Kendrick Lamar has officially become the most awarded rapper in Grammy history, surpassing previous record holder Jay-Z. The Compton rapper took home four awards at the 68th annual Grammy Awards, bringing his total to 26, one more than Jay-Z's 25. Kanye West now sits in third place with 24 Grammys.
Lamar won best rap album for 'GNX', best rap song for 'TV Off', melodic rap performance for 'Luther', and rap performance for his feature on Clipse's 'Chains & Whips'. He could add to his tally as categories such as song of the year, record of the year and album of the year are still to be announced.
Accepting the award for best rap album, Lamar said: 'It is hip-hop as usual, man. I'm not good at talking about myself, but I express it through the music. It's an honour to be here. … Hip-hop is going to always be right here. We are going to be in these suits looking good, having our folks with us. We are going to be having the culture with us. So I appreciate y'all. God is to glory. Love y'all.'
Lamar entered the night with 22 Grammy wins and 57 nominations. He was nominated for nine Grammys this year, including album of the year, song of the year and record of the year. Prior to Sunday's ceremony, he was the third-most awarded rapper, and he won three awards before the live telecast on CBS.
Last year, Lamar's hit single 'Not Like Us' — a diss track aimed at Drake — swept its categories, winning five Grammys. He has now won best rap album three times, for 'To Pimp a Butterfly' (2016), 'DAMN.' (2018) and 'Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers' (2023). His 2012 breakthrough 'good kid, m.A.A.d city' famously lost to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's 'The Heist', which drew sharp backlash and a text from Macklemore admitting, 'You got robbed.'
