Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy Nominations Could Make History with “Not Like Us”

Kendrick Lamar has already made history with his incredible music career, even winning a Pulitzer Prize. But this weekend, he has a chance to break even more records at the Grammy Awards.

The 2025 Grammy Awards will take place on Sunday, February 2, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Kendrick is one of the top nominees this year, earning seven nominations across five categories. Only Charli XCX and Post Malone (with eight nominations) and Beyoncé (with eleven) have more.

One of the biggest highlights is his song “Not Like Us,” which is nominated for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. These are two of the most important awards of the night.

Kendrick is also nominated twice in the Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance categories. His song “Not Like Us” competes against “Like That,” a collaboration with Future and Metro Boomin that fueled his rivalry with Drake. Additionally, “Not Like Us” is up for Best Music Video.

If “Not Like Us” wins in any of these categories, it will become the first diss track ever to win a Grammy. This would be a historic moment for hip-hop.

Diss tracks have been nominated before but never won. Drake’s song “Back to Back,” which was aimed at Meek Mill, was nominated in 2016 for Best Rap Performance but lost to Kendrick’s “Alright.” Similarly, Lil Kim’s “Came Back For You” was nominated in 2004, and Eminem’s “Without Me” was up for two awards in 2003.

“Not Like Us” has a strong chance of winning. It was one of the biggest songs of 2024, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and breaking multiple streaming records, many of which previously belonged to Drake. The song became a cultural phenomenon and even helped Kendrick secure the Super Bowl halftime show.

Drake has even taken legal action against Universal Music Group, accusing them of defamation and harassment over the promotion of “Not Like Us.”

Before the Grammy nominations were announced, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. praised the song, calling it “amazing artistry” and “great writing.” He made it clear that the Academy recognizes powerful music regardless of its controversial nature.

“Not Like Us” is expected to win Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance, especially since Kendrick has a strong track record at the Grammys. However, in the Song of the Year and Record of the Year categories, it faces tough competition from pop hits like Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” and Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather.”

If “Not Like Us” wins in either of these major categories, Kendrick will be just the second rapper to achieve this, following Childish Gambino’s “This is America,” which won both in 2019.

Kendrick could also get closer to becoming the most awarded rapper in Grammy history. If he wins all five categories he’s nominated in, his total Grammy count will rise to 22. This would put him just two awards away from tying JAY-Z and Kanye West, who both have 24 Grammys. Kanye could move ahead if his song “Carnival” wins Best Rap Song.

It’s important to remember that Kendrick has achieved all this in a shorter time than JAY-Z and Kanye. While Jay’s first Grammy nomination came in 1999 and Kanye’s in 2005, Kendrick wasn’t recognized until 2014. That year, his critically acclaimed album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” lost Best Rap Album to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “The Heist,” a decision that was widely criticized.

Winning at the 2025 Grammys would be a major milestone in Kendrick Lamar’s career. It would further establish him as one of the greatest rappers of all time. And with his upcoming Super Bowl halftime performance, he’s about to make even more history.

Whether or not Drake watches the show remains to be seen.