(CNN) 鈥� Bey-lieve it or not: The 2025 album of the year category might be the most high-stakes race in years.
But let鈥檚 back up.
The category has a little something for everyone this year 鈥� from the pink-drenched newcomer Chappell Roan鈥檚 velvety vocals in her debut album 鈥淭he Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess鈥� to Andr茅 3000鈥檚 flute-centric 鈥淣ew Blue Sun.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a phenomenal slate of nominees. It鈥檚 jam packed. I think it can hold its own with any year in history in terms of the albums that are going up against each other,鈥� Rolling Stone senior writer, critic and author Rob Sheffield told CNN. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an all-time slate of classic albums all happening at the same time.鈥�
But Beyonc茅鈥檚 genre-bending smash in particular is the one album out of the versatile crop of nominees that seems to hold the highest stakes 鈥� not for the artist herself, but for the Grammys.
The Recording Academy has consistently overlooked Beyonc茅 in this specific category, with the singer losing four times for her albums 鈥淩enaissance鈥� (2023), 鈥淟emonade鈥� (2017), 鈥淏eyonc茅鈥� (2015) and 鈥淚 Am鈥� Sasha Fierce (2010).
For the most part, Beyonc茅 has remained unfazed. She even referred to her unsuccessful bids in the category on the 鈥淐owboy Carter鈥� song singing in part that she takes the losses 鈥渙n the chin.鈥�
While Beyonc茅 has seemingly accepted her losses with a gracious smile, each time showing the utmost respect for the winner, her husband Jay-Z 鈥� and her millions of supporters known as the Beyhive 鈥� have been more vocal, , the group behind the Grammys, for overlooking an artist that is widely considered to be one of the most influential of our time.
鈥淪he knows she鈥檚 an artist who knows that the art itself is the legacy,鈥� Sheffield said. 鈥淚 think she cares about making these genius records one after another鈥� But there鈥檚 a sense that for this particular Grammy category to matter, Beyonc茅 has to win it.鈥�
A rich Grammy history
The album of the year category is regarded as the top prize of the Grammys, akin to the esteemed best picture category at the Oscars. It鈥檚 part of what鈥檚 become known as 鈥渢he big four鈥� categories, which includes best new artist, record of the year and song of the year.
Despite the losses for album of the year, Beyonc茅 has than any other artist in history, earning 32 statues from a whopping 99 nominations.
Instances where supporters feel Beyonc茅 was egregiously overlooked have fueled the fervor for her to win at this year鈥檚 ceremony. Sheffield points to Beyonc茅鈥檚 loss to Beck鈥檚 鈥淢orning Phase鈥� in 2015 as a moment that 鈥渟eemed like the biggest upset in Grammy history at that point.鈥� Ever since then, he said, the Grammy鈥檚 album of the year race has always been about whether Beyonc茅 is winning the category.
鈥淓verything else has become a sideshow,鈥� Sheffield added.
Adele鈥檚 win of the prestigious award for her album 鈥�21鈥� at the 2017 Grammys further fanned the flames of agitation. Adele made certain to acknowledge the significance of 鈥淟emonade鈥� during her .
鈥淚 can鈥檛 possibly accept this award,鈥� she tearfully said, addressing Beyonc茅 directly. 鈥淚 love you and I always have and I always will.鈥�
In many ways, 鈥淟emonade鈥� got the last laugh. The album sits atop many 鈥渂est of鈥� lists, including claiming the No. 1 spot on Rolling Stone鈥檚 list, published earlier this month. Lauded for its cultural resonance and visual storytelling, it鈥檚 widely considered the Beyonc茅 album for the ages.
But according to music, pop culture and politics writer and journalist Taylor Crumpton, 鈥淐owboy Carter鈥� has, too, carved out its own unique place in the cultural zeitgeist, making it just as deserving of an album of the year win as 鈥淟emonade.鈥�
鈥淚 think they both changed culture,鈥� Crumpton told CNN. 鈥淚 think 鈥楲emonade鈥� opened up an opportunity for us to talk about Black feminism in pop culture, and I think 鈥楥owboy Carter鈥� opened up an opportunity for us to talk about the hidden history 鈥� and the often erased history 鈥� of Black Americans in Western history in the United States.鈥�
Shifting blame
With so many Grammy wins and a legacy as one of the most influential artists of our time, Beyonc茅 might not be sweating an album of the year win quite as much as perhaps the Grammys as an organization may be.
Beyonc茅 supporters, including her husband rapper Jay-Z, have long taken issue with the consistency in which Beyonc茅 has been overlooked in the album of the year category.
While accepting the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award during the 2024 ceremony, Jay-Z called out the Recording Academy after Beyonc茅鈥檚 鈥淩enaissance鈥� album lost album of the year to Harry Styles鈥� 鈥淗arry鈥檚 House鈥� in 2023.
The Recording Academy has also faced criticism for failing to equally recognize women and artists of color, along with alienating rap and hip-hop performers in key categories, over the years. The group in 2020 changes they鈥檙e implementing to address that.
While six of the eight nominees in this year鈥檚 album of the year category are women, female artists are still underrepresented at the Grammy Awards, according to a recently released report by AKAS (Addy Kassova Audience Strategy Ltd), with research and analysis funded by the Gates Foundation. In the last eight years, only 1 in 5 nominations and wins have gone to women, the report read.
This year, Andr茅 3000 and indie-jazz artist Jacob Collier are the sole male nominees for album of the year. Taylor Swift鈥檚 Sabrina Carpenter鈥檚 鈥淪hort 鈥榥 Sweet,鈥� Charli XCX鈥檚 dancefloor-centric 鈥淏rat鈥� and Billie Eilish鈥檚 鈥淗it Me Hard and Soft鈥� are also nominated.
鈥淚f Beyonc茅 does not win, I believe the response will be varied upon racial demographics, gender demographics, about who was deserving and worthy of this award, and what does that signify for every artist who will enter the music industry,鈥� Crumpton said.
Through her music, Beyonc茅 鈥渉as intertwined herself with the history of Black Americans in the United States,鈥� so another loss in this category, Crumpton added, will be felt 鈥渂y all Black artists of the diaspora who look towards the United States and institutions like the Grammys, like Billboard, to validate them and open up other doors.鈥�
The Grammys will be handed out Sunday from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. It will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
The-CNN-Wire
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