Kendrick Lamar was just three years old in late 1990, 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 Grammy ceremony in February 1991, Hammer’s mass-appeal smash lost to Phil Collins’ socially conscious ballad “Another Day in Paradise,” which featured a backing vocal by David Crosby.
Lamar’s “Not Like Us” is now the 26th rap hit to receive a record of the year nod. We define a rap hit as a track that appeared on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart, which originated as Hot Rap Singles in the March 11, 1989 issue.
Just one rap hit has won record of the year – Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” in 2019. That sentence may need updating after the 67th annual Grammy Awards, set for Feb. 2, 2025. It’s easy to see “Not Like Us,” which logged a record 24 weeks at No. 1 on Hot Rap Songs (as well as two weeks at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100), winning that award. The Mustard-produced smash may have originated in a dis battle with Drake, but it already seems like the kind of classic single that will live on after this dis battle becomes a dim and distant memory.
As you’ll see as you scroll through this list, at the Grammy ceremony in 2003, two rap hits were nominated for record of the year for the first time. At the ceremony in 2011, three rap hits were nominated for the first time. Bear in mind, this was back when there were just five nominees in the category, making this very hard to do. In 2019, a record four rap hits were nominated, but that year there were eight nominees, making it at least somewhat easier.
You may 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 accompanying album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, famously became the first hip-hop project 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 it wasn’t 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 climbed on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart and what won that year for record of the year. The year shown is the year of the Grammy ceremony.
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MC Hammer, “U Can’t Touch This” (1991)
Image Credit: Robin Platzer/IMAGES/Getty Images Hot Rap Songs peak: No. 2
And the Grammy went to: Phil Collins, “Another Day in Paradise”
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Coolio feat. L.V., “Gangsta’s Paradise (from Dangerous Minds)” (1996)
Hot Rap Songs peak: No. 1 (11 weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Seal, “Kiss From a Rose”
Note: This song was featured in the box-office hit Dangerous Minds, starring Michelle Pfeiffer. Another of that year’s record of the year nominees, TLC’s “Waterfalls,” had a memorable rap element, but that mostly R&B and pop song didn’t appear on Hot Rap Songs.
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OutKast, “Ms. Jackson” (2002)
Hot Rap Songs peak: No. 1 (three weeks)
And the Grammy went to: U2, “Walk On”
Note: This was the first rap hit to receive a Grammy nod for record of the year that wasn’t built around a pre-existing song. “U Can’t Touch This” sampled the opening riff of Rick James’ 1981 hit, “Super Freak.” “Gangsta’s Paradise” interpolated Stevie Wonder’s 1976 song “Pastime Paradise.” Two years later, OutKast was nominated again in this category for “Hey Ya!,” but that exuberant hit didn’t appear on Hot Rap Songs.
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Eminem, “Without Me” (2003)
Hot Rap Songs peak: No. 5
And the Grammy went to: Norah Jones, “Don’t Know Why”
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Nelly feat. Kelly Rowland, “Dilemma” (2003)
Hot Rap Songs peak: No. 1 (10 weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Norah Jones, “Don’t Know Why”
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The Black Eyed Peas, “Where Is the Love?” (2004)
Hot Rap Songs peak: No. 19
And the Grammy went to: Coldplay, “Clocks”
Note: Justin Timberlake appeared on the Grammy-nominated single, but he wasn’t officially credited on the song’s Hot Rap Songs chart listing. The Peas landed two more record of the year nods, for “Let’s Get It Started” and “I Gotta Feeling,” but those songs didn’t appear on Hot Rap Songs.
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Eminem, “Lose Yourself” (2004)
Image Credit: KMazur/WireImage Hot Rap Songs peak: No. 2
And the Grammy went to: Coldplay, “Clocks”
Note: Eminem was the first artist with two rap hits that received record of the year nods. In 2003, this motivational anthem, from the film 8 Mile, became the first rap song to win an Oscar for best original song.
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Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx, “Gold Digger” (2006)
Hot Rap Songs peak: 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 won 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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M.I.A., “Paper Planes” (2009)
Hot Rap Songs peak: No. 6
And the Grammy went to: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, “Please Read the Letter”
Note: M.I.A. was the first unaccompanied woman with a rap hit to receive a record of the year nod. This song was later featured in the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.
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B.o.B. feat. Bruno Mars, “Nothin’ on You” (2011)
Hot Rap Songs peak: 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)
Hot Rap Songs peak: No. 1 (eight weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Lady Antebellum, “Need You Know”
Note: Eminem was the first artist with three rap hits that received record of the year nods.
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Jay-Z + Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind” (2011)
Image Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Clear Channel Hot Rap Songs peak: No. 1 (nine weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Lady Antebellum, “Need You Know”
Note: Jay-Z had received 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)
Hot Rap Songs peak: 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 women artists to receive a record of the year nod.
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Jay-Z, “The Story of O.J.” (2018)
Hot Rap Songs peak: No. 7
And the Grammy went to: Bruno Mars, “24K Magic”
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Kendrick Lamar, “Humble.” (2018)
Hot Rap Songs peak: 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)
Hot Rap Songs peak: 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 Hot Rap Songs peak: 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 for song of the year, an award that goes to the songwriters. Childish Gambino co-wrote the smash with Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson.
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Drake, “God’s Plan” (2019)
Hot Rap Songs peak: No. 1 (11 weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Childish Gambino, “This Is America”
Note: Two years previously, Drake was nominated as a 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)
Hot Rap Songs peak: 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)
Hot Rap Songs peak: No. 1 (20 weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy”
Note: Two years later, LNX received a second record of the year nod 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)
Hot Rap Songs peak: No. 1 (13 weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy”
Note: Lizzo was the second unaccompanied woman with a 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 feel-good 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 Hot Rap Songs peak: No. 1 (11 weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy”
Note: This was featured in the animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The following year, Post Malone received his third record of the year nod for “Circles,” but that pop confection didn’t appear on Top Rap Songs, nor did his “Fortnight” collab with Taylor Swift, which will compete with “Not Like Us” at the 2025 ceremony.
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DaBaby feat. Roddy Ricch, “Rockstar” (2021)
Hot Rap Songs peak: No. 1 (nine weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Billie Eilish’s “Everything I Wanted”
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Megan Thee Stallion feat. Beyoncé, “Savage” (2021)
Hot Rap Songs peak: No. 1 (three weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Billie Eilish’s “Everything I Wanted”
Note: This was the second rap hit credited to two women artists to receive a record of the year nod.
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Kendrick Lamar, “The Heart Part 5” (2023)
Hot Rap Songs peak: No. 4
And the Grammy went to: Lizzo, “About Damn Time”
Note: In between “Humble.” and “The Heart Part 5,” Lamar received a record of the year nod for “All the Stars,” his collab with SZA from Black Panther, but that track didn’t appear on Hot Rap Songs.
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Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us” (2025)
Hot Rap Songs peak: No. 1 (24 weeks)
And the Grammy went to: Stay tuned. We’ll find out on Feb. 2.
Note: Lamar was the second artist with three rap hits that received record of the year nods.