Kendrick Lamar has added another milestone to an already iconic career. At the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, the Compton native became the most decorated rapper in Grammy history, surpassing Jay-Z’s long-standing record.
Heading into the ceremony, Lamar needed four wins to move ahead. He reached that mark before the night was halfway over. During the Premiere Ceremony, he picked up trophies for rap performance as a featured artist on “Chains & Whips,” melodic rap performance for “Luther” with SZA, and rap song for “TV Off.” Later, during the main telecast, his 2024 album GNX earned best rap album, pushing his career total to 26 Grammys.
“It’s hip-hop as usual, man,” Kendrick said during his speech. “I’m not good at talking about myself, but I express it through the music. It’s an honor to be here… Every time I tell you this: hip-hop is gonna always be right here. We gon’ be in these suits, we gon’ be looking good. We gon’ be having our folks with us. We gon’ be having the culture with us. So I appreciate y’all. God is the glory. Love y’all.”
Lamar entered the night as the most-nominated artist with nine nods and now holds 66 nominations across his career. His wins span more than a decade, from early breakout records to recent releases that continue to shape the sound of mainstream rap. Breaking the record places Lamar at the top of a list that includes Kanye West and Eminem. Now, Lamar stands alone.
The ceremony, hosted by Trevor Noah, airs live from Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena at 8 p.m. EST on CBS and Paramount+, with performances from artists including Leon Thomas, Bruno Mars, and Olivia Dean, among others.