Kendrick Lamar arrives at the 68th Grammy Awards carrying rare momentum. Coming off a massive global run, Lamar secured nine nominations in 2026, reaffirming his status as one of the most commanding forces in Hip Hop and the culture at large.
In case you missed it, the nominations follow the close of The Grand National Tour, a co-headlining worldwide stadium tour with SZA which ran in parallel with Lamar’s sixth studio album GNX.
The tour spanned 47 shows across Europe, North America, Australia, and South America, launching on April 19, 2025 in Minneapolis and concluding December 11 in Sydney. The North American and European legs were co-headlined by SZA in support of Lana, the deluxe reissue of her SOS album. The run marked the first all-stadium tour for both artists and stood as one of the year’s most ambitious live undertakings.
When it comes to the music, the center of Lamar’s Grammy presence is GNX, which earned nominations for Album of the Year and Best Rap Album. The project’s recognition mirrors the success that defined his performances throughout the tour.
What’s more, several nominations stem from “Luther,” Lamar’s collaboration with SZA, which picked up nods for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Melodic Rap Performance. Their partnership also earned recognition in the Best Pop Duo or Group Performance category for “30 For 30,” extending the chemistry that anchored their shared stadium dates.
Lamar’s solo work remains equally sharp. “TV Off” received nominations for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song, while “Chains & Whips” also landed in the Best Rap Performance category.
As the Grammys are poised to jump off today, Kendrick Lamar stands at a rare intersection of scale and substance, closing out a sold-out world tour while entering awards season with one of the strongest nomination slates of his career.
It remains to be seen if he will step back into the Grammy spotlight and snag more wins or fall back into greatness.