Kendrick Lamar earned 5 nominations for the 2026 iHeartRadio music Awards, capping off what many contemplate his most dominant 12 months in music since his industrial breakthrough over a decade in the past.

The Compton rapper secured nominations for Artist of the Year and Hip-Hop Artist of the Year. At the identical time, his collaboration with SZA on “luther” earned nods for Song of the Year, Hip-Hop Song of the Year, and Best Collaboration when iHeartMedia and FOX Entertainment introduced the nominees Thursday.

music-awards/”>Kendrick’s iHeartRadio recognition comes after a banner 2025, which noticed him emerge as hip-hop’s highest earner in response to Forbes’ annual listing of the highest-paid musicians, pulling in $109 million and outpacing longtime rival Drake by $31 million.

The huge earnings had been pushed by touring income and streaming royalties from his shock album GNX.

Kendrick Lamar additionally dominated the Grammy Awards panorama, main all nominees for the 68th Grammy Awards with 9 nominations for GNX, together with his fifth consecutive Album of the Year nomination, making him one in all solely a handful of artists to attain that milestone.

The rapper’s success on the 2025 Grammy ceremony, the place he gained 5 awards, together with Song of the Year for “Not Like Us,” additional solidified his place as the present chief in Hip-Hop’s inventive and industrial panorama.

Doechii additionally earned recognition on the iHeartRadio Awards with nominations for Song of the Year and Best Lyrics for her breakout hit “Anxiety,” which seems on her critically acclaimed album Alligator Bites Never Heal.

The monitor initially debuted in 2019 as a part of Doechii’s “COVEN music” segments on YouTube, however gained huge reputation after the audio went viral on TikTok final February, resulting in an official single launch as soon as she cleared the Gotye pattern.

Other Hip-Hop artists incomes nominations embody Drake, Cardi B, GloRilla, Sexyy Red, Playboi Carti, and BigXthaPlug, who had been acknowledged in classes like Hip-Hop Artist of the Year and Hip-Hop Song of the Year.

Rising stars Zeddy Will, Moliy, Pluto, and YKNIECE obtained nominations for Best New Hip-Hop Artist, highlighting the style’s continued evolution and the emergence of contemporary expertise.

The R&B classes featured robust illustration from SZA, who earned a number of nominations alongside Leon Thomas, Chris Brown, Kehlani, and Mariah The Scientist for R&B Song of the Year and R&B Artist of the Year.

Fresh R&B acts Jenevieve, kwn, and Sailorr joined Leon Thomas and Mariah The Scientist within the Best New R&B Artist class, showcasing the style’s depth of rising expertise.

The 2026 iHeartRadio music Awards will broadcast dwell from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 26, at 8:00 p.m. ET on FOX, with simultaneous protection on iHeartRadio stations nationwide and the iHeartRadio app.

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