The most-nominated artist at the 2026 Grammys took home another of its top prizes on Sunday night, February 2, 2026, when Kendrick Lamar earned his second consecutive record of the year trophy, this time alongside SZA for their lovelorn duet “Luther.”
The 38-year-old rap titan born Kendrick Lamar Duckworth had previously won 22 Grammys, including record and song of the year in 2025 for his diss track “Not Like Us.”
He led all nominees this year, with nine nods. “Luther” also vied for song of the year, while Lamar’s most recent album, “GNX,” was up for album of the year and best rap album.
SZA, 36, entered the ceremony with five Grammys, but none until this year had come in the awards’ top all-genre categories. The genre-bending R&B vocalist and songwriter, born Solána Rowe, won best R&B song a year ago for her single “Saturn.”
Lamar released “Luther” in November 2024 as part of “GNX,” his sixth studio album. Peaking at No. 1, the song spent 46 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy record was officially established, making him the most awarded rapper of all time. Surpassing the previous benchmarks set by industry titans Jay-Z and Kanye West,
The song is “easily the album’s most tender moment,” The Times’s pop music critic Lindsay Zoladz wrote.
“Luther” samples “If This World Were Mine,” which was written by Marvin Gaye, originally performed by Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and later sung by Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn.
Lamar sings as well as raps on the sumptuous, slow-burning track.
Before the 2026 Grammy ceremony, the record for the most Grammy wins by a rapper was a tie between Jay-Z and Kanye West, both holding 24 trophies.
With his 2026 wins for Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance, and Best Melodic Rap Performance for the track “Luther,” Kendrick Lamar has now surpassed that milestone.
The other 2026 nominees for record of the year included Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Chappell Roan, and Rosé and Bruno Mars.
