Though the rap committee at the Grammy Awards almost ousted Macklemore & Ryan Lewis from its categories, the breakthrough act won three rap Grammys on Sunday.

The duo's debut, “The Heist,” won best rap album, beating efforts from Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z, Kanye West and Drake. Their hit song "Thrift Shop'' won best rap song and rap performance in the hours before the telecast of the main awards presentation.

Macklemore & Lewis are also nominated for album and song of the year. A source told The Associated Press that the rap committee rejected the duo, but that was later overruled by the general Grammy committee. The source, who attended the general Grammy meeting, spoke on the condition of anonymity because the meeting was private.

Justin Timberlake won two awards, including best R&B song for “Pusher Love Girl” and music video for “Suit & Tie,” which also earned Jay Z a Grammy. Engineer Bob Ludwig and gospel singer Tye Tribett were also double winners.

Adele, who dominated the Grammys two years ago, was also an early winner. The British singer won best song written for visual media for “Skyfall,” which also won an Oscar and Golden Globe last year.

Pharrell Williams, Rihanna, Imagine Dragons and Daft Punk were also early winners.

Macklemore said earlier in the week he believed Lamar deserves the best rap album Grammy, but said that a win for "The Heist'' would be justified.

“I think that we made a great album that pushed the genre of hip-hop,” the 30-year-old said. “I think that hip-hop can be at times resistant to change and when you see two white dudes from Seattle, Washington, rapping about gay marriage, it's like, ‘Hold up, this isn't hip-hop,’ when in actuality it is. Hip-hop has always been about expansion, about pushing the genre, about challenging the listener.”

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, like Lamar, are nominated for seven trophies Sunday, and the performers are competing in five of the same categories. The rap duo is up for best new artist, along with Lamar, and their gay acceptance hit, “Same Love,” is nominated for song of the year.

The year marks a high note for hip-hop since album of the year and best new artist both feature two rap acts. OutKast and Lauryn Hill are the only two rap performers to win the coveted album of the year; Hill and Arrested Development are the only rap-based stars to take home best new artist.

A rapper has never won song or record of the year.

Jay Z, keeping up the decade-long Grammy tradition of rappers leading in nominations, was the night's front-runner with nine.

For top album, Macklemore & Lewis and Lamar's platinum-selling debuts, “The Heist” and “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” will battle Taylor Swift's earth-shattering sales force “Red,” Daft Punk's electronic adventure “Random Access Memories” and the surprise nominee _ “The Blessed Unrest” from the piano-playing Sara Bareilles.

Macklemore & Lewis' “Same Love” is up for song of the year alongside No. 1 Billboard hits, including Katy Perry's “Roar,” Lorde's “Royals,” “Locked Out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars and Pink's “Just Give Me a Reason,” featuring Nate Ruess of fun. Lorde and Mars' songs repeat in record of the year, and will be up against Imagine Dragons' “Radioactive” and two songs that feature Pharrell Williams _ Daft Punk's “Get Lucky” and Robin Thicke's “Blurred Lines,” which has sold 6.6 million tracks and is the biggest song of 2013.

Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, rising country singer Kacey Musgraves and British electronic act James Blake will compete with Lamar and Macklemore & Lewis for best new artist. Lorde, who was shut out of the category, has four nominations.

“Well, I've been waking up every morning and eating a lot of garlic,” she said jokingly. “I have been, I don't know, just kind of chilling out, trying not to get too tired, because I feel like it's going to be a big day and night.”

Lorde's “Royals” is nominated for best pop solo performance and her debut, “Pure Heroine,” is up for pop vocal album, the award the 17-year-old hopes to bring home to New Zealand.

“Because it's about the album, which is this body of music that I've written,” said Lorde, whose album will compete with efforts from Timberlake, Mars, Thicke and Lana Del Rey. “That being said, I'm still going to be proud of what I've done if I don't win a Grammy.”

Lorde is just one of the top females to hit the Grammy stage Sunday: Beyonce, Madonna, Carole King, Pink, Swift and Perry will also perform at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The men are showing up, too, and performers include Metallica, Willie Nelson, Dave Grohl and Nine Inch Nails. Former Beatles Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, who has two nominations, will sing separately on the telecast.

“I love it because you see a lot of people that you'll never see anywhere else and you'll see a lot of old friends,” Starr said. (AP)