Kendrick Lamar is as soon as once more on the middle of Grammy historical past. The Compton-born rapper leads this yr’s nominations with 9 in complete, essentially the most of any artist heading into the 68th Grammy Awards. The ceremony will likely be held on February 1st on the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the place Lamar will go head-to-head with Lady Gaga for Album of the Year in one of the vital anticipated showdowns of the season.

Lamar’s nominated challenge, GNX, arrived with nearly no warning final November and rapidly turned one of the vital talked-about releases of the yr. The album earned widespread reward for its storytelling and manufacturing, and its nomination makes Lamar the primary solo artist ever to have 5 consecutive studio albums compete for Album of the Year. His consistency and talent to evolve with each challenge have cemented his standing as one of the vital influential voices in trendy hip-hop.

This newest recognition follows his main wins on the earlier Grammy ceremony, the place he took residence Record of the Year and Song of the Year for Not Like Us. That track, which many followers noticed as an announcement second in his ongoing rivalry with Drake, was additionally carried out throughout his extremely acclaimed Super Bowl halftime look. This yr, Lamar is as soon as once more nominated for Record and Song of the Year, this time for Luther, his soulful collaboration with SZA that samples the Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn traditional If This World Were Mine.

As Kendrick Lamar continues to redefine what it means to be a rap artist on the Grammys, his dominance this season proves that he stays considered one of music’s most commanding forces. Whether he lastly takes residence Album of the Year or not, his affect on the tradition and the business is plain.