Kendrick Lamar Surpasses JAY-Z As The Rapper With The Most Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards have become a regular showcase for Kendrick Lamar. Following his achievements at the 2026 ceremony, the Compton rapper now holds the record for the most Grammy Awards won by a rapper.

Lamar has surpassed JAY-Z, who previously held the title with 25 awards before the ceremony on February 1. By the end of the evening, Lamar had increased his total to 27 Grammys.

In February 2025, Lamar won five Grammys for his hit “Not Like Us,” which includes references to Drake. The positive reception of his 2024 album GNX suggested he was likely to exceed JAY-Z’s record. When the nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards were announced in November 2025, Lamar led with nine nominations, while artists such as Clipse, Doechii, and Tyler, The Creator also received five nominations each.

Prior to the live broadcast, Lamar had already secured three new Grammy Awards: Best Rap Performance for his guest appearance on Clipse’s “Chains & Whips,” Best Melodic Rap Performance for “luther,” featuring SZA, and Best Rap Song for “tv off.”

During the televised awards, Lamar continued to excel in major categories. His album GNX won Best Rap Album, outperforming Tyler’s CHROMAKOPIA and Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out. Later, he was awarded Record of the Year for “luther,” surpassing entries from Bad Bunny (“DtMF”), Doechii (“Anxiety”), and Lady Gaga (“Abracadabra”)

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While accepting the Record of the Year award, Lamar noted that obtaining permission from Luther Vandross’ estate to use the sample from “If This World Were Mine” required that the lyrics were free of curse words. “Being able to put our vocals [on] it, it proves that we were somewhat worthy to be just as great as them individuals,” he stated, referring to Vandross and Cheryl Lynn. He added, “They granted us that. They said, ‘No cursing, though. Can’t curse on it.’”

Lamar was also nominated for Album of the Year but ultimately lost to Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS.