Kendrick Lamar and Beyoncé are the top music nominees for the 2023 NAACP Image Awards, with five nods each. Chris Brown and Tems each earned four nods, followed by Drake with three.
Shop the best of Kendrick Lamar’s discography on vinyl and more.
Beyoncé and Lamar are both nominated for outstanding album, for Renaissance and Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, respectively. The other three album of the year nominees are Ari Lennox’s age/sex/location, Brown’s Breezy (Deluxe), and PJ Morton’s Watch the Sun.
Mary J. Blige received two nominations, including one for entertainer of the year. Notably, all five of the nominees in that marquee category are women. Blige is competing in that category with Angela Bassett, Quinta Brunson, Viola Davis, and Zendaya.
Adam Blackstone, who won a Primetime Emmy last year as music director of the Super Bowl halftime show, is nominated for outstanding new artist and outstanding jazz album – vocal for Legacy. The other nominees for outstanding new artist are Armani White, Coco Jones, Fivio Foreign, and Steve Lacy.
Last month, K.Dot shared a music video for “Count Me Out,” which is featured on his celebrated 2022 album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.
In the video, Lamar speaks with a therapist, who happens to be played by Helen Mirren. The visual was co-directed by Lamar and Dave Free.
At the end of November, Lauren Laverne revealed the Top 10 6 Music Albums of the Year on the BBC 6 Music Breakfast Show, with Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar taking the Number 1 spot.
6 Music – the UK’s biggest digital radio station, with a reach of 2.47 million listeners (Rajar Q3, 2022) – announces its Top 10 Albums of the Year each November. The albums are voted for by the station’s presenters and each year the list features a broad spectrum of artists, reflecting the range of music championed by the station.