Throughout his career, American rapper and songwriter Kendrick Lamar has received several awards, nominations, and cultural honors. He signed to Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2005 and released his debut studio album, Section.80, in 2011. At the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards, the album received a nomination for Best Mixtape. Lamar's second album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012), earned him seven nominations at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, including for Album of the Year, Best New Artist and Best Rap Album. His third studio album, To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), was preceded by the Grammy Award for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance-winning single "I". For his work on the album and additional collaborations from that year, Lamar received the most Grammy Award nominations by a rapper in a single night, with 11.
At the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, To Pimp a Butterfly was awarded Best Rap Album, while tracks from the album won Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Lamar was declared a generational icon by the California State Senate for his music and philanthropic contributions, and was given the key to his hometown of Compton. His fourth studio album, Damn (2017), went on to win five awards at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album. The album became the first musical composition outside of the classical and jazz genres to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music. For his work on the soundtrack album for the superhero film Black Panther (2018), which he curated and executive produced, Lamar won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance and was nominated for the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Original Song. He won another Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 2022 for the single "Family Ties" with Baby Keem, and won three Grammy Awards in 2023 for his fifth studio album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022). At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, Lamar's song "Not Like Us" (2024) went on to win five awards. In 2026 68th Grammy Awards his GNX sixth studio won for Best Rap Album, while the single "Luther" winning Record of the Year and Best Melodic Rap Performance and the song "TV Off" won Best Rap Song. Lamar has become the most awarded rapper in Grammy history with 27 career wins, surpassing Jay-Z record.
Lamar is the most awarded artist in BET Hip Hop Awards history, with 37 wins. He has won eleven MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year for "Bad Blood" with Taylor Swift and "Humble". With the latter video, he became the first artist to win Video of the Year for a music video he co-directed. As a headliner of the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show, Lamar won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live).
Awards and nominations
+ Award Year Recipient(s) Category Result Academy Awards 2019 "All the Stars" Best Original Song African-American Film Critics Association 2018 Best Song 2023 We Cry Together Best Live Action Short AICE Awards 2016 Kendrick Lamar - Compton: Witness Greatness Montage Digital Content (Over :90) 2018 "Humble" Music Video Nominations:
Winners: Color Grading – Music Video "Element" American Music Awards 2013Good Kid, M.A.A.D City Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Album 2015 "Bad Blood" Collaboration of the Year 2017 "Don't Wanna Know" Kendrick Lamar Artist of the Year Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Artist "Humble" Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Song Damn Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Album 2018 Black Panther: The Album 2022 Kendrick Lamar Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers Favorite Hip-Hop Album 2025Kendrick LamarArtist of the Year Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist GNXAlbum of the Year Favorite Hip-Hop Album "Not Like Us"Song of the Year Favorite Music Video Favorite Hip-Hop Song "Like That" (with Future and Metro Boomin) "Luther" (with SZA) Collaboration of the Year ARIA Music Awards2017Kendrick Lamar Best International Artist "The Greatest" Song of the Year ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards 2013 Kendrick Lamar Vanguard Award 2014"Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" Award Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs "Fuckin' Problems" "Give It 2 U" "Poetic Justice" "Swimming Pools (Drank)" "Fuckin' Problems" Award Winning Rap Songs "Swimming Pools (Drank)" 2016 "All Day" Award Winning R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap Songs 2018"Goosebumps" Award-Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs "Humble" "Loyalty" Award-Winning Rap Songs "Goosebumps" "Humble" Top Rap Song ASCAP Pop Music Awards 2016"Bad Blood" Most Performed Songs 2018 "Don't Wanna Know" "The Greatest" "Humble" BBC Music Awards 2017 Kendrick Lamar Artist of the Year BET Awards 2013 Kendrick Lamar Best New Artist Best Male Hip Hop Artist "Fuckin' Problems" Best Collaboration Coca-Cola Viewer's Choice Award Video of the Year "Poetic Justice" Best Collaboration "Swimming Pools (Drank)" Coca-Cola Viewer's Choice Award 2014 Kendrick Lamar Best Male Hip Hop Artist 2015 "I" Coca-Cola Viewer's Choice Award 2016 "Alright" Video of the Year Kendrick Lamar Best Male Hip Hop Artist 2017 "Freedom" Best Collaboration Kendrick Lamar Best Male Hip Hop Artist 2018 Black Panther: The Album Album of the Year Damn "Humble" Video of the Year Coca-Cola Viewer's Choice Award "Loyalty" Best Collaboration 2022 "Family Ties" Video of the Year Best Collaboration Kendrick Lamar Best Male Hip Hop Artist 2023 Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers Album of the Year Kendrick Lamar Best Male Hip Hop Artist Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free Video Director of the Year 2024 Kendrick Lamar Best Male Hip Hop Artist "America Has a Problem (Remix)" Best Collaboration 2025GNX Album of the Year "Not Like Us"Video of the Year Viewer's Choice "Like That" (with Future and Metro Boomin) "Luther" (with SZA) Best Collaboration "30 for 30" (with SZA) "Like That" (with Future and Metro Boomin) Kendrick LamarBest Male Hip Hop Artist Kendrick Lamar and Dave FreeVideo Director of the Year BET Hip Hop Awards2011 Section.80 Best Mixtape Nominations:
Winners: 2012Kendrick LamarLyricist of the Year Nominations:
Winners: 2013 Nominations:
Winners: Made-You-Look Award (Best Hip Hop Style) Best Live Performer Hustler of the Year MVP of the Year Good Kid, M.A.A.D City Hip Hop Album of the Year "Poetic Justice" Reese's Perfect Combo Award (Best Collaboration, Duo or Group) "Fuckin' Problems" Best Hip Hop Video Best Club Banger Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse People's Champ Award "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" Best Hip Hop Video 2014 "Control" Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse Nominations:
Winners: