Kendrick Lamar has officially rewritten hip-hop history, becoming the most-awarded rapper in Grammy history after a dominant showing at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
The Compton-born artist entered Sunday night’s ceremony with nine nominations and left as its biggest winner, collecting five trophies and pushing his career Grammy total to 27. That milestone places him ahead of JAY-Z, who holds 25 wins, and Kanye West, who has 24.
The achievement also elevates Lamar to fifth on the all-time Grammy winners list, trailing only a handful of music’s most decorated figures, including Beyoncé, who leads with 35 awards.
At the center of Lamar’s historic night was “Luther,” his chart-topping duet with SZA. The record secured Record of the Year for the second consecutive year for Lamar in that category. The song samples Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn’s 1982 classic “If This World Were Mine” and triumphed over high-profile contenders including Bad Bunny’s “DTMF,” Rosé and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” and Billie Eilish’s “Wildflower,” which claimed Song of the Year honors.
Accepting the award, Lamar reflected on the emotional weight of reimagining a beloved classic.
“This is special for me. [Luther Vandross] is one of my favorite artists of all time and they granted us the privilege to do our version of [‘If This World Were Mine’],” Kendrick said while accepting the award.
“When we got that clearance, I promise you we damn near all dropped a tear because we know how much he and Cheryl Lynn poured into that record, and being able to put our vocals over it, it proves that we were somewhat worthy to be just as great as them individuals.”
Beyond Record of the Year, Lamar swept the rap categories. His album GNX earned Best Rap Album, while “TV Off” took home Best Rap Song. “Luther” secured Best Melodic Rap Performance, and “Chains & Whips,” his collaboration with the Clipse, won Best Rap Performance.
The win for “Chains & Whips” marked a long-awaited breakthrough for Pusha T and Malice, who secured their first-ever Grammy victory more than two decades after their initial nomination.
During his acceptance speech for Best Rap Album, Lamar emphasized unity within the genre after GNX outperformed Tyler, The Creator’s Chromakopia, the Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out, JID’s God Does Like Ugly and GloRilla’s Glorious.
“It’s hip-hop as usual, man. It’s an honor to be here. Tyler, the Clipse — these is my brothers in this category,” Kendrick said.
“Every time I tell you this: hip-hop is gon’ always be right here. We gon’ be in these suits, looking good. We gon’ be having our folks with us, we gon’ be having the culture with us.”
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