Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny, two key figures on the world music scene, will seek to follow in Beyoncé's triumphant footsteps from last year and set their own records at the 68th Grammy Awards, which would be etched into the history of rap and urban music, respectively.
The 36-year-old California rapper arrives at the gala on February 1st as the artist with the most nominations and has the chance to become the rap legend with the most Grammys—he currently has 22. If he wins at least 4 of his 9 nominations, it would allow him to surpass Kanye West, who has 24, and Jay-Z, who has 25.
Although he will face a rival in the three main categories—Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year—in the form of Bad Bunny, who is the most-streamed artist in the world and also aims to be the first Latino to win the most coveted awards in a single night. Neither of them will have an easy path, as artists like Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, or Billie Eilish are pursuing their own records and could be a stumbling block for them.
For the Throne of the Most Awarded Rapper
His 25 Grammys no longer guarantee Jay-Z that he will remain the king of his genre. Kanye West is in the same situation, now more focused on controversies than on the 24 Grammys he has in his collection, which are under threat from Kendrick Lamar, who long ago surpassed another rap figure, Eminem, a 15-time winner.
If he wins at least seven awards, the Pulitzer Prize winner could also secure a spot among the artists with the most Grammy wins, trailing only Beyoncé (35) and Georg Solti (31).
Another feat the Compton rapper could achieve is becoming the first man to win Record of the Year in two consecutive years, after his victory a year ago with the iconic 'Not Like Us' and if he repeats the feat with 'luther' this year, although this is a key category for all nominees' aspirations.
A win in this category would make Bad Bunny the first artist to win with a Spanish-language song—a feat not seen in another language since 'Volare' in 1959.
