Classic Albums That Won Zero Awards — And The Surprising Albums That Beat Them

Who's hot, who's not.

Something over the years we've come to realize is that these awards shows be screwing up.

This list (excluding honors and posthumous awards) is highlighting classic albums that to this day have received 0 awards — despite pushing the impact they have had in their respective genres. 

1. CTRL by SZA

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CTRL by SZA have been the go-to R&B album of the past five years and was an instant classic. Unfortunately, this album didn't win a single award despite having standout hits "Supermodel," "Love Galore," and "The Weekend." The album received 5 nominations in total.

Albums that won awards over CTRL:

The Weeknd's Starboy won over CTRL for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 2018 Grammys.

Kendrick Lamar's DAMN won over CTRL as BET's Album of the Year.

XXXTentacion's 17 won over CTRL at the American Music Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Album.

Bruno Mars 24K Magic won over CTRL for two separate awards.

2. thank u, next by Ariana Grande

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Ariana Grande made as close to a perfect pop album we will see. Thank u, next was named 2019's best album by People, Rolling Stone, and Billboard but won 0 awards when the time came around. The album received 7 nominations and won 0 awards.

Albums that won awards over thank u, next:

When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? by Billie Eilish won over thank u, next for four separate awards.

Lover by Taylor Swift won over thank u, next for two separate awards.

Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa won over thank u, next for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album.

3. Blonde by Frank Ocean

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Frank Ocean and his team purposefully not submitting Blonde and Endless was a freaking power move. He didn't want to submit his masterpiece to the outdated system, making him more of an inspiration.

Unfortunately, the album only received two nominations overall, losing both. 

Albums that won awards over Blonde:

Lemonade by Beyonce won over Blonde for Billboard's Top R&B Album.

Love You to Death by Tegan and Sara won over Blonde for Outstanding Music Artist for the GLAAD Media Awards.

4. Kaleidoscope Dream by Miguel

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Miguel's sophomore album did not disappoint. The impeccable songwriting with D'Angelo-like vocals made this a standout album in a year where we saw many R&B classics. Due to those classics being Channel Orange and Trilogy, this tape didn't get all the recognition it should have and was only nominated for two awards during awards season.

Albums that won awards over Kaleidoscope Dream:

Channel Orange by Frank Ocean won over Kaleidoscope Dream for the 2013 Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album.

Good Kid, M.A.A.D City by Kendrick Lamar won over Kaleidoscope Dream at the 2013 Soul Train Awards for Best Album of the Year.

5. ATLiens by Outkast

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Outkast is the best rap duo in history. The group created many classic albums and moments, but the two best tapes the group created didn't receive any awards as the tape only received one nomination. 

Albums that won awards over ATLiens:

All Eyez on Me by Tupac won over ATLiens at the 1997 Soul Train Music Awards for Best Album of the Year.

6. Aquemini by Outkast

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This album just like the one written before is one of the best hip-hop tapes ever. It's surprising that this album never won an award due to the '70s influence and great storytelling with songs like "Aquemini" and "Rosa Parks." This album was also nominated once. 

Albums that won awards over Aquemini:

Phoenix Rising by The Temptations won over Aquemini at the 1999 Soul Train Music Awards for Best R&B/Soul Album — Group, Band, or Duo.

7. Emotion by Carly Rae Jepsen

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This album is one of the best "serotonin" pop albums I have ever heard. The tape is filled with great production and top-tier songs, and with the right push could have been Top 10 on the pop charts. This album didn't receive any love during awards season and was only nominated once.

Albums that won awards over Emotion:

99.9% by Kaytranada won over Emotion for the 2016 Polaris Music Prize.

8. Ten by Pearl Jam

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So it's just blasphemous to me how an album that many, including myself, have ranked in their top 100 albums ever list didn't receive one nomination in 1991-92. This is the legendary group's most commercially successful album ever and had a pivotal role in other rock albums in the '90s. The main reason why it probably didn't get nominated was due to the late bloom success of top single"Jeremy," which went on to win plenty of awards for the group. 

9. Fishscale by Ghostface Killah

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The former Wu-Tang Clan member, Ghostface Killah, gave us an incredible outing with the album Fishscale. It's so sad this tape doesn't get the praise it deserves. MF Doom, Dilla, Pete Rock, Diddy, and Just Blaze beats mixed with Ghostface's rapping abilities made this such a beautiful listen. Killah's got one of the most consistent discographies of all time. Sadly, in his solo career, he never received one award. 

10. Food & Liquor by Lupe Fiasco

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Food & Liquor is one of the best debut albums in the history of hip-hop. This album changed the way we consume lyrics in music. The intricate artistry from a younger artist when the game was in the "Bling Era" makes the album so important. Songs like "American Terrorist" and "Kick, Push" still ring off to this day. The album was nominated for two awards. 

Albums that won awards over Food & Liquor:

King by T.I. won over Food & Liquor for the 2006 BET Award for Hip-Hop CD of the Year.

Release Therapy by Ludacris won over Food & Liquor for the 2007 Grammy for Best Rap Album.

11. Abbey Road by The Beatles

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This album has one of the most iconic covers in history and features classic songs like "Here Comes The Sun" and "Come Together," but the album didn't win a single award. It's crazy to think about it, but this album was only nominated twice in 1970 and didn't fare too well. 

Albums that won awards over Abbey Road:

Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel won over Abbey Road for the 1970 Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

(They Long to Be) Close to You by Carpenters won over Abbey Road for the 1970 Grammy for Contemporary Vocal Group.

Which one of these surprised you the most?