American rapper YBN Cordae is in the big leagues now after he got two Grammy nominations for music’s biggest awards show. The artist, whose real name is Cordae Amari Dunston, got mentions in the categories Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song.

Cordae got nominated for his debut album “The Lost Boy.” He will be up against Dreamville, Meek Mill, Tyler, The Creator, and 21 Savage for the award. Meanwhile, his record “Bad Idea” gave him his nod for Best Rap Song. The song will compete with tracks recorded by artists like Rick Ross, 21 Savage, Nipsey Hussle, and DaBaby.

YBN on nominations

Naturally, the Los Angeles-based rapper expressed his disbelief and happiness with the nominations. Upon learning about his nomination, he immediately wrote on Twitter his feelings about the honor. It sparked positive reactions from his fans. In a video, Cordae was visibly in tears and saying how thankful he is of the career milestone he just achieved.

Before the Grammy nominations, the rapper was a bit of an unknown outside the rap community. The rapper, who is currently dating tennis star and former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka, is still on the rise in the charts. But a lot of music pundits already saw his potential, especially after he delivered a rousing performance on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” earlier this year.

The nominations will definitely help YBN reach a wider audience just as he is getting ready to ramp up the promotion of his album. He recently announced that he will be starting a North American tour in early 2020, which will include 30 stops. The tour will start in Seattle in January 16 and will end in Dallas on February 29.

How YBN Cordae met Naomi Osaka

Rapper’s professional growth comes just as he is also having a good time in his personal life. After months of dating rumors between him and Osaka, the two finally confirmed that they are together in September.

As for her, Osaka posted a picture on Instagram of the two of them near the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles. In the picture, Cordae is seen kissing her neck while surrounded by hills.

During a radio interview, Cordae himself confirmed how they met. He said that they had their first meeting during a Los Angeles Clippers game. But he did not know that she was a tennis star because he did not actively watch tennis games then.

Now, Cordae has become a constant fixture in a lot of Osaka’s games in the United States. He was, for example, seen with football star Colin Kaepernick during one of Osaka’s matches in September’s U.S. Open in New York.

Osaka in Shenzhen, ranking, and results in 2019

Ranked no.3, Naomi has a 40-11 win-loss record in 2019. The Japanese lost in Shenzhen where she beat Petra Kvitova 7-61 4-6 6-4.