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Jay Z leads Grammy nominations with 9 nods; Macklemore, Timberlake get 7

Regardless of what happens at the 56th Grammy Awards on Jan. 26, there is no denying that Jay Z was the big winner on Friday: Just hours after Jigga the sports agent secured his client Robinson Cano a $240 million contract with the Seattle Mariners, Jigga the rapper was nominated for a dominant nine Grammy nominations. But there was even more reason to celebrate in Seattle: Native sons Macklemore
Image: Jay Z
Jay Z was among the top nominees for the 56th annual Grammy Awards announced Friday during a concert in Los Angeles.Barry Brecheisen / Today

Regardless of what happens at the 56th Grammy Awards on Jan. 26, there is no denying that Jay Z was the big winner on Friday: Just hours after Jigga the sports agent secured his client Robinson Cano a $240 million contract with the Seattle Mariners, Jigga the rapper was nominated for a dominant nine Grammy nominations. But there was even more reason to celebrate in Seattle: Native sons Macklemore & Ryan Lewis were also nominated for seven Grammys, including nods in three of the ceremony's bigger categories: song of the Year ("Same Love"), album of the year ("The Heist") and best new artist.

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Kendrick Lamar, Justin Timberlake, and Pharrell Williams were also nominated seven times apiece; Williams notably twice in the record of the year category as the featured guest on both Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" and Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" (a.k.a. The Worst Song of the Year). Lorde's "Royals," Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive," and Bruno Mars' "Locked Out of Heaven" rounded out the record of the year category. "Royals" and "Locked Out of Heaven" were also recognized in the song of the year category alongside the aforementioned "Same Love," Katy Perry's "Roar," and Pink with Nate Ruess' "Just Give Me a Reason."

Image: Macklemore
Macklemore performs onstage during The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles on Friday.Frederick M. Brown / Today

The biggest shocker from Friday night's Grammy nomination special: The almost-complete lack of "Yeezus." Kanye West's much-acclaimed LP was largely ignored by Grammy voters, earning just two nominations: "New Slaves" for best rap song and "Yeezus" for best rap album. In the album of the year category, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "The Heist" will battle it out against Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories," Kendrick Lamar's "Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City," Taylor Swift's "Red," and Sara Bareilles' "The Blessed Unrest." (You better believe Kanye will be misspelling "Bareilles" during a Twitter rant.) "Yeezus" has some stiff competition in its category as its challenged by "Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City," "The Heist," Jay Z's "Magna Carta Holy Grail," Drake's "Nothing Was the Same."

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In the best new artist category, the Macklemore/Lewis duo will face off against U.K. dubstep crooner James Blake, Compton's finest Kendrick Lamar, country breakout star Kacey Musgraves, and Taylor Swift's favorite singer Ed Sheeran.

Image: Lorde
Lorde performs at the the Grammy Nominations Concert Live!Robyn Beck / Today

Other nominations of note: David Bowie's coming-out-of-retirement party continued with nods for both best rock performance ("The Stars Are Out Tonight") and Best Rock Album ("The Next Day"), which finds the Thin White Duke duking it out against LPs by Neil Young and Crazy Horse ("Psychedelic Pill"), Black Sabbath ("13"), Queens of the Stone Age ("…Like Clockwork") and, oddly, Led Zeppelin (the reunion concert album "Celebration Day").

Vampire Weekend's "Modern Vampires of the City," Rolling Stone's best album of 2013, scored a nomination in the best alternative album category alongside Tame Impala's "Lonerism," Nine Inch Nails' "Hesitation Marks," Neko Case's "The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You," and the National's "Trouble Will Find Me."

Image: Robin Thicke
Robin Thicke, right, and Verdine White perform during the Grammy Nominations Concert Live!Frederick M. Brown / Today

While Jay Z scored the most nominations, the Roc Nation mogul was shut out of all the major categories; he instead collected the majority of his nods in the rap field, with the exception his pop duo/group performance nod for his guest spot on Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie." Four different "Magna Carta" tracks were nominated: "Tom Ford" for best rap performance, "Part II (On the Run)" with Beyoncé for best rap collaboration, "Picasso Baby" for best music video and "Holy Grail" for best rap song. And yes, because "Holy Grail" features some "Smells Like Teen Spirit" lyrics, Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic are all listed among the "Holy Grail" songwriters for the best rap song Grammy.

That's not the only nod for Grohl and Novoselic though, as the pair were nominated along Paul McCartney and Pat Smear for the "Sound City" cut "Cut Me Some Slack" in the best rock song category. Macca will challenge his British Invasion rivals for the Grammy as the Rolling Stones' "Doom and Gloom" was also selected, as was Black Sabbath's "God Is Dead?," Gary Clark Jr.'s "Messin' Around" and Muse's "Panic Station."

Check out all the major nominees below, and visit Grammy.com for the full list:

Record of the Year

Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams - "Get Lucky"
Imagine Dragons - "Radioactive"
Lorde - "Royals"
Bruno Mars - "Locked Out of Heaven"
Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams - "Blurred Lines"

Album of the Year

Sara Bareilles - The Blessed Unrest
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - The Heist
Taylor Swift - Red

Song of the Year

Pink feat. Nate Ruess - "Just Give Me a Reason"
Bruno Mars - "Locked Out of Heaven"
Katy Perry - "Roar"
Lorde - "Royals"
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - "Same Love"

Best New Artist

James Blake
Kendrick Lamar
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Kacey Musgraves
Ed Sheeran

Best Pop Solo Performance

Sara Bareilles - "Brave"
Lorde - "Royals"
Bruno Mars - "When I Was Your Man"
Katy Perry - "Roar"
Justin Timberlake - "Mirrors"

Best Pop Vocal Album

Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience: The Complete Experience
Lorde - Pure Heroine
Lana Del Rey - Paradise
Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines
Bruno Mars - Unorthodox Jukebox

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams - "Get Lucky"
Pink Featuring Nate Ruess - "Just Give Me A Reason"
Rihanna Featuring Mikky Ekko - "Stay"
Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams - "Blurred Lines"
Justin Timberlake & Jay Z - "Suit & Tie"

Best Dance/Electronica Album

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Disclosure - Settle
Calvin Harris - 18 Months
Kaskade - Atmosphere
Pretty Lights - A Color Map Of The Sun

Best Rock Performance

Alabama Shakes - "Always Alright"
David Bowie - "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)"
Imagine Dragons - "Radioactive"
Led Zeppelin - "Kashmir" (Live)
Queens Of The Stone Age - "My God Is The Sun"
Jack White - "I'm Shakin'"

Best Rock Album:

Black Sabbath - 13
David Bowie - The Next Day
Kings of Leon - Mechanical Bull
Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day
Queens Of The Stone Age - …Like Clockwork
Neil Young With Crazy Horse - Psychedelic Pill

Best Rock Song

Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Pat Smear - "Cut Me Some Slack"
Gary Clark Jr. - "Messin' Around"
The Rolling Stones - "Doom and Gloom"
Muse - "Panic Station"
Black Sabbath "God Is Dead?"

Best Alternative Music Album:

Neko Case - The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You
The National - Trouble Will Find Me
Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks
Tame Impala - Lonerism
Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires Of The City

Best R&B Performance

Tamar Braxton - "Love And War"
Anthony Hamilton - "Best Of Me"
Hiatus Kaiyote Featuring Q-Tip - "Nakamarra"
Miguel Featuring Kendrick Lamar - "How Many Drinks?"
Snarky Puppy With Lalah Hathaway - "Something"

Best Urban Contemporary Album

Tamar Braxton - Love And War
Fantasia - Side Effects Of You
Salaam Remi - One: In The Chamber
Rihanna - Unapologetic
Mack Wilds - New York: A Love Story

Best R&B Album

Faith Evans - R&B Divas
Alicia Keys - Girl On Fire
John Legend - Love In The Future
Chrisette Michele - Better
TGT - Three Kings

Best Rap Performance

Drake - "Started From The Bottom"
Eminem - "Berzerk"
Jay Z - "Tom Ford"
Kendrick Lamar - "Swimming Pools (Drank)"
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz - "Thrift Shop"

Best Rap Song

ASAP Rocky Featuring Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar - "F---in' Problem"
Jay Z featuring Justin Timberlake - "Holy Grail"
Kanye West - "New Slaves"
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - "Thrift Shop"
Drake - "Started From the Bottom"

Best Rap Album

Drake - Nothing Was The Same
Jay Z - Magna Carta…Holy Grail
Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, M.A.A.D City
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - The Heist
Kanye West - Yeezus

Best Country Album

Jason Aldean - Night Train
Tim McGraw - Two Lanes Of Freedom
Kacey Musgraves - Same Trailer Different Park
Blake Shelton - Based On A True Story
Taylor Swift - Red

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