Jay-Z and Beyoncé won big last night (Sunday, February 2) at the 2025 Grammy Awards, as the latter finally took home the Album of the Year award for Cowboy Carter. Say what you will about this victory, Hov’s pressure on the Grammys to honor his wife last year, and the optics of it all, but it’s still a huge moment nonetheless. It’s a more massive success for Jay in particular than you might expect, though, as his writing credit on the album means that this Grammy is also his. That officially makes him the most awarded rapper in the Recording Academy’s history so far with 25 wins, as it broke a tie with Kanye West who still has 24.
Speaking of Ye, he got a Grammy nomination this year for his Ty Dolla $ign, Rich The Kid, and Playboi Carti VULTURES 1 cut, “CARNIVAL.” It was in the Best Rap Song category, but ultimately lost to Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us,” which swept all its categories. Jay-Z’s Cowboy Carter award might be a technical achievement that some might not look as a full-on win, but regardless, it makes all the sense in the world that The Throne is at the top of the Recording Academy.
Jay-Z Is The Most Awarded Rapper In Grammys History
However, Jay-Z and Kanye West have stiff competition in Kendrick Lamar, who might just earn many more Grammys next year for his album GNX. Depending on how many categories he secures nominations and wins in, he could surpass Hov with just four more wins. While a lot of music fans know to be wary of the Grammy Awards, especially when it comes to Black artists and genres, they still put a lot of stock into the instances in which they get it right. That’s because the ripple effect could be much greater than we see on the outside… If you believe in awards ceremonies, that is.
Regardless, congrats to Jay-Z for this achievement, even though a dark cloud of context loomed large over the whole Grammys ceremony. He still has a lot to handle in his bombshell sexual assault lawsuit, which made the speakers blaring “Not Like Us” in the arena carry a particularly ominous tone. We’ll see how that turns out and whether or not there’s really a connection to draw here.
