L.A.’s own Kendrick Lamar has become the most awarded hip-hop artist in Grammy history, surpassing Jay Z to earn the accomplishment at the 68th annual ceremony.
On Sunday, Lamar, who was born and raised in Compton, earned the Grammy for Best Rap Album for his album GNX alongside Record of the Year for his SZA collaboration “Luther.” It was his 26th and 27th Grammy Award wins.
“It’s hip-hop as usual, man,” said Lamar in his Best Rap Album acceptance speech before going on to honor a few of his L.A. collaborators.
“I’m not good at talking about myself, but I express it through the music. It’s an honor to be here, Tyler, the Clipse. Like, 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 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.”
Jay Z has 25 Grammy Awards, and Kanye West has 24.
GNX is deeply connected to Los Angeles
In a Rolling Stone story in December, Lamar’s collaborator Sounwave (another Angeleno) opened up about GNX‘s deep connections to Los Angeles. It was important, especially, to get “Reincarnated” right.
“That’s Pac. That’s Gang Related soundtrack. That’s a moment for us, and we didn’t want to mess it up. I knew we couldn’t just sample it.”
Sonwave was the first to speak on stage during the acceptance speech for “Luther.”
Lefty Gunplay, another album collaborator, shared a studio experience with Lamar.
“I had a note pad and I was writing. Then Kendrick Lamar walked in the studio, came straight up to me, gave me a hug,” he says. “He told me that he’s had his eye on me and that I’m doing my thing in Los Angeles. That I’m the missing piece of the West.”
Lamar honored L.A. with his winning speech in 2025
At the 2025 ceremony, “Not Like Us” won each of the five categories it was nominated for: Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance, and Best Music Video.
“We’re gonna dedicate this one to the city,” said Lamar. “Compton, Watts, Long Beach, Inglewood, Hollywood, out to the Valley, Pacoima, IE, San Bernardino, all that.
“This is my neck of the woods that held me down since a young pup… since I was in the studio scrapping to write the best raps and all that… to do records like these, so I can’t give enough thanks, you know, to these places that I rolled around since high school.
“And most importantly, the people and the families out in the Palisades and Altadena. This is a true testament that we can continue to restore this city. And we’re gonna keep rockin’.”