Kendrick Lamar Sets New Grammy Record, Earning His 27th Award and Surpassing Jay-Z

Kendrick Lamar on Feb. 1.
Credit :

Kevin Winter/Getty

Kendrick Lamar made history at the 2026 Grammy Awards, becoming the most-awarded rapper of all time with 27 wins. He surpassed Jay-Z’s previous record of 25.

During the ceremony held on February 2, Lamar received the award for Best Rap Album for his latest project, GNX, and later earned the award for Record of the Year for “Luther,” which features SZA.

"I’m not good at talking about myself, but I express it through the music," Lamar stated during his acceptance speech. "It’s an honor to be here." He went on to acknowledge his fellow nominees, expressing camaraderie with artists like Tyler, the Creator, and Clipse, emphasizing the strength of hip-hop culture.

Lamar concluded his speech by saying, "So I appreciate y’all, God is the glory. Love y’all."

For this year’s awards, Lamar led the nominations with nine, followed closely by Lady Gaga and producers Cirkut and Jack Antonoff, each with seven nominations. Bad Bunny, Leon Thomas, and Sabrina Carpenter had six nods apiece.

Earlier in the evening, Lamar also secured victories for Best Rap Performance for “Chains & Whips,” a collaboration with Clipse, Pusha T & Malice, and Pharrell Williams; Best Melodic Rap Performance for “Luther”; and Best Rap Song for “tv off.”

His album GNX was nominated for Album of the Year, but the honor went to Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS.

In 2025, Lamar achieved remarkable success, winning Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video for "Not Like Us" during his historic Super Bowl Halftime Show. He was the first solo rap artist to headline the event, with SZA as his special guest.

The 68th Grammy Awards were broadcast live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.