Entertainment Awards Shows and Events Grammys Stars and Fans Applaud Recording Academy for Celebrating Artists of Color with Grammy Nominations After receiving criticism last year for a lack of diversity in its nominees, the Recording Academy is being praised for recognizing people of color By Madison Rossi Published on November 28, 2017 03:05PM EST The 2018 Grammy Awards nominee list is here — and it’s more diverse than ever. This year’s seven most-nominated artists are all people of color — and for the first time since 1999, no white man was nominated for the Album of the Year category. JAY-Z and Kendrick Lamar lead the pack with eight nods and seven nods respectively, and Bruno Mars follows at a close second with six nominations total. Artists tied for fourth place — with five nominations each — include rapper/actor Childish Gambino, producer/songwriter No I.D. and R&B singers SZA and Khalid. After the Recording Academy was accused of having a diversity problem last year, many were happy with this year’s list of nominees. Fans and celebrities have taken to social media to celebrate: https://www.instagram.com/p/BcC2Ax_B9cQ/?taken-by=iamcardib See the full 2018 Grammy nominees list here.