Kendrick Lamar Makes Grammy History, Secures Record of the Year for “luther”

The Grammy Awards are increasingly becoming a celebration of Kendrick Lamar’s artistry. Following his success at the 2026 ceremony, the Compton rapper has earned the distinction of being the rapper with the most Grammy Awards of all time.

Lamar now holds 27 Grammy Awards, surpassing Jay-Z’s previous record of 25 . In February 2025, Lamar secured five Grammys for his Drake-diss track “Not Like Us.” The critical acclaim garnered by his 2024 album, GNX, positioned him as a strong contender to surpass Jay-Z’s benchmark.

Prior to the 2026 Grammy nominations announcement in November 2025, Lamar led the pack with nine nominations, followed by Clipse, Doechii, and Tyler, The Creator, each with five .

Lamar had already received three Grammy Awards before the live ceremony commenced. These included Best Rap Performance for his guest verse on Clipse’s “Chains & Whips,” Best Melodic Rap Performance for “luther” featuring SZA, and Best Rap Song for “tv off.”

During the televised portion of the awards show, GNX won Best Rap Album, triumphing over albums such as Tyler’s CHROMAKOPIA and Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out. Later, he received the prestigious Record of the Year award for “luther,” beating out songs from Bad Bunny (“DtMF”), Doechii (“Anxiety”), and Lady Gaga (“Abracadabra”) .

While accepting the Record of the Year award, Lamar highlighted the importance of lyrical integrity in securing the sample clearance for Luther Vandross’ “If This World Were Mine.” He explained that the Vandross estate stipulated no use of profanity in the song. “Being able to put our vocals [on] it, it proves that we were somewhat worthy to be just as great as them individuals,” Lamar said, referring to Vandross and Cheryl Lynn. “They granted us that. They said, ‘No cursing, though. Can’t curse on it.’”

Lamar was too nominated for Album of the Year but ultimately lost to Bad Bunny’s I SHOULD TAKE MORE PHOTOS .