Grammy Award for Best Rap Album

The Grammy Award for Best Rap Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums with rapping at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards.^[1] Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".^[2]

Awarded forQuality albums with rapping

CountryUnited States

Presented byNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences

First award1996

Quick facts Awarded for, Country ...

Grammy Award for Best Rap Album
GNX by Kendrick Lamar is the most recent recipient
Awarded for	Quality albums with rapping
Country	United States
Presented by	National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First award	1996
Currently held by	Kendrick Lamar – GNX (2026)
Most wins	Eminem (6)
Most nominations	Jay-Z (11)
Website	grammy.com

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In 1995, the Academy announced the addition of the award category Best Rap Album.^[3] The first award was presented to the group Naughty by Nature at the 38th Grammy Awards the following year. According to the category description guide for the 52nd Grammy Awards, the award is presented for "albums containing at least 51% playing time of tracks with newly recorded rapped performances".^[4] Award recipients often include the producers, engineers, and/or mixers associated with the nominated work in addition to the recording artists.^[5]

As of 2025, Eminem holds the record for the most wins in this category, with six. Lauryn Hill was the first female artist to win in this category, when she won in 1997 with the Fugees. The duo Outkast and rapper Tyler, The Creator have both received the award twice. Jay-Z holds the record for the most nominations, with eleven. Drake became the first non-American winner in this category when he won in 2013. The Roots have received the most nominations without a win, with five. Eminem and Kanye West are the only artists to win the award in consecutive years, with Eminem achieving the feat twice. In 2016, Drake's If You're Reading This It's Too Late became the first mixtape to get nominated for the award, and in 2017, Chance the Rapper's Coloring Book became the first mixtape to win the award. In 2019, Cardi B became the first solo female rapper to win for Invasion of Privacy.^[6]