Cardi B became the first solo female rapper to win for Invasion of Privacy. Kanye West was presented the award four times, Kendrick Lamar has received the award three times, and the duo known as Outkast and Tyler, The Creator have all received the award twice.
First on our list is a well-known rapper and hip hop artist, Jay-Z, who has 24 Grammy Award wins. He first won a Grammy for Best Rap Album in 1999 for the album Vol. 2 Hard Knock Life.
Kanye West holds the records of most wins in the category with seven, as well as most nominations for the award with sixteen. 2007 winner Ludacris. Two-time winner Pharrell Williams. Five-time winner Jay-Z.
As Billboard continues to highlight music achievements throughout Black History Month, today we're highlighting Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff winning the first rap GRAMMY in 1989 and why they boycotted the ceremony.
While Eminem didn't receive a nomination for acting, he did make Academy Awards history by being the first rapper to win an Oscar. Eminem's Academy win didn't exactly open the floodgates for hip hop artists, but it did set a precedent.
March 23, 2003
Eminem's “Lose Yourself” from 8 Mile becomes first rap song to win an Oscar for best original song. Eminem co-wrote the anthemic hit with Jeff Bass and Luis Resto.
Music producer David Frost has won 21 Grammys, seven of which were classical producer of the year titles. In 2023, Frost bested four other musicians tied at 20 awards and became the artist with the 14th-most wins thanks to his single award lead.
Jay-Z is the richest rapper in the world, according to Forbes' real-time billionaires list. As of June 2023, Jay-Z's net worth is estimated at $2.5 billion. The Brooklyn-born artist, whose real name is Shawn Carter, became hip-hop's first billionaire in 2019.
Beyoncé is the most Grammy Award winning artist of all times with 32 trophies to her name. Second came Sir Georg Solti, an orchestral and operatic conductor, i with a total of 31 Grammy Awards won for recordings of works as diverse as Bach, Bartók, and Wagner.
Chance The Rapper earned the first three GRAMMYs of his career at the 59th GRAMMY Awards, including Best New Artist. He made his GRAMMY stage debut that same year, performing a medley of "How Great" and "All We Got" alongside GRAMMY winners Kirk Franklin and Tamela Mann.
Emmylou Harris – 13 Grammys
Harris, a country singer, won her first Grammy in 1977 for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her album Elite Hotel. One of her most recent awards came in 2014 for Best Americana Album for Old Yellow Moon. She also received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
Michael Jackson won 13 Grammy Awards, including 8 for the album Thriller. Jackson was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice: in 1997 as a member of the Jackson 5 and in 2001 for his solo career. Jackson also helped open the doors for Black artists on the radio and on television (particularly MTV).
The bluegrass singer is well ahead of other notable female winners such as Aretha Franklin (18) and more recent pop icons including Adele (16), Alicia Keys (15), and Lady Gaga (15).
Taylor Swift is certainly no stranger to The Recording Academy. Over the span of her successful career, the singer has managed to rack up 46 Grammy nominations and 12 wins.
See the complete list of nominees across all 91 GRAMMY categories.
Michael Jackson is a legendary singer who is still revered as the King of Pop. His talent and impact have earned him widespread respect. In 1984, he made history by winning a total of 8 Grammy Awards in one night, solidifying his status as a musical icon.
As of 2023, Eminem holds the record for the most wins in this category, with six. Lauryn Hill was the first female artist to win in this category, when she won in 1997 with the Fugees.
Kendrick Lamar has won the 2023 Grammy Award for Best Rap Song with “The Heart Part 5.” The 2022 single, which preceded the rapper's Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, took home the award over entries from fellow nominees DJ Khaled (“God Did”), Future (“Wait for U”), Gunna (“Pushin P”), and Jack Harlow (“Churchill Downs”).
In 2003, Eminem won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 75th Academy Awards, for his single "Lose Yourself" from the soundtrack of 8 Mile, becoming the first rapper ever to win an Academy Award. He was not present at the ceremony, but co-writer Luis Resto accepted the award.