Rap music and the Recording Academy have a weird, strained relationship. It’s like that one relative who shows up to the family reunion but clearly doesn't know anyone's name. For the rap grammy nominations 2025, the Academy finally leaned into the chaos of the year.
Kendrick Lamar basically owned the conversation.
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If you weren't living under a literal boulder in 2024, you heard "Not Like Us." It wasn't just a song; it was a cultural shift that ended a decade-long cold war between the biggest titans in the genre. So, when the 67th Annual Grammy nominations dropped, nobody was shocked to see Kendrick’s name all over the list. He pulled seven nominations total. Five of those were for a diss track. Think about that for a second. A song designed to dismantle another man's reputation is now sitting pretty in the Record of the Year and Song of the Year categories.
The Best Rap Album Battle is a Mixtape War
Here is where it gets kinda messy. The Best Rap Album category for 2025 is a mix of veteran legends and the "new" guard. But look closer at the titles.
J. Cole is in the running with Might Delete Later. This is the project he dropped, then famously apologized for one of the tracks on, then left it up anyway. It's technically a mixtape. Then you have Doechii with Alligator Bites Never Heal. She’s been the "next big thing" for about three years, and this project finally forced the Academy to pay attention. It’s also a mixtape.
The Academy used to be super picky about "albums" versus "tapes," but those lines are basically invisible now.
- Future & Metro Boomin – We Don't Trust You
- Eminem – The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)
- Common & Pete Rock – The Auditorium, Vol. 1
- Doechii – Alligator Bites Never Heal
- J. Cole – Might Delete Later
Common and Pete Rock being on this list feels like a peace offering to the "Real Hip Hop" crowd. It’s a great record. It’s soulful. It’s grown-up. But does it stand a chance against the commercial juggernaut that was Future and Metro Boomin’s 2024 run? Honestly, probably not. Future and Metro didn't just release an album; they released a trilogy of projects that defined the sound of the year.
Why "Not Like Us" Changed the Math
Usually, rap songs stay in the rap categories. You get your Best Rap Performance nod and you go home.
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Not this time.
Kendrick Lamar’s "Not Like Us" broke the seal. It’s nominated for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song, obviously. But it’s also competing for the big ones—the General Field awards. When a rap song hits the Record of the Year category, it usually has to be a "pop-rap" crossover. Think "Old Town Road" or "Hotline Bling." But "Not Like Us" is a West Coast hyphy record about a very specific, very ugly beef. It’s aggressive. It’s Mustard on the beat. It’s the furthest thing from "Grammy bait" you can imagine.
And yet, it swept the nominations.
Then you have "Like That." Remember that one? The song that actually started the fire. Future, Metro Boomin, and Kendrick are all sharing nominations for that one too. It’s a rare year where the most popular songs were also the most critically discussed.
The Snubs Everyone is Texting About
You can't talk about the rap grammy nominations 2025 without mentioning who didn't make the cut.
Megan Thee Stallion.
The "Hiss" rapper was completely shut out. No Best Rap Album for Megan. No Best Rap Song for "Hiss," which was a massive No. 1 hit. It feels like a deliberate cold shoulder from the voters, especially considering how much she’s been a Grammy darling in the past.
And what about ScHoolboy Q? BLUE LIPS was widely considered one of the most creative, technical rap albums of the year. It has zero nominations. Vince Staples’ Dark Times? Also missing. These are the "rapper's rappers"—the guys who focus on the craft rather than the charts. The Academy apparently preferred Eminem’s return to his Slim Shady persona over the experimental soul-searching of Q or Vince.
The Women are Carrying the Torch
Even with Megan missing, the women in rap are having a massive moment this year.
Doechii is the first female rapper nominated for Best Rap Album in the 2020s. That is a wild statistic when you think about how much women have dominated the charts recently. She also landed a Best New Artist nod, putting her up against pop giants like Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan.
GloRilla is another big winner here. "Yeah Glo!" is everywhere. It’s nominated for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song. She’s bringing that Memphis energy to a stage that usually prefers something a bit more polished. Rapsody also snagged two nominations for "Asteroids" and "3:AM." She’s the veteran in the room, proving that lyricism still has a seat at the table if the song is good enough.
The Breakdown of the Main Categories
| Category | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Best Rap Performance | Cardi B, Common & Pete Rock, Doechii, Eminem, Future & Metro Boomin (ft. Kendrick), GloRilla, Kendrick Lamar |
| Best Rap Song | Kendrick Lamar, Future & Metro Boomin, Ye & Ty Dolla $ign, GloRilla, Rapsody |
| Best Melodic Rap | Jordan Adetunji, Beyoncé (ft. Shaboozey), Future & Metro Boomin, Latto, Rapsody |
Wait, Beyoncé? Yeah. "SPAGHETTII" from Cowboy Carter is in the Melodic Rap category. It’s a flex. It shows that the Grammys are struggling to categorize music that refuses to stay in a box. Is it a rap song? Technically, she’s rapping. But putting her in there against Latto and Future feels like the Academy trying to find a place for her everywhere they can.
What This Means for Hip Hop in 2026
The rap grammy nominations 2025 tell a story of a genre in transition.
We are moving away from the "streaming era" where numbers were the only thing that mattered. Now, it’s about impact. Kendrick didn't need a 20-track album to dominate. He needed one well-placed verse and one devastating single. The fact that the Academy recognized a diss track as "Song of the Year" material shows they are finally paying attention to the actual culture of hip hop, not just the radio-friendly version of it.
But the snubs prove there’s still a disconnect. If you’re an independent-leaning artist like Vince Staples or ScHoolboy Q, the Grammys still feel like a gated community. You have to be a legend (Eminem), a viral sensation (GloRilla), or the center of the biggest drama in a decade (Kendrick) to get the invite.
If you’re following the 67th Annual Grammys, keep an eye on these specific shifts. The show on February 2nd will likely be a Kendrick Lamar victory lap, but the real story is in the margins. It's in Doechii breaking the "album" mold with a mixtape. It's in Rapsody keeping the "bars" alive.
Next Steps for Music Fans:
- Listen to the Snubs: Go back and spin BLUE LIPS by ScHoolboy Q or Dark Times by Vince Staples to see what the Academy missed.
- Watch the Mixtapes: Check out Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal—it’s the blueprint for how the genre is evolving.
- Review the Producers: Keep an eye on Mustard and Metro Boomin; their influence on these nominations is just as big as the rappers themselves.
The winners will be announced soon, but the 2025 nominations have already rewritten the rules. It’s not about who has the most features anymore; it’s about who has the most to say.