Kendrick Lamar made Grammy history on Sunday, breaking Jay Z’s long standing record to become the most awarded rapper of all time. The 38-year-old artist entered the 2026 Grammy Awards with 25 career wins and left Crypto.com Arena with 27 gramophones, officially surpassing Jay Z’s previous record and cementing his legacy as one of hip hop’s most decorated figures.
Lamar’s historic night began early in the ceremony when he won Best Rap Album for GNX. Later in the broadcast, he claimed one of the evening’s top honours, Record of the Year, for “Luther,” his collaboration with SZA.
“I’m not good at talking about myself, but I express it through the music,” Lamar said during his acceptance speech. “It’s an honor to be here.” He went on to heap praise on his fellow nominees, “It’s Tyler, Clipse. These are my brothers to be in this category. What’s up Push man, Malice man. Every time I tell you this, hip hop is gonna always be right here. We gonna be in these suits. We gonna be looking good. We gonna be having our folks with us. We gonna be having the culture with us.”
“So I appreciate y’all, God is the glory. Love y’all,” Kendrick Lamar concluded.
In addition to Best Rap Album and Record of the Year, Lamar picked up multiple trophies throughout the night, including Best Rap Performance for “Chains & Whips,” featuring Clipse, Pusha T, Malice and Pharrell Williams, Best Melodic Rap Performance for “Luther,” and Best Rap Song for “tv off.”