Kendrick Lamar’s surprise album “GNX” has emerged as the overwhelming favorite for Best Rap Album at the 2026 Grammy Awards, with betting odds placing him at 1/1 to also win Album of the Year against Lady Gaga and Sabrina Carpenter.
Music critics positioned “GNX” ahead in the race, with Rolling Stone praising its “unapologetically west coast sound.” The album remains in the Billboard 200 top five after eleven weeks, fueled by hits “Squabble Up” and “Luther” featuring SZA. Betting sites show Lamar’s sixth Album of the Year nomination could finally break his losing streak.
Close behind “GNX” sits Clipse’s “Let God Sort Em Out,” Tyler the Creator’s “CHROMAKOPIA,” Playboi Carti’s “I Am Music,” and J.I.D’s “God Does Like Ugly” according to industry forecasts. If all three make the cut, 2026 will mark only the second time three rap albums competed for Album of the Year since 2019.
Kendrick Lamar swept the 2025 Grammys with five wins for “Not Like Us,” then headlined the Super Bowl. Despite 22 career Grammy wins and six Album of the Year nominations, he’s never won the top prize. With “GNX” released November 22, 2024, odds suggest this could finally be Lamar’s moment as the Recording Academy announces nominations November 7.
