Key Insights

• Nominations: Kendrick Lamar leads with nine nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards.
• Categories: He is nominated in major categories including Album of the Year and Song of the Year.
• Competition: Kendrick faces tough competition from artists like Clipse and Drake in the rap categories.
• Date: The 2026 Grammy Awards will be held on February 1, 2026, in Los Angeles.

The 2026 Grammy nominations have been announced — and Kendrick Lamar is leading the way again.

Following the chart-topping success of GNX and its string of hit singles, King Kendrick is up for nine awards at next year’s Grammys, the most among all artists.

The Compton superstar is nominated in each of the “Big Three” categories: Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Record of the Year, the latter two of which he won at this year’s awards for his hit Drake diss “Not Like Us.”

He is also a front-runner in all four hip-hop categories (Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance and Best Melodic Rap Performance), as well as Best Pop Duo/Group Performance thanks to his “30 For 30” collaboration with SZA.

Kendrick faces stiff competition for rap silverware from the likes of Clipse, Tyler, The Creator, JID, GloRilla, Cardi B, Doechii and his archrival Drake, whose sole nomination is in the Best Melodic Rap Performance category.

The 2026 Grammys take place on February 1, 2026 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Check out the full nominees below.

Best Rap Album

Let God Sort Em Out – Clipse
Glorious – GloRilla
God Does Like Ugly – JID
GNX – Kendrick Lamar
Chromakopia – Tyler, The Creator

Best Rap Song

“Anxiety” — Doechii
“The Birds Don’t Sing” — Clipse feat. John Legend & Voices of Fire
“Sticky” — Tyler, The Creator feat. GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne
“TGIF” — GloRilla
“TV Off” — Kendrick Lamar feat. Lefty Gunplay

Best Rap Performance

“Outside” — Cardi B
“Chains & Whips” — Clipse feat. Kendrick Lamar & Pharrell
“Anxiety” — Doechii
“TV Off” — Kendrick Lamar feat. Lefty Gunplay
“Darling, I” — Tyler, The Creator feat. Teezo Touchdown

Best Melodic Rap Performance

“Proud of Me” — Fridayy feat. Meek Mill
“Wholeheartedly” — JID feat. Ty Dolla $ign & 6LACK
“Luther” — Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA
“WeMaj” — Terrace Martin & Kenyon Dixon feat. Rapsody
“Somebody Loves Me” — Drake & PARTYNEXTDOOR

Album of the Year

Debí Tirar Más Fotos – Bad Bunny
Swag – Justin Bieber
Man’s Best Friend – Sabrina Carpenter
Let God Sort Em Out – Clipse
Mayhem – Lady Gaga
GNX – Kendrick Lamar
Mutt – Leon Thomas
Chromakopia – Tyler, The Creator

Song of the Year

“Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga
“Anxiety” – Doechii
“APT.” – Rosé & Bruno Mars
“DtMF” – Bad Bunny
“Golden” [From KPop Demon Hunters] – HUNTR/X
“Luther” Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA
“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter
“Wildflower” – Billie Eilish

Record of the Year

“DtMF” – Bad Bunny
“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter
“Anxiety” – Doechii
“Wildflower” – Billie Eilish
“Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga
“Luther” – Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA
“The Subway” – Chappell Roan
“APT.” – Rosé & Bruno Mars

Best New Artist

Olivia Dean
Katseye
The Marias
Addison Rae
Sombr
Leon Thomas
Alex Warren
Lola Young

Best R&B Album

Beloved — Giveon
Why Not More? — Coco Jones
The Crown — Ledisi
Escape Room — Teyana Taylor
Mutt — Leon Thomas

Best Progressive R&B Album

Bloom — Durand Bernarr
Adjust Brightness — Bilal
Love on Digital — Destin Conrad
Access All Areas — Flo
Come as You Are — Terrace Martin & Kenyon Dixon

Best R&B Song

“Folded” — Kehlani
“Heart of a Woman” — Summer Walker
“It Depends” — Chris Brown feat. Bryson Tiller
“Overqualified” — Durand Bernarr
“Yes It Is” — Leon Thomas

Best R&B Performance

“Yukon” – Justin Bieber
“It Depends” – Chris Brown feat. Bryson Tiller
“Folded” – Kehlani
“Mutt (Live From NPR’s Tiny Desk)” – Leon Thomas
“Heart of a Woman” – Summer Walker

Best Traditional R&B Performance

“Here We Are” — Durand Bernarr
“Uptown” — Lalah Hathaway
“Love You Too” — Ledisi
“Crybaby” — SZA
“Vibes Don’t Lie” — Leon Thomas

Best Pop Vocal Album

Swag – Justin Bieber
Man’s Best Friend – Sabrina Carpenter
Something Beautiful – Miley Cyrus
<emMayhem – Lady Gaga
I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2)– Teddy Swims