A Grammy Award (stylized as GRAMMY, originally called Gramophone Award), or Grammy, is an award presented by The Recording Academy to recognize achievement in the music industry. The annual presentation ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and the presentation of those awards that have a more popular interest.
The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4, 1959, to honor and respect the musical accomplishments by performers for the year 1958. Following the 2011 ceremony, the Academy overhauled many Grammy Award categories for 2012. The 59th Grammy Awards, honoring the best achievements from October 2015 to September 2016, was held on February 12, 2017 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
In 1996, the Grammy Awards began the category "Best Rap Album" and in 2004, it introduced the "Best Rap Song" category.
Best Rap Album[]
| Year | Recipient | Album | Nominees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Naughty by Nature | Poverty's Paradise |
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony - E. 1999 Eternal Ol' Dirty Bastard - Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version Skee-Lo - I Wish |
| 1997 | Fugees | The Score |
2Pac - All Eyez On Me A Tribe Called Quest - Beats, Rhymes and Life Coolio - Gangsta's Paradise LL Cool J - Mr. Smith |
| 1998 | Puff Daddy | No Way Out |
Missy Elliot - Supa Dupa Fly Wyclef Jean - Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival The Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death Wu-Tang Clan - Wu-Tang Forver |
| 1999 | Jay-Z | Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life |
A Tribe Called Quest - The Love Movement Big Punisher - Capital Punishment Jermaine Dupri - Life in 1472 Mase - Harlem World |
| 2000 | Eminem | The Slim Shady LP |
Busta Rhymes - E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front Missy Elliot - Da Real World Nas - I Am... The Roots - Things Fall Apart |
| 2001 | Eminem | The Marshall Mathers LP |
DMX - ...And Then There Was X Dr. Dre - 2001 Jay Z - Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter Nelly - Country Grammar |
| 2002 | Outkast | Stankonia |
Eve - Scorpion Ja Rule - Pain Is Love Jay-Z - The Blueprint Ludacris - Back for the First Time |
| 2003 | Eminem | The Eminem Show |
Ludacris - Word of Mouf Mystikal - Tarantula Nelly - Nellyville Petey Pablo - Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry |
| 2004 | Outkast | Speakerboxxx/The Love Below |
50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin' Missy Elliot - Under Construction Jay-Z - The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse The Roots - Phrenology |
| 2005 | Kanye West | The College Dropout |
Beastie Boys - To the 5 Boroughs Jay-Z - The Black Album LL Cool J - The DEFinition Nelly - Suit |
| 2006 | Kanye West | Late Registration |
50 Cent - The Massacre Common - Be Missy Elliot - The Cookbook Eminem - Encore |
| 2007 | Ludacris | Release Therapy |
Lupe Fiasco - Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor Pharrell - In My Mind The Roots - Game Theory T.I. - King |
| 2008 | Kanye West | Graduation |
Common - Finding Forever Jay-Z - Kingdom Come Nas - Hip-Hop Is Dead T.I. - T.I. vs. T.I.P. |
| 2009 | Lil Wayne | Tha Carter III |
Jay-Z - American Gangster Lupe Fiasco - Lupe Fiasco's The Cool Nas - Untitled T.I. - Paper Trail |
| 2010 | Eminem | Relapse |
Common - Universal Mind Control Flo Rida - R.O.O.T.S. Mos Def - The Ecstatic Q-Tip - The Renaissance |
| 2011 | Eminem | Recovery |
B.o.B - B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray Drake - Thank Me Later Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3 The Roots - How I Got Over |
| 2012 | Kanye West | My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy |
Lupe Fiasco - Lasers Jay-Z and Kanye West - Watch the Throne Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday Lil Wayne - Tha Carter IV |
| 2013 | Drake | Take Care |
2 Chainz - Based on a T.R.U. Story Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1 Nas - Life is Good Rick Ross - God Forgives, I Don't The Roots - Undun |
| 2014 | Macklemore & Ryan Lewis | The Heist |
Drake - Nothing Was the Same Jay-Z - Magna Carta Holy Grail Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, M.A.A.D City Kanye West - Yeezus |
| 2015 | Eminem | The Marshall Mathers LP 2 |
Iggy Azalea - The New Classic Common - Nobody's Smiling Childish Gambino - Because the Internet Wiz Khalifa - Blacc Hollywood ScHoolboy Q - Oxymoron |
| 2016 | Kendrick Lamar | To Pimp a Butterfly |
J Cole - 2014 Forest Hills Drive Dr. Dre - Compton Drake - If You're Reading This It's Too Late Nicki Minaj - The Pinkprint |
| 2017 | Chance the Rapper | Coloring Book |
De La Soul - and the Anonymous Nobody... DJ Khaled - Major Key Drake - Views ScHoolboy Q - Blank Face LP Kanye West - The Life of Pablo |
| 2018 |
Jay-Z - 4:44 Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. Migos - Culture Rapsody - Laila's Wisdom Tyler, the Creator - Flower Boy |
Best Rap Song[]
| Year | Recipient | Song | Nominees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Eminem | Lose Yourself |
Snoop Dogg - Beautiful Jay-Z - Excuse Me Miss 50 Cent - In Da Club Missy Elliot - Work It |
| 2005 | Kanye West | Jesus Walks |
Snoop Dogg - Drop It Like It's Hot The Black Eyed Peas - Hey Mama The Black Eyed Peas - Let's Get It Started Jay-Z - 99 Problems |
| 2006 | Kanye West | Diamonds From Sierra Leone |
50 Cent - Candy Shop The Black Eyed Peas - Don't Phunk With My Heart The Game - Hate It Or Love It Missy Elliot - Lose Control |
| 2007 | Ludacris | Money Maker |
Yung Joc - It's Goin' Down Lupe Fiasco - Kick, Push Chamillionaire - Ridin' T.I. - What You Know |
| 2008 | Kanye West | Good Life |
50 Cent - Ayo Technology T.I. - Big Things Poppin' (Do It) Kanye West - Can't Tell Me Nothing Soulja Boy - Crank That |
| 2009 | Lil Wayne | Lollipop |
Flo Rida - Low Snoop Dogg - Sexual Eruption Lupe Fiasco - Superstar T.I. - Swagga Like Us |
| 2010 | Jay-Z | Run This Town |
Drake - Best I Ever Had Kid Cudi - Day 'n' Nite T.I. - Dead and Gone Jay-Z - D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune) |
| 2011 | Jay-Z | Empire State of Mind |
Eminem - Love the Way You Lie Eminem - Not Afraid B.o.B - Nothin' On You Jay-Z - On to the Next One |
| 2012 | Kanye West | All of the Lights |
Wiz Khalifa - Black and Yellow Dr. Dre - I Need A Doctor Chris Brown - Look At Me Now Jay-Z and Kanye West - Otis Lupe Fiasco - The Show Goes On |
| 2013 | Jay-Z | Niggas in Paris |
Nas - Daughters Wale - Lotus Flower Bomb Kanye West - Mercy Drake - The Motto Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa - Young, Wild & Free |
| 2014 | Macklemore & Ryan Lewis | Thrift Shop |
A$AP Rocky - Fuckin' Problems Jay-Z - Holy Grail Kanye West - New Slaves Drake - Started from the Bottom |
| 2015 | Kendrick Lamar | i |
Nicki Minaj - Anaconda Kanye West - Bound 2 Wiz Khalifa - We Dem Boyz Drake - 0 to 100 / The Catch Up |
| 2016 | Kendrick Lamar | Alright |
Kanye West - All Day Drake - Energy Common - Glory Fetty Wap - Trap Queen |
| 2017 | Drake | Hotline Bling |
Fat Joe & Remy Ma - All the Way Up Kanye West - Famous Chance the Rapper - No Problem Kanye West - Ultralight Beam |
| 2018 |
Cardi B - Bodak Yellow Danger Mouse - Chase Me Kendrick Lamar - HUMBLE. Rapsody - Sassy Jay-Z - The Story of O.J. |