Kendrick Lamar Wins Five Grammys in One Night and Passes Jay-Z as the Most Awarded Rapper in History
Kendrick Lamar walked into the 68th Annual Grammy Awards on February 1, 2026 with nine nominations. He walked out with five trophies and a record that Jay-Z held for years: most Grammy wins by a rapper in history. His career total now stands at 27 Grammys, surpassing Jay-Z's 25.
This is the third time Lamar has won five Grammys in a single night. He did it in 2016 for To Pimp a Butterfly. He did it again in 2025 for "Not Like Us." Now he's done it with GNX, his sixth studio album. No rapper has ever pulled off a five-win night three times. The last artist to do it at all was Stevie Wonder in the 1970s.
What He Won
Record of the Year -- "Luther" (with SZA), a track built on a sample of Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn's 1982 duet "If This World Were Mine."
Best Rap Album -- GNX. This was the win that officially broke the record, bringing his total past Jay-Z's 25.
Best Rap Song -- "TV Off"
Best Melodic Rap Performance -- "Luther"
Best Rap Performance -- "Chains & Whips" (featured on Clipse's track)
The three rap-specific awards were handed out during the premiere ceremony at the Peacock Theater. Record of the Year -- the night's biggest prize -- came during the main telecast.
The Bigger Picture
Lamar's speech was characteristically short on self-congratulation. "I'm not good at talking about myself, but I express it through the music," he told the audience. "Hip hop is gonna always be right here."
The rest of the night had its own history. Bad Bunny's Debi Tirar Mas Fotos became the first primarily Spanish-language album to ever win Album of the Year. Steven Spielberg completed his EGOT -- Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony -- becoming only the 22nd person in history to hold all four competitive awards. Billie Eilish won Song of the Year for "WILDFLOWER." Olivia Dean took Best New Artist.
But the rap numbers are what matter for the record books. Jay-Z has 25. Kanye West has 24. Kendrick Lamar, at 37 years old with six albums, has 27 and shows no sign of slowing down. GNX dropped with minimal promotion and still swept its categories.
Grammy voters have been accused of overlooking hip-hop for decades. They gave Album of the Year to Macklemore over Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city in 2014. It took until 2024 for a rap album to win Album of the Year again. But Record of the Year in back-to-back years? Five wins three separate times? At some point, even the skeptics have to admit: Kendrick Lamar doesn't just compete at the Grammys. He owns them.
NPR: Full 2026 Grammy Winners List
Hollywood Reporter: Kendrick Breaks Jay-Z's Record