Rain’s status as an all-time classic. But the minds behind the 27th Annual Grammy Awards didn’t seem to get the memo: Though Prince was nominated for four Grammys that year, and won three of them (for Best R&B Song, Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and Best Score Soundtrack Album), Purple Rain was defeated by Lionel Richie’s second album, Can’t Slow Down.
Pink Floyd, The Wall
Year: 1981
Lost to: Christopher Cross, Christopher Cross
Other nominees: Billy Joel, Glass Houses; Frank Sinatra, Trilogy: Past Present Future; Barbra Streisand, Guilty
The 23rd Annual Grammy Awards went down in history for what is considered one of the greatest snubs in history, spread throughout all four general categories but particularly regarding Album of the Year. The Album of the Year competition in 1981 was heavily stacked. The nominees included albums from four of the most legendary musicians of the past half-century: Frank Sinatra, Billy Joel, Barbra Streisand, and Pink Floyd, the latter of whom was nominated for arguably the most accomplished album of their career, 1979’s The Wall, a double-album that channeled an entire childhood of abuse, frustration, and depression into an epic rock opera that would later be adapted into a feature film. In 2003, Rolling Stone placed it at No. 87 on its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. And then there was Christopher Cross, an awkward-looking Texan who had just released his impossibly soft-rocking debut album. Not only did Cross upset The Wall, along with three of music’s most beloved legends, to win the Album of the Year award, but he became the first artist in Grammy history to sweep all four General Field award categories, including Best New Artist, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year.