20 Popular Musicians Who Have Never Won Grammy

Quick Facts

There are many who believe that the greatest achievement one can record as a musician is to land the Grammy. However, there are many that are considered among the greatest in Various Genres that have never won the Grammy. In the same light, there are those you have never heard of who have won the coveted award.

Often considered the Holy Grail for musical artists, the Grammy was founded in 1959 to give musicians something in the line of the . Hence, just as you would find great actors that have not won either the Oscars or the Emmys, so also you would find great musicians yet to land the Grammy.

Musicians Who Have Never Won Grammy

1. Nas

One of the biggest musicians who has never won Grammy, Nas started rapping in 1991 and dropped his debut album ‘Illmatic’ in 1994. The album was critically and commercially successful and is often cited as one of the best rap albums of all time. His next album got double platinum certification within 8 weeks and spent 4 weeks at the Billboard charts. Nas has dropped eleven albums so far and got 13 Grammy nominations to his credit but has not turned in any.

2. Björk

A former member of The Sugarcubes, has released 10 solo albums which got positive reviews from critics and fans. At least 31 singles of her songs have reached top 20 of music charts from around the world. She has been nominated for 14 Grammy awards but has never won.

3. Kid Rock

Robert James Ritchie aka Kid Rock is a versatile singer, songwriter, and DJ. He taught himself to play multiple instruments and to produce. He produced nine out of his eleven albums by himself. His span of interest involves blending rock, heavy metal, country music, and hip hop. Kid Rock began his career in the 1980s and has constantly impacted on the country music genre but sadly, that impact is yet to win him a Grammy even after 5 nominations.

4. Sia

was a member and lead singer of the Adelaide based jazz group, Crisp. Her breakthrough would come when she lent her voice to David Guetta’s Titanium (2011). Her 2014 album ‘1000 Forms Of Fears’ won the hearts of millions across the world with the critically acclaimed single ‘Chandelier’. In 2016, her seventh album called ‘This is Acting’  was released. Like other great musicians who have not won Grammy, Sia has many Grammy nominations (9).

5. Bob Marley

Bob Marley is not the one who needs any form of introduction for many lovers of reggae and music lovers as a whole. One of the greatest reggae stars to have ever lived. He popularized and help spread Reggae across the world with his 13 studio albums. Inasmuch as he is one of the bestselling artists of all time, Marley never got to win the much-coveted award. Interestingly though, his sons Ziggy, Stephen, and Damian who are arguably less famous than their father have won thirteen amongst them.

6. Busta Rhymes

is a rapper that is predominantly known for his fast-paced lyrics which has carved a niche for him in the rap genre. The rapper who hails from New York has 9 studio albums credited to him. Unarguably one of the greatest MCs ever, Busta has eleven Grammy nominations but is yet to win any.

7. Snoop Dogg

If Busta Rhymes is known for his fast-paced raps, then Snoop Dogg is known for keeping it slow and simple for everyone to grasp. It’s almost like he is talking while the beats play on in the background. He dropped his debut album in 1993 and has gone on to release 15 more with some critically acclaimed and others were not so much. 6 Grammy nominations later, he is still yet to win any.

8. Nicki Minaj

came into the rap scene with her mixtape ‘Playtime is Over’ in 2007 and since then, she has dropped two more mixtapes and four albums. She is considered as one of the major league rap artists of all time and the greatest female artiste in the last decade. Nicki is said to have sold off over sixty million singles and at least seven million albums. She has gotten 10 Grammy nominations but yet to record one in her name.

9. Notorious B.I.G.

is no doubt is one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time. He rivaled Tupac during the east and west coast hip hop feud. His career lifespan was short as he dropped his first album in 1994 and was murdered in 1997. In the year 2000, his second album ‘Life After Death’ which was released 2 weeks after his unfortunate demise was diamond certified becoming one of the few hip-hop albums that got to that threshold. He was nominated four times but didn’t win any.

10. Tupac Shakur

Many consider him second to none as far as the rap game is concerned. Having started his career with the release of 2pacalypse in the early ’90s, he rose up to be the front man of the west coast hip hop group and was praised by critics for infusing civil and social matters and gangster rap. was nominated for 6 Grammy but won none.

11. Martina McBride

Labeled as the of country music, McBride has done over 17 albums with over 14 million copies being sold worldwide. She has had more than five of her singles peaking at the summit of country music charts. McBride has gotten over 14 Grammy nomination since her first nomination in 1995 but has won none.

12. Dierks Bentley

Bentley is an American singer and songwriter who is primarily vested in country music. Having been active since 2001, he has released 9 albums selling more than two million copies. He has had more than 25 singles dominate the hot country songs top 5 from time to time. However, he has not won any of his 12 Grammy nominations.

13. Blake Shelton

Another Country musician, Blake’s lead single ‘Austin’ from his 2001 self-titled album spent five weeks at the peak of the hot country songs chart. The album itself was certified as platinum. Blake has 10 albums to his credit with 3 reaching at least a gold level certification. He has been nominated seven times but has won none with his most recent loss in 2015.

14. Public Enemy

Public Enemy is an African American hip hop group with most of its music politically tilted. It has 15 albums to its credit since 1987 and the first four albums were either platinum or gold certified. Despite having large followership rendering some of the best socio-political conscious albums, Public Enemy is yet to win any Grammy.

15. Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix is a rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter who was considered as a shooting star as he died just four years into his career. Even though he died early, he is often thought as the greatest guitarist ever and one of the most influential musicians of all time. Jimi died at the early age of 27 which may account for why he never won the award.

16. Jason Derulo

Before he started singing, worked as a producer and ghostwriter. Producing for A-list artists including Diddy and , Derulo released his first single ‘Whatcha say’ which was very successful critically and commercially. He has worked with Nicki Minaj, , and The Game releasing four albums. He is however yet to earn a single Grammy nomination.

17. One Direction

The British boy band includes , , , , and till he left the group in 2015. The group’s first four albums debuted at the peak of the billboard 200 chart making them the first band to ever achieve the feat. The band sold more than sixty million albums globally but is yet to win a Grammy.

18. Miley Cyrus

used to be a teen idol playing the titular role in Hannah Montana with Disney. Her father who played the role of her father in the Disney series is a country Musician. After Disney, Miley dropped her first album in 2007 and has released five more since. Known for her singing prowess and heart touching lyrics, Cyrus has only got a Grammy nomination which she did not convert in 2015.

19. Run DMC

Run DMC is an Afro-American rap group with origins in Queens, New York. The group consists of , Jason Mizell, and Darryl McDaniels. They were part of the earliest proponents of the new school hip hop brand. They were the first group to get a platinum and multi-platinum certifications. The group has not won the Grammy despite being only second hip hop group that was inducted into the rock and roll Hall Of Fame as of 2009.

20. Diana Ross

has been around for as long as a lot of us cannot even remember. She was the lead singer of the all ladies group called the Supremes which was one of the best charting and bestselling ladies act of all time. With several albums that in turn gave her several number 1 hit singles, Diana is one of the musicians that have never won Grammy, although she was given a lifetime achievement Grammy.

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