Kendrick Lamar was just three years old in the late 1990s, and perhaps not yet an avid Grammy watcher, when MC Hammer's “U Can't Touch This” became the first rap hit to receive a Grammy nomination for record of the year. At the Grammys in February 1991, Hammer's mass appeal lost out to Phil Collins' socially conscious ballad “Another Day in Paradise,” which featured backing vocals from David Crosby.
As we approach this year's Grammy nominations, which will be announced on Nov. 8, Lamar's “Not Like Us” has a great chance to become the 26th rap hit to receive the record nod of the year. We define a rap hit as a track that appeared Advertising signHot Rap Songs chart, which began as Hot Rap Singles in the March 11, 1989 issue.
Only one rap hit has won the record of the year – Childish Gambino's “This Is America” in 2019. That phrase may need updating after the 67th annual Grammy Awards, set for February 2, 2025. It's easy to see the “ Not Like Us,” which returns to No. 1 on this week's Billboard Hot 100 following the release of the song's video, winning that award. The Mustard-produced smash may have come from a battle with Drake, but it's already looking like the kind of classic single that will live on after this dis battle is becoming a dim and distant memory.
As you'll see as you scroll through this list, at the 2003 Grammys, two rap hits were nominated for record of the year for the first time. At the 2011 ceremony, three rap acts were nominated for the first time. Keep in mind that this was back when there were only five contenders in the category, which made it very difficult. In 2019, a record four rap hits were nominated, but that year there were eight nominations, which made it at least somewhat easier.
You might be wondering why Lauryn Hill's “Doo Wop (That Thing),” which topped Hot Rap Songs for four weeks in 1998, doesn't appear on this list. In 1999 her companion album, Lauryn Hill's Bad Education, became the first hip-hop act to win album of the year. “Doo Wop (That Thing)” was entered for both record and song of the year at that year's Grammys, but was not nominated in either category. Go figure.
Here's a chronological list of every rap hit to receive a Grammy nomination for record of the year. We show how high each hit went Advertising signThe Hot Rap Songs chart and what won that year as record of the year. The year shown is the year of the Grammy ceremony. If “Not Like Us” and/or another rap hit gets a record of the year come November, you can bet we'll be updating this list.
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MC Hammer, “U Can't Touch This” (1991)
Image credit: Robin Platzer/IMAGES/Getty Images
Top Hot Rap Songs: Number 2
And the Grammy went to: Phil Collins, Another Day in Paradise
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Coolio feat. LV, “Gangsta's Paradise (by Dangerous minds)” (1996)
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 1 (11 weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Stamp, “Kiss From a Rose”
Note: This song was included in the box-office hit Dangerous minds, starring Michelle Pfeiffer. Another record of the year contender that year, TLC's “Waterfalls,” had a memorable rap element, but this mostly R&B and pop song didn't appear on Hot Rap Songs.
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OutKast, “Ms. Jackson” (2002)
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 1 (three weeks)
And the Grammy went to: U2, “Walk On”
Note: This was the first rap hit to earn a Grammy nod for record of the year that wasn't based on a pre-existing song. “U Can't Touch This” sampled the opening riff of Rick James' 1981 hit “Super Freak”. “Gangsta's Paradise” preempted Stevie Wonder's 1976 song “Pastime Paradise”. Two years later, OutKast was nominated again in that category for “Hey Ya!”, but that breakout hit didn't appear on Hot Rap Songs.
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Eminem, “Without Me” (2003)
Top Hot Rap Songs: Number 5
And the Grammy went to: Norah Jones, “I Don't Know Why”
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Nelly feat. Kelly Rowland, “Dilemma” (2003)
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 1 (10 weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Norah Jones, “I Don't Know Why”
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The Black Eyed Peas, “Where Is the Love?” (2004)
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 19
And the Grammy went to: Coldplay, “Clocks”
Note: Justin Timberlake appeared on the Grammy-nominated single, but was not officially credited on the song's Hot Rap Songs chart. The Peas scored two more record of the year nods, for “Let's Get It Started” and “I Gotta Feeling,” but those songs did not appear on Hot Rap Songs.
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Eminem, “Lose Yourself” (2004)
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Top Hot Rap Songs: Number 2
And the Grammy went to: Coldplay, “Clocks”
Note: Eminem was the first artist with two rap hits to earn record of the year nods. In 2003, this motivational anthem, from the film 8 milesbecame the first rap song to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
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Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx, “Gold Digger” (2006)
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 1 (four weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Green Day, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”
Note: This single was released less than five months after Foxx received an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Ray Charles in Ray. This song samples Charles' 1954 hit “I Got a Woman”.
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MIA, “Paper Airplanes” (2009)
Top Hot Rap Songs: Number 6
And the Grammy went to: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, “Please Read the Letter”
Note: MIA was the first unaccompanied female rap hit to receive a record nod of the year. This song was later featured in the Academy Award winning film Slumdog Millionaire.
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BoB feat. Bruno Mars, “Nothin' on You” (2011)
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 1 (seven weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Lady Antebellum, “Need You Know”
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Eminem feat. Rihanna, “Love the Way You Lie” (2011)
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 1 (eight weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Lady Antebellum, “Need You Know”
Note: Eminem was the first artist with three rap hits to receive the nerve of the record of the year.
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Jay-Z + Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind” (2011)
Image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Clear Channel
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 1 (nine weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Lady Antebellum, “Need You Know”
Note: Jay-Z had two previous record-of-the-year nods, for his featured roles on Beyoncé's “Crazy in Love” and Rihanna's “Umbrella,” but those megahits didn't appear on Hot Rap Songs.
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Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX, “Fancy” (2015)
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 1 (18 weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Sam Smith, “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)”
Note: This was the first rap hit credited to two female artists to receive a record of the year nod.
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Jay-Z, “The Story of OJ” (2018)
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 7
And the Grammy went to: Bruno Mars, “24K Magic”
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Kendrick Lamar, “Humble.” (2018)
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 1 (four weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Bruno Mars, “24K Magic”
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Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin, “I Like It” (2019)
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 1 (one week)
And the Grammy went to: Childish Gambino, “This Is America”
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Childish Gambino, This Is America (2019)
Image credit: Rich Fury/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 1 (two weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Childish Gambino, “This Is America”
Note: “This Is America” also became the first rap song to win song of the year, an award that goes to songwriters. Childish Gambino co-wrote the smash with Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson.
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Drake, “God's Plan” (2019)
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 1 (11 weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Childish Gambino, “This Is America”
Note: Two years earlier, Drake was nominated as featured artist on Rihanna's “Work,” but that Hot 100 leader didn't appear on Hot Rap Songs.
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Post Malone feat. 21 Savage, “Rockstar” (2019)
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 1 (15 weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Childish Gambino, “This Is America”
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Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus, “Old Town Road” (2020)
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 1 (20 weeks)
And the Grammy went to: “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish
Note: Two years later, LNX received a second album of the year for “Montero (Call Me by Your Name),” but that LGBTQ-themed hit didn't appear on Hot Rap Songs.
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Lizzo, “Truth Hurts” (2020)
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 1 (13 weeks)
And the Grammy went to: “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish
Note: Lizzo was the second unaccompanied female rap hit to receive a record of the year nod. Three years later, Lizzo won Record of the Year for “About Damn Time,” but that hit didn't appear on Hot Rap Songs.
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Post Malone & Swae Lee, “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)” (2020)
Image credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 1 (11 weeks)
And the Grammy went to: “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish
Note: This was featured in the animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The following year, Post Malone received his third album of the year for “Circles,” but this pop confection did not appear on Top Rap Songs.
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DaBaby feat. Roddy Ricch, “Rockstar” (2021)
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 1 (nine weeks)
And the Grammy went to: “All I Wanted” by Billie Eilish
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Megan Thee Stallion feat. Beyoncé, “Savage” (2021)
Top Hot Rap Songs: No. 1 (three weeks)
And the Grammy went to: “All I Wanted” by Billie Eilish
Note: This was the second rap hit credited to two female artists to receive the record of the year nod.
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Kendrick Lamar, “The Heart Part 5” (2023)
Top Hot Rap Songs: Number 4
And the Grammy went to: Lizzo, “About Damn Time”
Note: Between “Humble”. and “The Heart Part 5,” Lamar received a record of the year nod for “All the Stars,” his collaboration with SZA from Black pantherbut this track did not appear on Hot Rap Songs.
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from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/lists/rap-hits-grammy-nomination-record-of-the-year-full-list-billboard/
