R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week: Kehlani, 1900Rugrat, 3QUENCY, Armand Hammer & More

The big news story over the weekend was the announcement of the 2026 Grammy Award nominations (Nov. 7).

Kendrick Lamar leads the field with nine nominations for his dominant GNX album, including album of the year and record and song of the year for “Luther” (with SZA). Alongside Lamar, Clipse (Let God Sort Em Out) and Tyler, the Creator (Chromakopia) are both nominated for album of the year, marking the first time in Grammy history that three hip-hop albums are competing for the top prize in the same year. Notably, Doechii also represents hip-hop in the general field, earning song and record of the year nods for “Anxiety,” her first Hot 100 top 10 hit (No. 9).

R&B also had a formidable showing during Friday’s nominations announcement. Leon Thomas pulled off a whopping six nominations for Mutt, including album of the year and best new artist, and Kehlani earned a pair of nods (best R&B song and performance) for “Folded,” which recently became her first Hot 100 top 10 hit. Sounwave, who produced the bulk of GNX, and Dijon, who crafted a significant chunk of Justin Bieber’s R&B-informed SWAG album, both earned nominations for producer of the year, non-classical. Finally, Sinners, Ryan Coogler’s box office-conquering, blues-honoring vampire epic, became one of the most-nominated films in Grammy history with five nominations for its soundtrack and score.

With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from a new 3QUENCY single to Armand Hammer and The Alchemist’s latest link-up. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.