LOS ANGELES, Feb 16 — Rapper Kendrick Lamar is vying today to be just the third hip-hop artist to win a Grammy for Album of the Year, two years after being passed over for best rap album in a controversial decision.

Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city was nominated for album of the year in 2014, when the rapper didn’t win a single award despite being up for seven—the most any artist has received without a win.

He shares that crown with India.Arie. His defeat in the rap categories prompted the winner, Macklemore, to declare on social media that Lamar deserved the awards. Lamar’s fortunes reversed last year, when he won a pair of Grammys for his song i.

This year, Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly is competing against recordings from pop star Taylor Swift, Canadian crooner the Weeknd, country singer Chris Stapleton and rock band Alabama Shakes.

Lamar led all artists with 11 nominations and would follow in the footsteps of hip-hop artists Lauryn Hill and Outkast if he wins the best album trophy.

CBS will broadcast the awards ceremony, hosted by rapper LL Cool J, from the Staples Center in Los Angeles at 8pm.

The music industry uses the Grammy Awards to showcase artists of all generations, combining global superstars and newer musicians on the same stage. Winners and performers are exposed to millions of new fans who purchase albums, stream music on Spotify and buy concert tickets.

Swift is scheduled to kick the broadcast off with a performance, probably from “1989,” the best-selling album of 2014. Swift tied the Weeknd for the second-most nominations of any artist this year with seven, including two for a collaboration with Lamar—“Bad Blood.”

Vivendi’s Stable

The nominations bode well for the world’s largest record label, since Vivendi SA’s Universal distributes Swift, Lamar and the Weeknd.

Lamar and Swift earned nominations at the 2015 Grammys for the first singles from their latest albums, but the albums weren’t eligible until this year’s awards.

Similarly, Adele, whose 25 broke sales records in November, won’t be eligible until the 2017 Grammys.

The British singer, whose last name is Adkins, will perform at this year’s show, as will the cast of Broadway sensation “Hamilton”, Lamar, Rihanna and the Alabama Shakes. The remaining members of The Eagles will pay tribute to Glenn Frey, who died last month.

This is the first time Swift had been nominated primarily as a pop artist. She began her career as a country act, and won five awards in that genre between 2010 and 2012. Swift had won seven Grammys in total entering this year, including the prize for Album of the Year in 2010 for Fearless.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR NOMINEES:

• Sound & Color, The Alabama Shakes

• To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar

• Traveller, Chris Stapleton

• 1989, Taylor Swift

• Beauty Behind the Madness, The Weeknd

RECORD OF THE YEAR NOMINEES:

• Really Love, D’Angelo and the Vanguard

• Uptown Funk, Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars

• Thinking Out Loud, Ed Sheeran

• Blank Space, Taylor Swift

• Can’t Feel My Face, The Weeknd

SONG OF THE YEAR NOMINEES:

• Alright, Kendrick Duckworth, Kawan Prather, Mark Anthony Spears, Pharrell Williams

• Blank Space, Max Martin, Shellback and Taylor Swift

• Girl Crush, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna and Liz Rose

• See You Again, Andrew Cedar, Justin Franks, Charles Puth and Cameron Thomaz

• Thinking Out Loud, Ed Sheeran and Amy Wadge


BEST NEW ARTIST NOMINEES:

• Courtney Barnett

• James Bay

• Sam Hunt

• Tori Kelly

• Meghan Trainor. — Bloomberg