Jay-Z Leads Hip-Hop Nominations for 2018 Grammy Awards

It's hard to decipher whether or not 2017 stands as one of JAY-Z's most successful years to date, given his long-running career started in the late 1980s. One thing that is for certain, however, is the impact of his stellar 13th solo album, 4:44, which is up for eight nominations at the 2018 Grammy Awards.

This morning the coveted Grammy nomination list was announced, and Hov leads the hip-hop pack with nominations for Album of the Year and Best Rap Album. "The Story of O.J." was given a nod for Record of the Year, Best Rap Song and Best Music Video, while the album's title track, "4:44" is up for Best Rap Performance and Song of the Year. He and his wife, Beyoncé, are also up for an award together for the gospel-tinged cut "Family Feud." This brings JAY-Z's Grammy total to 74 nominations and 21 wins.

JAY-Z's producer No I.D. is notably up for Producer of the Year, which is well-deserved given his top-tiered production on 4:44.

4:44 shows Jay's maturity and creativity more than any of its predecessors. The week the album released, it sold 262,000 total album equivalent units, with 174,000 traditional sales. Since then, fans have received videos for nearly every song on the album, with stunning visuals for "Marcy Me," "Legacy" and "Smile" having dropped just this week.

Kendrick Lamar follows with seven nominations of his own, vying for the win with Jay in every category aside from Song of the Year. Here's the full list of 2018 Grammy nominations.

See Photos of JAY-Z's Different Looks Over the Years