While we've been talking about the victory lap of Kendrick Lamar for over a year now, it seems like this era will finally, for real this time, come to a close. That's because his final offerings in the post-Drake battle era – his GNX album and his newest SZA, Playboi Carti, and Clipse collaborations – are now leading his 2026 Grammys campaign.
Kurrco caught the Compton lyricist's reported submissions for Grammy Award nominations consideration this year on Twitter, and they are extensive. After all, if he wins four awards this year (raising his total to 26), he would surpass Jay-Z as the most awarded hip-hop artist in Recording Academy history... As long as Hov doesn't win any this year.
Specifically, the big contender here is GNX itself, whose Left Gunplay collaboration "tv off" was submitted for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance. "luther" with SZA seeks Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Melodic Rap Performance, and Best Music Video nominations. As for the LP as a whole, its submissions are in the Album of the Year, Best Rap Album, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical categories.
Then, there are Kendrick Lamar's other collaborations in this eligibility period. These include "30 For 30" with his Grand National tour colleague for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, "Chains & Whips" with Clipse for Best Rap Performance, "GOOD CREDIT" with Playboi Carti for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance, and "BACKD00R" with Carti for Best Melodic Rap Performance.
Kendrick Lamar Grammys
We will see which nominations Kendrick Lamar secures; getting none seems impossible considering his scale and track record. Not every single submission will make the final list of nominees, but this broad approach (which plenty of other artists are also doing or rejecting) should make for a few wins.
His possible nomination in a total of 11 categories make his chances to become hip-hop's most Grammy-est titan quite solid. Does K.Dot deserve this? We'll leave that debate up to the fans. It's not like they ever stopped having the Drake conversation or criticizing either artist separately. We will see what happens on February 1 next year.
