2025 AMAs: Kendrick Lamar Tops Nominees, Beyoncé Lands Country Album Nod

Kendrick Lamar, seen in a promotional image for “GNX,” leads the 2025 American Music Awards with 10 nominations — a showing that could make him the most-awarded hip-hop artist in AMA history.

Kendrick Lamar tops this year’s American Music Awards with 10 nominations, including Artist of the Year; Album of the Year for "GNX"; Song of the Year for "Not Like Us"; Collaboration of the Year; Favorite Music Video; Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist; Favorite Hip-Hop Album; and three entries in Favorite Hip-Hop Song ("Like That," "Not Like Us" and "Luther").

He landed three of the five slots in Favorite Hip-Hop Song, underscoring his dominance on the charts and in culture.

Black women make a major showing across genres. SZA joins Lamar on multiple fronts — Artist of the Year; Collaboration of the Year ("Luther"); and Favorite Female R&B Artist — while rising star Doechii vies for Social Song of the Year ("Anxiety") alongside fellow breakout Lola Young. In Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist, the field is a who’s-who of today’s voices: Doechii, GloRilla, Latto, Megan Thee Stallion and Sexyy Red.

R&B also reflects the strength of urban voices. SZA’s "SOS Deluxe" and The Weeknd’s "Hurry Up Tomorrow" go head-to-head for Favorite R&B Album, while Kehlani, Muni Long and Summer Walker join SZA in the Favorite Female R&B Artist race. Usher, Chris Brown and Bryson Tiller lead the men’s side in Favorite Male R&B Artist.

On the country front, Beyoncé’s "Cowboy Carter" makes history with a nod for Favorite Country Album against Shaboozey’s "Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going" — two Black artists vying in a category long dominated by white acts.

Post Malone follows Lamar with eight nominations, spanning Artist of the Year; Album of the Year for "F-1 Trillion"; Song of the Year for "I Had Some Help"; two bids in Collaboration of the Year ("I Had Some Help" with Morgan Wallen and "Fortnight" with Taylor Swift); Favorite Male Country Artist; Favorite Country Album; and Favorite Country Song.

Pop powerhouse Billie Eilish and breakout Chappell Roan each picked up seven nominations, while rock stalwarts Linkin Park and Twenty One Pilots aim to extend their reign in Favorite Rock Artist.

Jennifer Lopez returns to host the 51st AMAs live from Las Vegas on Monday, May 26, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS, with streaming available on Paramount+.

Key Nominees by Nomination Count

• Kendrick Lamar (10): Artist of the Year; Album of the Year (GNX); Song of the Year (“Not Like Us”); Collaboration of the Year; Favorite Music Video; Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist; Favorite Hip-Hop Album; Favorite Hip-Hop Song (×3)

• Post Malone (8): Artist of the Year; Album of the Year (F-1 Trillion); Song of the Year (“I Had Some Help”); Collaboration of the Year (×2); Favorite Male Country Artist; Favorite Country Album; Favorite Country Song

• Billie Eilish (7): Artist of the Year; Album of the Year (Hit Me Hard and Soft); Song of the Year (“Birds of a Feather”); Favorite Touring Artist; Favorite Female Pop Artist; Favorite Pop Album; Favorite Pop Song

• Chappell Roan (7): Artist of the Year; New Artist of the Year; Album of the Year; Song of the Year; Social Song of the Year; Favorite Female Pop Artist; Favorite Pop Album

• Shaboozey (7): New Artist of the Year; Song of the Year (“A Bar Song (Tipsy)”); Social Song of the Year; Favorite Music Video; Favorite Male Country Artist; Favorite Country Album; Favorite Country Song

For the full list of nominees, visit the official AMAs site by clicking here. 

Snoop Dogg’s Gospel Album ‘Altar Call’ Drops Sunday on Death Row

Album art for “Death Row Records Presents: Altar Call” features a photo of Snoop Dogg’s late mother, Beverly Tate, whose birthday coincides with the album’s Sunday release. (Courtesy Death Row Records)

Snoop Dogg will swap G‑funk for gospel this month, unveiling a 21‑track set titled “Death Row Records Presents: Altar Call,” dropping this Sunday — the day that would have marked the 74th birthday of his late mother, Beverly Tate.

The rapper announced the project in an Instagram reel, telling fans, “Good afternoon, loved ones … April 27 I’m dropping a gospel album on Death Row Records … God is good — won’t He do it? Try to block my blessing, my team undefeated.”

“Altar Call” reunites Snoop with several high‑profile collaborators. iHeartRadio lists guest spots from Jamie Foxx, Robert Glasper, Jazze Pha, Denaun Porter, Mali Music, Jane Handcock, October London and the newly formed Death Row Mass Choir, while the Bereal Family lends vocals to the lead single “Help Me Jesus,” released April 18.

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Speaking with faith‑based outlet Movieguide, the Long Beach native said the album “is a reflection of what [my mother] taught me — use my voice to spread love and heal the world.”

Fans can already pre‑add the record on Apple Music through a Death Row/Gamma landing page that displays the full 21‑song lineup.

“Altar Call” follows Snoop’s 2018 gospel debut, “Bible of Love,” which spent seven weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart and remained on the tally for 32 weeks overall. It is also his first full‑length release since he reacquired Death Row Records in 2022, turning the onetime gangsta‑rap stronghold into what he calls “the world’s most dangerous record label — now with a message.

Ye’s New Song Alleges Involvement in Childhood Sexual Encounter with Cousin

 

Ye appears in footage from the Netflix documentary “Jeen-Yuhs.” The rapper’s latest unreleased track, “Cousins,” has sparked controversy for its graphic lyrics and revelations about family trauma. (Photo via Netflix)

Kanye West, now legally known as Ye, ignited fresh controversy this week after sharing a graphic lyric about a family member in a snippet of an unreleased track titled "Cousins."

In an Instagram post that included audio from the song, Ye rapped, “I sucked my cousin’s d***,” a line that quickly set off a firestorm of online reaction. Delivered without explanation, the lyric appears amid broader themes of trauma, incarceration, and family betrayal.

The song's content is deeply personal and disturbing. In "Cousins," Ye recounts a sexual encounter with a male cousin during childhood, attributing the experience to early exposure to explicit material. He also claims that the cousin, whose name he has not disclosed, is currently serving a life sentence for murder.

Ye expanded on the track’s backstory in a post on X (formerly Twitter), writing:

“This song is called COUSINS about my cousin that's locked in jail for life for killing a pregnant lady a few years after I told him we wouldn't 'look at dirty magazines together' anymore. Perhaps in my self-centered mess I felt it was my fault that I showed him those dirty magazines when he was 6 and then we acted out what we saw.”

The lyrics describe discovering adult magazines in his mother's closet, reenacting what they saw, and a sexual relationship that reportedly lasted until Ye was 14. In the song, Ye describes the cousin as someone he once loved, but who later became estranged — and now, incarcerated.

The response was immediate and polarized. Critics and fans alike questioned Ye’s mental health and artistic judgment, while some attempted to interpret the song as a confessional or a commentary on generational trauma. Others viewed it as a calculated shock tactic.

Mental health experts have emphasized the need for sensitivity when addressing subjects involving abuse, family trauma, and childhood sexual experiences. Ye has previously spoken about living with bipolar disorder, and episodes like this have renewed public debate over the boundaries between transparency, trauma, and sensationalism in art.

The full track has not been released on streaming platforms, but the snippet remains available on Ye’s Instagram.