Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Kehlani and Leon Thomas were among the Black hip‑hop and R&B artists honored at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards Sunday night, with the acclaimed hip‑hop artist leading the field with multiple wins at the Crypto.com Arena.
Kendrick Lamar and SZA won Record of the Year for their collaboration “luther,” a track that has dominated charts and airplay for months, marking one of the night’s most celebrated wins. Lamar also took home Best Rap Album for GNX, Best Rap Song for “TV Off,” and Best Melodic Rap Performance for “luther.” In the Best Rap Performance category, Clipse and Pharrell Williams joined Lamar for “Chains & Whips.”
The wins cemented Lamar’s place in Grammy history; with his victories Sunday, his career total reached at least 27 awards, surpassing Jay‑Z’s previous record for most Grammys by a hip-hop artist.
In R&B categories, Kehlani won both Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song for “Folded,” marking their first Grammy wins and underscoring a moment of recognition after more than a decade in the industry. During the ceremony, Kehlani delivered a politically charged acceptance speech that drew attention for its critique of immigration enforcement policies.
Leon Thomas was named Best R&B Album for Mutt and also claimed Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Vibes Don’t Lie.” Durand Bernarr won Best Progressive R&B Album for Bloom, highlighting a new generation of R&B artistry.
The Grammys also featured significant achievements across the wider music landscape: Bad Bunny won Album of the Year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, the first Spanish‑language album to take the top honor, and Billie Eilish won Song of the Year for “Wildflower.”
Hosted by Trevor Noah, the annual ceremony celebrated excellence in music across 95 categories, with the premiere ceremony honoring many of the genre‑specific awards earlier in the day before the prime‑time broadcast.
