Jay Z ended Friday's "Grammy Nominations Concert Live" event with nods in nine categories, leading the pack for the 56th Grammy Awards, which will air Jan. 26 on CBS.
Up for seven nominations each are Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Pharrell Williams and Justin Timberlake. Drake and Bob Ludwig snagged five nods, while Daft Punk, Lorde, Bruno Mars, Kacey Musgraves and Taylor Swift earned four nominations.
See also: Jay Z Ranks His 12 Albums From Best to Worst in 1 Photo
The veteran rapper came out on top on the strength of his 12th studio album, Magna Carta Holy Grail. This year, Jay Z gave away one million copies of the album, purchased for $5 each by Samsung, to one million Samsung Galaxy owners, who had to download an app to snag a copy. The marketing stunt influenced the Recording Industry Association of America to "modernize" its 55-year-old certification process to immediately include digital sales.
The Blessed Unrest — Sara Bareilles
Random Access Memories — Daft Punk
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City — Kendrick Lamar
The Heist — Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Red — Taylor Swift
"Get Lucky" — Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams
"Radioactive" — Imagine Dragons
"Royals" — Lorde
"Locked Out Of Heaven" — Bruno Mars
"Blurred Lines" — Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams
"Just Give Me A Reason" — Jeff Bhasker, Pink & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Pink Featuring Nate Ruess)
"Locked Out Of Heaven" — Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Bruno Mars)
"Roar" — Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Katy Perry & Henry Walter, songwriters (Katy Perry)
"Royals" — Joel Little & Ella Yelich O'Connor, songwriters (Lorde)
"Same Love" — Ben Haggerty, Mary Lambert & Ryan Lewis, songwriters (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Mary Lambert)
James Blake
Kendrick Lamar
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Kacey Musgraves
Ed Sheeran
"Brave" — Sara Bareilles
"Royals" — Lorde
"When I Was Your Man" — Bruno Mars
"Roar" — Katy Perry
"Mirrors" — Justin Timberlake
"Get Lucky" — Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams
"Just Give Me A Reason" — Pink Featuring Nate Ruess
"Stay" — Rihanna Featuring Mikky Ekko
"Blurred Lines" — Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams
"Suit & Tie" — Justin Timberlake & Jay Z
Random Access Memories — Daft Punk
Settle — Disclosure
18 Months — Calvin Harris
Atmosphere — Kaskade
A Color Map Of The Sun — Pretty Lights
"Always Alright" — Alabama Shakes
"The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" — David Bowie
"Radioactive" — Imagine Dragons
"Kashmir" (Live) — Led Zeppelin
"My God Is The Sun" — Queens Of The Stone Age
"I'm Shakin'" — Jack White
13 — Black Sabbath
The Next Day — David Bowie
Mechanical Bull — Kings Of Leon
Celebration Day — Led Zeppelin
…Like Clockwork — Queens Of The Stone Age
Psychedelic Pill — Neil Young With Crazy Horse
The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You — Neko Case
Trouble Will Find Me — The National
Hesitation Marks — Nine Inch Nails
Lonerism — Tame Impala
Modern Vampires Of The City — Vampire Weekend
"Love And War" — Tamar Braxton
"Best Of Me" — Anthony Hamilton
"Nakamarra" — Hiatus Kaiyote Featuring Q-Tip
"How Many Drinks?" — Miguel Featuring Kendrick Lamar
"Something" — Snarky Puppy With Lalah Hathaway
Love And War — Tamar Braxton
Side Effects Of You — Fantasia
One: In The Chamber — Salaam Remi
Unapologetic — Rihanna
New York: A Love Story — Mack Wilds
R&B Divas — Faith Evans
Girl On Fire — Alicia Keys
Love In The Future — John Legend
Better — Chrisette Michele
Three Kings — TGT
"Started From The Bottom" — Drake
"Berzerk" — Eminem
"Tom Ford" — Jay Z
"Swimming Pools (Drank)" — Kendrick Lamar
"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz
"Power Trip" — J.Cole Featuring Miguel
"Part II (On The Run)" — Jay Z Featuring Beyoncé
"Holy Grail" — Jay Z Featuring Justin Timberlake
"Now Or Never" — Kendrick Lamar Featuring Mary J. Blige
"Remember You" — Wiz Khalifa Featuring The Weeknd
Nothing Was The Same — Drake
Magna Carta…Holy Grail — Jay Z
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City — Kendrick Lamar
The Heist — Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Yeezus — Kanye West
"I Drive Your Truck" — Lee Brice
"I Want Crazy" — Hunter Hayes
"Mama's Broken Heart" — Miranda Lambert
"Wagon Wheel" — Darius Rucker
"Mine Would Be You" — Blake Shelton
Night Train — Jason Aldean
Two Lanes Of Freedom — Tim McGraw
Same Trailer Different Park — Kacey Musgraves
Based On A True Story — Blake Shelton
Red — Taylor Swift
Guided Tour — The New Gary Burton Quartet
Money Jungle: Provocative In Blue — Terri Lyne Carrington
Life Forum — Gerald Clayton
Pushing The World Away — Kenny Garrett
Out Here — Christian McBride Trio
Grace (Live) — Tasha Cobbs
Best For Last: 20 Year Celebration Vol. 1 — Donald Lawrence
Best Days Yet — Bishop Paul S. Morton
God Chaser (Live) — William Murphy
Greater Than (Live) — Tye Tribbett
3.0 — Marc Anthony
Como Te Voy A Olvidar — Los Angeles Azules
Pacific Mambo Orchestra — Pacific Mambo Orchestra
Sergio George Presents Salsa Giants — Various Artists
Corazón Profundo — Carlos Vives
Old Yellow Moon — Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
Love Has Come For You — Steve Martin & Edie Brickell
Buddy And Jim — Buddy Miller And Jim Lauderdale
One True Vine — Mavis Staples
Songbook — Allen Toussaint
Calm Down Gurrl — Kathy Griffin
I'm Here To Help — Craig Ferguson
A Little Unprofessional — Ron White
Live — Tig Notaro
That's What I'm Talkin' About — Bob Saget
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BONUS: 13 Ways the '90s Made a Comeback in 2013
However briefly.
The boy band tried to deny it, but superfans' reunion senses were tingling.
Complete with a kiss between Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky.
With it, came the subsequent rush of Boy Meets World lists.
Hopefully with absolutely no change to the classic '90s cover art.
Yes, she came back briefly before, but we're not going to talk about it.
Soon you'll be able to secretly feed your beloved digital pet 'digital pet during meetings instead of math class.
It's been 14 years since the original, but better late than never.
And all the real life Britney karaoke sessions it undoubtedly inspired.
From the scrunchies to the Trapper Keeper.
In heaven, Backstreet is always back.
Images: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images