Kendrick Lamar earned his first-ever Record of the Year Grammy in 2025, a well-deserved recognition after four previous nominations in the category. His confrontational Drake diss track “Not Like Us” beat out stiff competition from other top artists like Taylor Swift, Post Malone, the Beatles, Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, and Sabrina Carpenter. Notably, the network even aired some of the song’s more intense lyrical jabs.
Accepting the award, Lamar began passionately, “First and foremost, praise to the Almighty for this opportunity. Dre, Swiss – this one’s for you all.” He continued, “We’re dedicating this to our communities: Compton, Long Beach, Englewood, Hollywood, the Valley, San Bernardino, and beyond. These are the places that have had my back since I was young, grinding in the studio to craft the best rhymes. I can’t thank them enough, nor the people and families in Palisades and Altadena. This shows we can transform and restore our cities. Keep repping, Mustard – where you at, fam?”
Mustard responded simply, “Just West Side, that’s all I gotta say!”