Lamar leads Grammy noms, where women make a comeback

The music of "Black Panther," with Kendrick Lamar in its starring role, officially owns the 2019 Grammy Awards, where women are heavily represented in the major four categories following a year where their presence was barely felt.

The Recording Academy announced Friday that Lamar is the top contender with eight nominations, including seven for his musical companion to the Marvel Studios juggernaut starring Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan. "Black Panther: The Album, Music From and Inspired By" is up for album of the year, a category where women make up five of the eight nominees. Cardi B, Kacey Musgraves, Janelle Monae, H.E.R. and Brandi Carlile also are up for the top prize, along with Drake and Post Malone.

The upcoming Grammys is the first where the academy extended its top four categories from five nominees to eight.

FILE- In this Oct. 12, 2018, file photo Drake performs at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. A list of nominees in the top categories at the 2019 Grammys, including Kendrick Lamar, who is the leader with eight nominations, were announced Friday, Dec. 7, 2018, by the Recording Academy. Drake, Cardi B, Brandi Carlile, Childish Gambino, H.E.R., Lady Gaga, Maren Morris, SZA, Kacey Musgraves and Greta Van Fleet also scored multiple nominations. (Photo by Richard ShotwellInvisionAP, File)

The "Panther" nomination would give Lamar a chance to win album of the year after losing three times. His most recently loss was in February when his critically acclaimed "DAMN" fell short to Bruno Mars' "24K Magic," though Lamar's project would go on to win a Pulitzer Prize for music two months later, making him the first non-classical or jazz artist to win the prestigious honor.

Lamar's Top 10 hit, the SZA-assisted "All the Stars," is nominated for both record and song of the year (a songwriter's award). Five other songs scored nominations in both categories, including Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's "Shallow" from "A Star Is Born"; Childish Gambino's "This Is America"; Drake's "God's Plan"; Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey's "The Middle"; and Carlile's "The Joke."

Ella Mai's "Boo'd Up" and Shawn Mendes' "In My Blood" earned song of the year nods, while Post Malone's "Rockstar" and Cardi B's "I Like It," featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin, round out the nominees for record of the year.

FILE - In this May 20, 2018 file photo, Maren Morris performs "The Middle" at the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. A list of nominees in the top categories at the 2019 Grammys, including Kendrick Lamar, who is the leader with eight nominations, were announced Friday, Dec. 7, 2018, by the Recording Academy. Drake, Cardi B, Brandi Carlile, Childish Gambino, H.E.R., Lady Gaga, Maren Morris, SZA, Kacey Musgraves and Greta Van Fleet also scored multiple nominations. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP, File)

Following Lamar, Drake — the year's most successful artist — earned seven nominations. Though nominated for album of the year, he was surprisingly shut out of best rap album, where his rival Pusha T earned a nomination.

Drake's frequent collaborator, producer Boi-1Da, earned six nods, as did Carlile, who also scored nominations in the American Roots category.

Cardi B, Gaga, H.E.R., Morris, Gambino, producer Sounwave and engineer Mike Bozzi scored five nominations each.

FILE - In this June 24, 2018 file photo, H.E.R. performs at the BET Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. A list of nominees in the top categories at the 2019 Grammys, including Kendrick Lamar, who is the leader with eight nominations, were announced Friday, Dec. 7, 2018, by the Recording Academy. Drake, Cardi B, Brandi Carlile, Childish Gambino, H.E.R., Lady Gaga, Maren Morris, SZA, Kacey Musgraves and Greta Van Fleet also scored multiple nominations. (Photo by Richard ShotwellInvisionAP, File)

The nominees for the 2019 Grammys mark a departure from this year's show, where women were underrepresented in the top four categories. Of the eight best new artist nominees, six are women, including H.E.R., Chloe x Halle, Dua Lipa, Margo Price, Bebe Rexha and Jorja Smith. Rock band Greta Van Fleet and country singer Luke Combs also earned nominations.

Recording Academy CEO Neil Portnow was criticized earlier this year at the Grammys when he said women need to "step up" when asked about the lack of women in the top categories, which he later acknowledged was a "poor choice of words." It forced the academy to launch a new task force focused on inclusion and diversity; Portnow also announced he would be leaving the academy in 2019.

"In any given year there could be more folks from one area or one gender or one genre or one ethnicity that are making recordings and being successful with them than in another year. So, in many ways we're just a reflection of that," Portnow said in an interview with The Associated Press. "This year clearly there were many women not only making music but making great music and making music that resonates with our peer voters in terms of excellence, and so that certainly is at the forefront."

FILE - In this April 15, 2018 file photo, Cardi B performs at the Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif. A list of nominees in the top categories at the 2019 Grammys, including Kendrick Lamar, who is the leader with eight nominations, were announced Friday, Dec. 7, 2018, by the Recording Academy. Drake, Cardi B, Brandi Carlile, Childish Gambino, H.E.R., Lady Gaga, Maren Morris, SZA, Kacey Musgraves and Greta Van Fleet also scored multiple nominations. (Photo by Amy HarrisInvisionAP, File)

Another milestone for women is in the non-classical producer of the year category, where songwriting extraordinaire Linda Perry earned a nomination. She's just the seventh woman ever nominated for prize and first since 2004.

"Linda represents what we hope becomes the norm, which is the elimination of gender bias in producing and engineering in our industry," Portnow said.

Perry will compete with Pharrell Williams, Boi-1Da, Larry Klein and Kanye West, the only nomination he earned.

FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2018 file photo, Lady Gaga arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of "A Star Is Born," at the Shrine Auditorium. A list of nominees in the top categories at the 2019 Grammys, including Kendrick Lamar, who is the leader with eight nominations, were announced Friday, Dec. 7, 2018, by the Recording Academy. Drake, Cardi B, Brandi Carlile, Childish Gambino, H.E.R., Lady Gaga, Maren Morris, SZA, Kacey Musgraves and Greta Van Fleet also scored multiple nominations. (Photo by Jordan StraussInvisionAP)

Taylor Swift, a two-time album of the year winner, also only earned one nomination — her "reputation" album is up best pop vocal album. Justin Timberlake, whose "Man of the Woods" albums flopped earlier this year, picked up a nod for "Say Something," his collaboration with Chris Stapleton.

Beyonce and Jay-Z, billed as The Carters, as well Ariana Grande, didn't earn any of the big nominations. The Carters earned two nods in the R&B category along with best music video, while Grande picked up two nods in pop.

Artists who were completely snubbed include Carrie Underwood, Sam Smith, Migos, Kane Brown, Nicki Minaj, XXXTentacion and Juice WRLD, whose "Lucid Dreams" was one of the year's biggest hits.

FILE - In this Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018 file photo, Brandi Carlile performs at One Love Malibu at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas, Calif. A list of nominees in the top categories at the 2019 Grammys, including Kendrick Lamar, who is the leader with eight nominations, were announced Friday, Dec. 7, 2018, by the Recording Academy. Drake, Cardi B, Brandi Carlile, Childish Gambino, H.E.R., Lady Gaga, Maren Morris, SZA, Kacey Musgraves and Greta Van Fleet also scored multiple nominations. (Photo by Amy HarrisInvisionAP, File)

Some acts scored their first nominations ever, including Florida Georgia Line, whose megahit "Meant to Be" with Rexha is up best country duo/group performance. Camila Cabello, Malone, Mendes, Dan + Shay and DJ Mustard are also first-time nominees.

Gaga, who earned acting and music Golden Globe nominations Thursday, picked up four Grammy nominations for "Shallow," while "Joanne" is up for best pop solo performance. The soundtrack for "A Star Is Born" was released after Grammy eligibility, though "Shallow" was released in time and also earned Cooper two nominations.

Other famous faces outside of music to earn nominations include Tiffany Haddish and former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, both up for best spoken word album. Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Fred Armisen, Jim Gaffigan and Patton Oswalt are up for best comedy album.

FILE - In this Friday, Sept. 21, 2018 file photo, Childish Gambino performs at the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Festival Day 1 held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. A list of nominees in the top categories at the 2019 Grammys, including Kendrick Lamar, who is the leader with eight nominations, were announced Friday, Dec. 7, 2018, by the Recording Academy. Drake, Cardi B, Brandi Carlile, Childish Gambino, H.E.R., Lady Gaga, Maren Morris, SZA, Kacey Musgraves and Greta Van Fleet also scored multiple nominations. (Photo by John SalangsangInvisionAP, File)

Mac Miller, who died in September, earned a nomination for best rap album with "Swimming." Chris Cornell, who died last year, is up for best rock performance with "When Bad Does Good."

Demi Lovato, who relapsed after six years of sobriety and was hospitalized for an overdose in July, earned a nomination for best pop duo/group performance for "Fall In Line," her duet with Christina Aguilera.

Those who earned four nominations are Musgraves, Malone, PJ Morton, Dave Cobb, Ludwig Goransson, Noah Shebib and SZA, who earned a Golden Globe nomination alongside Lamar for "All the Stars" on Thursday.

FILE - In this March 9, 2018 file photo, SZA performs at the 2018 BUKU Music + Art Project at Mardi Gras World in New Orleans. A list of nominees in the top categories at the 2019 Grammys, including Kendrick Lamar, who is the leader with eight nominations, were announced Friday, Dec. 7, 2018, by the Recording Academy. Drake, Cardi B, Brandi Carlile, Childish Gambino, H.E.R., Lady Gaga, Maren Morris, SZA, Kacey Musgraves and Greta Van Fleet also scored multiple nominations. (Photo by Amy HarrisInvisionAP, File)

Lamar has won 12 Grammys throughout his career. Though seven of his eight nominations come from "Black Panther," he also earned a nod for co-writing Jay Rock's "Win," up for best rap song.

The 2019 Grammys will hand out awards in its 84 categories live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 10, 2019.

Online:

http://www.grammy.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — Israel this week briefed Biden administration officials on a plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians ahead of a potential operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah aimed at rooting out Hamas militants, according to U.S. officials familiar with the talks.

The officials, who were not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity to speak about the sensitive exchange, said that the plan detailed by the Israelis did not change the U.S. administration’s view that moving forward with an operation in Rafah would put too many innocent Palestinian civilians at risk.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to carry out a military operation in Rafah despite warnings from President Joe Biden and other western officials that doing so would result in more civilian deaths and worsen an already dire humanitarian crisis.

The Biden administration has said there could be consequences for Israel should it move forward with the operation without a credible plan to safeguard civilians.

“Absent such a plan, we can’t support a major military operation going into Rafah because the damage it would do is beyond what’s acceptable,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said late Friday at the Sedona Forum, an event in Arizona hosted by the McCain Institute.

Some 1.5 million Palestinians have sheltered in the southern Gaza city as the territory has been ravaged by the war that began on Oct. 7 after Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.

The United Nations humanitarian aid agency on Friday said that hundreds of thousands of people would be “at imminent risk of death” if Israel moves forward with the Rafah assault. The border city is a critical entry point for humanitarian aid and is filled with displaced Palestinians, many in densely packed tent camps.

The officials added that the evacuation plan that the Israelis briefed was not finalized and both sides agreed to keep discussing the matter.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Friday that no “comprehensive” plan for a potential Rafah operation has been revealed by the Israelis to the White House. The operation, however, has been discussed during recent calls between Biden and Netanyahu as well as during recent virtual talks with top Israeli and U.S. national security officials.

“We want to make sure that those conversations continue because it is important to protect those Palestinian lives — those innocent lives,” Jean-Pierre said.

The revelation of Israel's continued push to carry out a Rafah operation came as CIA director William Burns arrived Friday in Egypt, where negotiators are trying to seal a cease-fire accord between Israel and Hamas.

Hamas is considering the latest proposal for a cease-fire and hostage release put forward by U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators, who are looking to avert the Rafah operation.

They have publicly pressed Hamas to accept the terms of the deal that would lead to an extended cease-fire and an exchange of Israeli hostages taken captive on Oct. 7 and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Hamas has said it will send a delegation to Cairo in the coming days for further discussions on the offer, though it has not specified when.

Israel, and its allies, have sought to increase pressure on Hamas on the hostage negotiation. Signaling that Israel continues to move forward with its planning for a Rafah operation could be a tactic to nudge the militants to finalize the deal.

Netanyahu said earlier this week that Israeli forces would enter Rafah, which Israel says is Hamas’ last stronghold, regardless of whether a truce-for-hostages deal is struck. His comments appeared to be meant to appease his nationalist governing partners, and it was not clear whether they would have any bearing on any emerging deal with Hamas.

Blinken visited the region, including Israel, this week and called the latest proposal “extraordinarily generous” and said “the time to act is now.”

In Arizona on Friday, Blinken repeated remarks he made earlier this week that "the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a cease-fire is Hamas.”

The Chahine family prepares to bury two adults and five boys and girls under the age of 16 after an overnight Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 3, 2024. An Israeli strike on the city of Rafah on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip killed several people, including children, hospital officials said Friday. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

FILE - Palestinians line up for free food during the ongoing Israeli air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip in Rafah, Jan. 9, 2024. A top U.N. official said Friday, May 3, 2024, that hard-hit northern Gaza was now in “full-blown famine" after more than six months of war between Israel and Hamas and severe Israeli restrictions on food deliveries to the Palestinian territory. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali, File)

Palestinians rescue a woman survived after the Israeli bombardment on a residential building of Abu Alenan family in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, early Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

President Joe Biden walks across the South Lawn of the White House as he talks with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Washington, after returning from a trip to North Carolina. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)