Kendrick Lamar Wins Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year For “Not Like Us” At 2025 Grammys
Kendrick Lamar ran 2024 — A notable feat considering he did not put out an album until the waning days of November. He capped off his seismic campaign by winning the Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year categories for “Not Like Us” at the 2025 Grammys.
The 37-year-old artist walked to the stage alongside Mustard, the song’s producer, as the crowd enthusiastically chanted the “A Minor” line from the smash hit targeted at Drake. In his speech for Record Of The Year, he gave thanks to God, his aunt who recently passed away, and the various cities in California with whom he identifies. When they returned to the stage for Song Of The Year, Mustard handled the majority of the talking and quoted his shoutout on Lamar’s recent record “TV Off,” which he produced. K. Dot also shouted out Diana Ross, Jay-Z, and more, saying he was starstruck.
It was a big night for the Compton rapper and his chart-climbing track. His Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year wins put him at five awards for the night. “Not Like Us” also won Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance, and Best Music Video, sweeping every category it was nominated for and becoming the most-awarded rap song in Grammy history. The Pulitzer Prize winner received seven total nominations; his “Like That” collaboration with Future and Metro Boomin also fell into the Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance categories, ultimately losing to his solo record. Check out his acceptance speeches below.
[embedded content]
Kendrick Lamar is now a 22-time Grammy winner and joins rarified air as “Not Like Us” and Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” are the only rap songs to win Record Of The Year at the Grammys. His former home label TDE was represented well as Doechii won Best Rap Album for Alligator Bites Never Heal and SZA won Best R&B Song for “Saturn.”
Lamar will carry this momentum into next Sunday (Feb. 9), where he takes the stage alongside SZA for the Super Bowl LIX halftime show. It will mark his history-making and second performance at the Super Bowl, following his 2022 set alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige. He is also the first rapper to headline the Super Bowl as a solo act and the first artist to headline twice in the same decade.
Lamar released his latest album, GNX, this past November. The 12-song effort featured SZA, Roddy Ricch, AzChike, and more. “Squabble Up” emerged as a standout record from the album, joining “Not Like Us” and “Like That” as his three records to top the Billboard Hot 100. GNX also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Listen below.
