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Every Grammys Best Rap Performance winner

14 ceremonies, 2012–2025. 9 different winners. The longest run was Jay-Z and Kanye West, 2 years straight (2012–2013).

Best Rap Performance was first awarded in 2012, so it does not run the full 2000–2025 window.

An earlier award of the same name ran in 1989 and 1990, before the solo and duo or group split.

It took over from Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

Kendrick Lamar ×5Jay-Z and Kanye West ×2
Each band is one winner’s reign. Wider means a longer run. Colored by label; hover for details.
Jay-Z and Kanye West'12–'13×2
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz'14
Kendrick Lamar'15–'16×2
Chance the Rapper featuring Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz'17
Kendrick Lamar'18
Anderson .Paak'19
Nipsey Hussle featuring Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy'20
Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé'21
Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar'22
Kendrick Lamar'23
Killer Mike featuring André 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane'24
Kendrick Lamar'25
Wins by label
  1. Independent323%
  2. PGLang215%
  3. Roc-A-Fella215%
  4. Universal215%
  5. All Money In18%
  6. Ivan Rosenburg18%
  7. Other215%

1 further win has no label on record and is not counted in the 13 above.

1 of these 14 wins has no label on record, so the bar covers the other 13.

Who kept losing

Counting nominations in this category only, 2012–2025.

Most nominated, never won

  • Cardi B4 noms
  • Drake4 noms
  • DaBaby2 noms
  • Eminem2 noms
  • J. Cole2 noms
  • Jay-Z2 noms

Most losses

  • Cardi B4L · 0W
  • Drake4L · 0W
  • DaBaby2L · 0W
  • Eminem2L · 0W
  • J. Cole2L · 0W
  • Jay-Z2L · 0W

The full list

YearWinnerLabel
2025Kendrick Lamar (Not Like Us)
beat 5 others
  • Cardi B (Enough (Miami))
  • Common and Pete Rock featuring Posdnuos (When the Sun Shines Again)
  • Doechii (Nissan Altima)
  • Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar (Like That)
  • GloRilla (Yeah Glo!)
Interscope
2024Killer Mike featuring André 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane (Scientists & Engineers)
beat 4 others
  • Baby Keem featuring Kendrick Lamar (The Hillbillies)
  • Black Thought (Love Letter)
  • Drake and 21 Savage (Rich Flex)
  • Coi Leray (Players)
VLNS/Loma Vista
2023Kendrick Lamar (The Heart Part 5)
beat 4 others
  • DJ Khaled featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend and Fridayy (God Did)
  • Doja Cat (Vegas)
  • Gunna and Future featuring Young Thug (Pushin P)
  • Hitkidd and GloRilla (F.N.F. (Let's Go))
PGLang/TDE
2022Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar (Family Ties)
beat 4 others
  • Cardi B (Up)
  • J. Cole featuring 21 Savage and Morray (My Life)
  • Drake featuring Future and Young Thug (Way 2 Sexy)
  • Megan Thee Stallion (Thot Shit)
PGLang/Columbia
2021Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé (Savage)
beat 5 others
  • Big Sean featuring Nipsey Hussle (Deep Reverence)
  • DaBaby (BOP)
  • Jack Harlow (Whats Poppin)
  • Lil Baby (The Bigger Picture)
  • Pop Smoke (Dior)
1501 Certified
2020Nipsey Hussle featuring Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy (Racks in the Middle)
beat 4 others
  • J. Cole (Middle Child)
  • DaBaby (Suge)
  • Dreamville featuring JID, Bas, J. Cole, EarthGang and Young Nudy (Down Bad)
  • Offset featuring Cardi B (Clout)
All Money In/Atlantic
2019Anderson .Paak (Bubblin')tieKendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future and James Blake (King's Dead)
beat 3 others
  • Cardi B (Be Careful)
  • Drake (Nice for What)
  • Travis Scott, Drake, Swae Lee and Big Hawk (Sicko Mode)
Unknown
2018Kendrick Lamar (Humble.)
beat 4 others
  • Big Sean (Bounce Back)
  • Cardi B (Bodak Yellow)
  • Jay-Z (4:44)
  • Migos featuring Lil Uzi Vert (Bad and Boujee)
Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath
2017Chance the Rapper featuring Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz (No Problem)
beat 4 others
  • Desiigner (Panda)
  • Drake featuring The Throne (Pop Style)
  • Fat Joe and Remy Ma featuring French Montana and Infared (All the Way Up)
  • ScHoolboy Q featuring Kanye West (That Part)
Ivan Rosenburg/Conor Szymanski
2016Kendrick Lamar (Alright)repeat
beat 5 others
  • J. Cole (Apparently)
  • Drake (Back to Back)
  • Fetty Wap (Trap Queen)
  • Nicki Minaj featuring Drake and Lil Wayne (Truffle Butter)
  • Kanye West featuring Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom and Paul McCartney (All Day)
Top Dawg/Aftermath
2015Kendrick Lamar (I)
beat 4 others
  • Childish Gambino (3005)
  • Drake (0 to 100 / The Catch Up)
  • Eminem (Rap God)
  • Lecrae (All I Need Is You)
TDE/Aftermath
2014Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz (Thrift Shop)
beat 4 others
  • Drake (Started from the Bottom)
  • Eminem (Berzerk)
  • Jay-Z (Tom Ford)
  • Kendrick Lamar (Swimming Pools (Drank))
Macklemore LLC
2013Jay-Z and Kanye West (Niggas in Paris)repeat
beat 4 others
  • Drake featuring Lil Wayne (HYFR (Hell Ya Fucking Right))
  • Nas (Daughters)
  • Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz (Mercy)
  • Young Jeezy featuring Jay-Z and André 3000 (I Do)
Roc-A-Fella/Roc Nation
2012Jay-Z and Kanye West (Otis)
beat 4 others
  • Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes (Look at Me Now)
  • Lupe Fiasco (The Show Goes On)
  • Nicki Minaj featuring Drake (Moment 4 Life)
  • Wiz Khalifa (Black and Yellow)
Roc-A-Fella/Roc Nation

More Grammys categories

Pop AlbumRap AlbumRock AlbumCountry AlbumGlobal PerformanceAfrican Perf.Reggae AlbumNew Age AlbumPolka AlbumChildren's MusicalChildren's SpokenChildren's MusicComedy AlbumAudio BookSpoken Word PoetryMusical Theater AlbumAll 152 categories

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