2024 Royale Award Winners
Eligibility Period: Dec 20th, 2023 - Dec 20th, 2024
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Artist of The Year: Kendrick photographed by Samir Hussein/WireImage
New Artist Of The Year
Tyla
Tyla came out of the gate swinging, carrying herself like she was already a household name. Watching someone perform, sing, and command the stage with such unapologetic authenticity feels electric. Her sound moves effortlessly across the diaspora, weaving Amapiano, Afrobeats, and R&B into something both fresh and familiar. She’s exactly what the industry has been waiting for. If she keeps refining her craft, she could ascend straight into the upper echelon of pop stardom.
Collab of The Year
Alibi - Sevdaliza, Pablor Vittar, Yseult - 26
Whoever’s idea it was to put this trio together is a genius. Alibi transcends language, space, and culture to create a ballad that is as haunting as it is epic. God praise this trio and God praise their producers.
Solo Record of The Year
Supernatural - Ariana Grande
Supernatural captures the possessive, unexplainable nature of love through Ariana’s soft, melodic urging. This song teleports you to a gorgeous meadow in Vermont in the fall. Just you and your partner. You both are so in love that it cannot be restrained. Love in its rawest form. One day, I will know what that feels like, but for now, I will settle for experiencing it through Supernatural.
Album of The Year
GNX - Kendrick Lamar
I’m so glad Kendrick dropped this album because Camila Cabello was cruising to victory, and I honestly could not give her AOTY with a clear conscience, but I also couldn’t not give her AOTY if she released the best album of the year.
So thank you, Kendrick, for releasing an album showcasing the timeliness of Cali Hip Hop. GNX is as much a love letter to the West Coast sound as it is an evolution hrough his dynamic performance on tracks like Man At The Garden or Hey Now. GNX is further elevated by fantastic features from SZA, Dody6, and AZ Chike.
Rap Performance of The Year
Euphoria - Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick deserves both a Royale Award and an Oscar for his performance on Euphoria. He lets loose every ounce of frustration, pity, and genuine hate he’s harbored toward Drake for years. This track feels like the release of long-pent-up rage, but it’s not just that. Kendrick is so committed to roasting Drake that when he slides into mocking the Toronto accent, the whole thing flips from being genuinely serious to laugh-out-loud hilarious. His performance isn’t just six minutes of hate; it’s six minutes of pure, unfiltered entertainment.
Artist of The Year
Kendrick completely owned 2024. It started when he fired shots at J. Cole and Drake, but once Drake clapped back, Kendrick unleashed a calculated assault.Diss after diss after diss, each one more surgical than the last. Sure, plenty of artists had beef last year, but only Kendrick managed to drop not one but two songs of the year that happened to be absolute bangers, then had the audacity to cap it all off with an incredible album that was a pure love letter to Cali hip-hop, Past and present. From start to finish, Kendrick didn't just participate in 2024,he conquered it entirely.
