Kendrick Lamar has found no shortage of success in recent years, and it looks like 2026 will be no different. Today (January 8), nominees for the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards were announced, and he's in the running for several awards. He's nominated for Artist of the Year and Hip-Hop Artist of the Year. He and SZA's GNX track "luther" is also competing for Song of the Year, Best Collaboration, and Hip-Hop Song of the Year. He's going up against the likes of Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, The Weeknd and Playboi Carti, and more.
News of Kendrick's nominations comes just days after it was reported that GNX was Spotify's most-streamed rap album of 2025. Runner-ups include Playboi Carti's MUSIC, Tyler The Creator's CHROMAKOPIA, and Kanye West's Graduation, among others. Kendrick's rival, Drake, secured the title of Spotify's most-streamed rapper of 2025.
Kendrick and SZA also had the highest-grossing rap tour of the year, as their "Grand National" trek raked in an impressive $369.6M worldwide.
When Will Kendrick Lamar Drop A New Album?
Tyler, The Creator's "Chromakopia: The World Tour" came in second place for bringing in $174.5 million. Nelly's "Where The Party At Tour," Travis Scott's "Circus Maximus Tour," NBA YoungBoy's "Make America Slime Again Tour," $uicideboy$'s "Grey Day Tour," and more also made the top ten.
Of course, all of this talk about Kendrick's success has led fans to wonder exactly when they can expect to hear new music from the Compton performer. While that remains a mystery for the time being, he did at least appear to hint at something coming soon at the 12th annual Top Dawg Entertainment Christmas event last month.
He spotted Chef Boy at the event, and they had a conversation that resulted in rampant collab rumors. "You going crazy!" he told the up-and-coming artist. "We got one coming, it's nothing. Say less." Some social media users even theorize that Kendrick might be cooking up a new full-length album, though this is unconfirmed.
