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Kendrick Lamar makes history at the 2026 Grammy Awards
Thanks to his sixth album, GNX (2024), Kendrick Lamar won 5 Grammy Awards on February 1st, 2026. The artist made history and shattered Jay Z’s record as the most awarded rapper in the history of the ceremony.
By Alexis Thibault.
Published on 22 April 2025. Updated on 1 April 2026.
Kendrick Lamar, the most awarded rapper at the Grammy Awards
This Sunday, February 1st, 2026, Kendrick Lamar claimed five wins at the 2026 Grammy Awards, shattering Jay-Z‘s record to become the most awarded rapper in the ceremony’s history. Another resounding success for the artist, who was recently named a Chanel ambassador.
The 38-year-old rapper was acclaimed for his sixth studio album, GNX, released in 2024 without any prior announcement to the press or even his most loyal fans. Leaning against the trunk of a 1987 Buick Regal T-Type, Kendrick Lamar locks eyes on the camera on the album cover. This 44-minute-long, 12-track opus was named after the fastest American car from 1987 and cemented the legendary status of the Compton native.
Not Like Us, a hit diss track
Kendrick Lamar stood out in 2024. First, with his collaboration with Future and Metro Boomin (Like That), then with Not Like Us, a phenomenal diss track against rapper Drake, which the media pounced on like sharks. The 2018 Pulitzer Prize winner emerged victorious from his feud with the Passionfruit (2017) performer, whose image and discography he methodically tarnished.
On Sunday, February 2, during the 67th Grammy Awards, Kendrick Lamar took home three Grammys (during the pre-ceremony), including Best Rap Performance, and then the main awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Video of the Year for Not Like Us. No other rap track had ever won five awards before.
A short-lived controversy
Kendrick Lamar‘s seven (controversial) nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards raised eyebrows. How can a rapper with no album release in 2024 receive so many nominations? The internet was in frenzy. Was Kendrick Lamar being favored by the Academy, especially as he was scheduled to perform during the Super Bowl halftime show in February 2025?
The controversy was put to rest on Friday, November 22, 2024. As legendary producer Rick Rubin often says: “The best music is the kind you make for yourself.” Kendrick Lamar clearly understands this. GNX (not eligible for the Grammys) ignores modern conventions and public expectations. It’s an album without any hits, a work without a banger that once again reveals the flawless flow and exceptional writing of a truly singular artist. Welcome to Compton.
A star-studded line-up on GNX
The Californian rapper has long criticized the entertainment industry and overly commercial offerings of his peers. And yet, paradoxically, it’s Jack Antonoff, the frontman of Bleachers and producer of Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey, who helms this unexpected record. He’s credited on eleven of the album’s twelve tracks, bringing a West Coast flavor with touches of synth-pop (Dodger Blue). Mark Anthony Spears, aka Sounwave, a longtime collaborator known for his work with Beyoncé, Schoolboy Q, and Mac Miller, and a key architect of 2012’s seminal Good Kid, M.A.A.D City were also here.
While Kendrick takes aim at Lil Wayne, he also highlights SZA (on Luther and Gloria), Roddy Ricch, and Deyra Barrera, a mariachi musician discovered at a baseball game in Los Angeles. Critics embraced the surprise album. One standout is the sixth chapter in the Heart series, which appears as the tenth track on the record.
GNX (2024) by Kendrick Lamar, available now.
