Don Toliver is officially in the running for Best New Artist. The Houston rapper and singer made the entry list for the 2027 Grammys category after five straight top 10 albums going back to 2020, as first reported by AllHipHop, citing Billboard. He is one of 331 acts on the list.
Yes, “new.” The same Don Toliver whose hook on Travis Scott’s “Can’t Say” put him on years ago, and whose album Octane debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 back in February.
How Is That Possible?
Best New Artist doesn’t cap how many records you’ve put out. A screening panel decides whether an artist broke through and made a real cultural impact during the eligibility year, or had already done so before it. AllHipHop also notes the Academy raised the entry limit from three tries to four this year, which helped Ken Carson land on the list after three previous attempts.
Other hip hop and R&B names on the entry list include North West, Yung Miami, Yeat, Key Glock, Monaleo, Rod Wave, Bossman Dlow and October London.
The IAHHM Take
Don has been a headliner-level act for a while, so calling him new feels funny. But Octane was the moment he went from “Travis’ guy” to a No. 1 artist on his own, and that’s exactly the kind of breakout the category is supposed to reward. As Don told it after the album topped the chart: “It kind of felt inevitable.” Whether voters see it that way is another question.
Voters have until October 22 to pick nominees. Eight acts get the nod when nominations are announced November 16, and the show goes down February 7, 2027, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Does Don deserve one of those eight spots, or should Best New Artist stay with true first-timers? While you think about it, take a trip back with our latest On This Day on Salt-N-Pepa’s Very Necessary, a Grammy-winning run of its own.
Source: AllHipHop
