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How Kendrick Lamar & More Are Already Making Grammys 2026 History
Kendrick Lamar's not like anybody else.
The prolific rapper, fresh off of the umpteenth year that qualified as monumental for the 38-year-old from Compton, Calif., surpassed Jay-Z as the most-awarded rapper in Grammys history as he collected the trophy for Best Rap Album for GNX during the 2026 ceremony Feb. 1. (See the full list of winners from the 2026 Grammys.)
In his acceptance speech, Lamar—who scored three more Grammy wins earlier in the day—recognized his fellow nominees while describing his historic victory as "hip hop as usual."
"I'm not good at talking about myself, but I express it through the music," he told the audience at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles during the broadcast. "Every time I tell you this: hip hop is gonna always be right here. We gonna be in these suits, we gonna be looking good, we gonna be having our folks with us, we gonna be having the culture with us."
"I appreciate y'all," Lamar concluded. "[To] God is the glory. Love y'all."
Heading into music's biggest night, Lamar already had 22 Grammy wins to his name and led all comers in 2026 with nine nominations, including Album of the Year for GNX and Record and Song of the Year for "Luther," his collab with SZA. (Though he was only going to win, at most, eight, as he was nominated twice in Best Rap Performance, for his "tv off," featuring Lefty Gunplay, and his contribution to Clipse, Pusha T & Malice's "Chains & Whips," also featuring Pharrell.)
While he's yet to win Album of the Year (though the clock may be counting down on that fact), the Pulitzer Prize winner made history when the 2026 nominations were announced in November, becoming the first rapper to be nominated five times in this category as a lead artist, as well as the first solo artist ever to be nominated for this award for five consecutive studio albums, dating back to 2014's Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City.
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Only a year ago he memorably ran the table with his Drake diss track "Not Like Us," winning Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song and Best Music Video.
But while this is seemingly his time, the competition for Album of the Year is stacked, with Lamar's GNX up against LPs from Bad Bunny, Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Lady Gaga, Leon Thomas, Tyler, the Creator and, as a unit, Clipse, Pusha T & Malice. Whichever act triumphs, it'll be their first win in this category.
See who else has already joined Lamar in the winners' circle at the 2026 Grammys:
Best Music Video
WINNER: “Anxiety,” Doechii
“Love,” OK Go
“So Be It,” Clipse
“Manchild,” Sabrina Carpenter
“Young Lion,” Sade
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media
WINNER: Sinners
A Complete Unknown
F1 The Album
KPop Demon Hunters
Wicked
Best Song Written For Visual Media
WINNER: "Golden," KPop Demon Hunters
"As Alive As You Need Me to Be," Tron: Ares
"I Lied to You," Sinners
"Never Too Late," Elton John: Never Too Late
"Pale, Pale Moon," Sinners
"Sinners," Sinners
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
WINNER: "Defying Gravity," Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
"Golden (From KPop Demon Hunters)," HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI
"Gabriela," KATSEYE
"APT.," Rosé, Bruno Mars
"30 for 30," SZA featuring Kendrick Lamar
Best Country Solo Performance
WINNER: "Bad As I Used to Be," Chris Stapleton
"Nose on the Grindstone," Tyler Childers
"Good News," Shaboozey
"I Never Lie," Zach Top
"Somewhere Over Laredo," Lainey Wilson
Best Latin Pop Album
WINNER: Cancionera, Natalia Lafourcade
Cosa Nuestra, Rauw Alejandro
BOGOTÁ DELUXE, Andrés Cepeda
Tropicoqueta, Karol G
Y Ahora Qué?, Alejandro Sanz
Best Rock Performance
WINNER: “Changes Back to the Beginning,” YungBlud
“Mirtazapine,” Hayley Williams
“Never Enough,” Turnstile
“The Emptiness Machine,” Linkin Park
“U Should Not Be Doing That,” Amyl and the Sniffers
Best Dance/Electronic Album
WINNER: EUSEXUA, FKA Twigs
Ten Days, Fred again..
Fancy That, PinkPantheress
Inhale / Exhale, Rüfüs du Sol
F*** U SKRILLEX U THINK UR ANDY WARHOL BUT UR NOT!! <3, Skrillex
Best Dance Pop Recording
WINNER: “Abracadabra,” Lady Gaga
“Illegal”, PinkPantheress
“Just Keep Watching (From F1 The Movie),” Tate McRae
“Midnight Sun,” Zara Larsson
“Bluest Flame,” Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco
Best Alternative Music Album
WINNER: Songs of a Lost World, The Cure
SABLE, fABLE, Bon Iver
DON'T TAP THE GLASS, Tyler, The Creator
moisturizer, Wet Leg
Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party, Hayley Williams
Best Music Film
WINNER: "Music by John Williams," John Williams
"Devo," Devo
"Live at the Royal Albert Hall," Raye
"Relentless," Diane Warren
"Piece by Piece," Pharrell Williams
Best R&B Song
WINNER: “Folded,” Kehlani
“Yes it Is,” Leon Thomas
“Overqualified,” Durand Bernarr
“It Depends,” Chris Brown
“Heart of a Woman,” Summer Walker
Best R&B Album
WINNER: Mutt, Leon Thomas
Beloved, Givéon
Why Not More?, Coco Jones
The Crown, Ledisi
Escape Room, Teyana Taylor
Best Rock Album
WINNER: Never Enough, Turnstile
Private Music, Deftones
I Quit, Haim
From Zero, Linkin Park
Idols, Yungblud
Best Rap Performance
WINNER: "Chains & Whips," Clipse, Pusha T & Malice Featuring Kendrick Lamar & Pharrell Williams
"Outside," Cardi B
"Anxiety," Doechii
"tv off," Kendrick Lamar ft. Lefty Gunplay
"Darling, I," Tyler, The Creator ft. Teezo Touchdown
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
WINNER: A Matter of Time, Laufey
Wintersongs, Laila Biali
The Gift of Love, Jennifer Hudson
Who Believes in Angels?, Elton John & Brandi Carlile
Harlequin, Lady Gaga
The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume 2, Barbra Streisand
Best Country Song
WINNER: "Bitin' List," Tyler Childers
"Good News," Shaboozey
"I Never Life," Zach Top
"Somewhere Over Laredo," Lainey Wilson
"A Song to Sing," Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
WINNER: “Amen,” Shaboozey & Jelly Roll
“Honky Tonk Hall of Fame,” George Strait, Chris Stapleton
“Love Me Like You Used to Do,” Margo Price & Tyler Childers
“Trailblazer,” Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert & Lainey Wilson
“A Song to Sing,” Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton
Best Americana Album
WINNER: BIG MONEY, Jon Batiste
Bloom, Larkin Poe
Last Leaf on the Tree, Willie Nelson
So Long Little Miss Sunshine, Molly Tuttle
Middle, Jesse Welles
Best R&B Performance
WINNER: “Folded,” Kehlani
“Heart of a Woman,” Summer Walker
“MUTT (NPR Tiny Desk),” Leon Thomas
“It Depends,” Chris Brown
“Yukon,” Justin Bieber
Best Rap Song
WINNER: "tv off," Kendrick Lamar ft. Lefty Gunplay
"Anxiety," Doechii
"The Birds Don't Sing," Clipse, Pusha T & Malice Featuring John Legend & Voices Of Fire
"Sticky," Tyler, The Creator Featuring GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne
"TGIF," GloRilla
Record of the Year
"DtMF," Bad Bunny
"Manchild," Sabrina Carpenter
"Anxiety," Doechii
"Wildflower," Billie Eilish
"Abracadbra," Lady Gaga
"Luther," Kendrick Lamar with SZA
"The Subway," Chappell Roan
"APT.," Rosé, Bruno Mars
Album of the Year
DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS, Bad Bunny
Swag, Justin Bieber
Man's Best Friend, Sabrina Carpenter
Let God Sort Em Out, Clipse, Pusha T & Malice
Mayhem, Lady Gaga
GNX, Kendrick Lamar
Mutt, Leon Thomas
Chromakopia, Tyler, The Creator
Song of the Year
"Abracadbra," Lady Gaga
"Anxiety," Doechii
"APT.," Rosé, Bruno Mars
"DtMF," Bad Bunny
"Golden (From KPop Demon Hunters)," HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI
"Luther," Kendrick Lamar with SZA
"Manchild," Sabrina Carpenter
"Wildflower," Billie Eilish
Best New Artist
WINNER: Olivia Dean
KATSEYE
The Marias
Addison Rae
sombr
Leon Thomas
Alex Warren
Lola Young
Best Pop Vocal Album
Swag, Justin Bieber
Man's Best Friend, Sabrina Carpenter
Something Beautiful, Miley Cyrus
WINNER: Mayhem, Lady Gaga
I've Tried Everything But Therapy [Part 2], Teddy Swims
Best Pop Solo Performance
"Daisies," Justin Bieber
"Manchild," Sabrina Carpenter
"Disease," Lady Gaga
"The Subway," Chappell Roan
"Messy," Lola Young
Best Rap Album
Let God Sort Em Out, Clipse, Pusha T & Malice
Glorious, GloRilla
God Does Like Ugly, Jid
WINNER: GNX, Kendrick Lamar
Chromakopia, Tyler, The Creator
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film And Television)
The Wild Robot, Kris Bowers, composer
Wicked, John Powell & Stephen Schwartz, composers
WINNER: Sinners, Ludwig Göransson, composer
Severance: Season 2, Theodore Shapiro, composer
How To Train Your Dragon, John Powell, composer
Best Musical Theater Album
WINNER: Buena Vista Social Club
Death Becomes Her
Gypsy
Just In Time
Maybe Happy Ending
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