Drake, Cardi B Lead American Music Awards With 8 Nods Each

NEW YORK (AP) — Rap has easily dominated the pop charts and on streaming services in the last few years, and that’s reflected at the 2018 American Music Awards.

Drake and Cardi B are the leading nominees with eight each. The AMAs will air live Oct. 9 from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

Drake, with the top-selling album Scorpion and three No. 1 hits, will compete for artist of the year alongside Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons and Post Malone.

Rapper-singer XXXTentacion, a streaming juggernaut before his death in June and afterward, earned nominations for new artist of the year and favorite soul/R&B album for his 2017 debut, 17.

Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy was surprisingly shut of the favorite rap/hip-hop album category, where nominees include Drake, Malone and Lil Uzi Vert.