Is music's most-coveted award ceremony trying to appeal to rap and R&B artists and fans after years of criticism for a lack of diversity?

Angela Yee, radio host of Power 105.1's "The Breakfast Club," and Nadeska Alexis, executive producer and moderator of Complex's "Everyday Struggle," joined Salon's Rachel Leah on "Salon Talks" to discuss ongoing frustrations artists have with race and recognition at the ceremony.

Despite a long history of neglecting the genres, rap and R&B dominated the 2018 Grammy nominations. Is this shift representative of rising mainstream popularity of the genres? Whether the academy's intentions with this year's nominations are genuine or not, Yee is hopeful. "Let's be real, you don't want to not have hip-hop artists included," she said. While nominations in the academy's four major categories are a solid step forward, Complex's Alexis skeptical. "I don't think it's coming from the goodness of their heart or suddenly their paying attention to the music," she said.

This year marks the first time in the Grammy history that a white man wasn't nominated for Album of The Year. Four of this year's five nominees for the award are artists of color.