Kendrick Lamar has officially become the most awarded rapper in Grammy Awards history.
At the 2026 Grammy Awards, the Compton native surpassed the longtime record held by Jay-Z. The “Empire State of Mind” rapper previously led all rappers with 25 Grammys, but Lamar has now pulled ahead with 26 wins — and the night wasn’t even over.
Lamar made major gains during the non-televised Grammy Premiere Ceremony, where he picked up three awards: Best Rap Performance for “Chains & Whips” (as a featured artist), Best Melodic Rap Performance for “Luther” with SZA, and Best Rap Song for “tv off.”
His momentum carried into the main telecast, where the first award of the night — Best Rap Album — went to Lamar for his 2024 release GNX. Because Best Rap Album was the opening Grammy presented during the broadcast, Lamar still remained in contention for additional high-profile categories, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year.
During the acceptance speech, Kendrick shouted out his opps in the category. Watch the video below:
Kendrick Lamar accepts his #GRAMMY for ‘Best Rap Album’:
“Hip-Hop is always going to be right here.” pic.twitter.com/R70hC8FMyG
— Kurrco (@Kurrco) February 2, 2026
Trevor Noah, the host of the show, references the Kendrick Lamar / Drake beef at the #GRAMMYs while introducing Kendrick Lamar:
Trevor Noah references the Kendrick Lamar / Drake beef at the #GRAMMYs while introducing Kendrick Lamar:
“I thought about writing a few jokes roasting you, but then I remembered what you can do to light-skinned dudes from other countries.” pic.twitter.com/wapbaxWhGf
— Kurrco (@Kurrco) February 2, 2026