By Adebanjo Zainab Adejoke
The 68th Annual Grammy Awards took place across two venues, beginning with the Premiere Ceremony and culminating in a live broadcast from the Crypto.com Arena. Hosted for the final time by Trevor Noah, the event honoured winners across 95 categories and delivered a historic night in Los Angeles as Kendrick Lamar and SZA claimed Record of the Year for their hit collaboration, “Luther.”
Kendrick Lamar dominated the ceremony, winning Best Rap Album for GNX, a victory that cemented his status as the most awarded rapper in Grammy history, surpassing Jay-Z. By the end of the night, Lamar had amassed 27 career Grammy wins. He also earned Best Rap Song for “TV Off,” Best Rap Performance for “Chains & Whips” featuring Clipse and Pharrell Williams, and Best Melodic Rap Performance for “Luther,” which later secured Record of the Year, marking his second consecutive win in the category.
For Nigerian music fans, however, the night carried mixed emotions. Afrobeats superstar Davido once again missed out on a Grammy win, failing to clinch the Best African Music Performance award despite being one of the strongest contenders in the category. The loss extends Davido’s Grammy drought, as the singer, who now has five career nominations, is yet to secure a win on music’s biggest stage.
In contrast, South African singer Tyla delivered a major highlight for African music as she won Best African Music Performance for “Push 2 Start.” The category featured strong Nigerian representation, including “Love” by Burna Boy, “With You” by Davido featuring Omah Lay, “Gimme Dat” by Ayra Starr featuring Wizkid, and “Hope & Love” by Eddy Kenzo & Mehran Matin. The win marked Tyla’s consecutive victory in the category.
In the R&B categories, Kehlani won Best R&B Performance for “Folded,” while Leon Thomas emerged as a standout, earning both Best Traditional R&B Performance and Best R&B Album for Mutt. Durand Bernarr won Best Progressive R&B Album for Bloom, while PJ Morton shared Best Gospel Album honours with Darrel Walls.Tyler, the Creator delivered one of the night’s most talked-about performances, while Clipse reunited on stage with Pharrell Williams. A showcase for Best New Artist nominees introduced rising talents, including Olivia Dean, who later went on to win Best New Artist.
One of the ceremony’s most moving moments came during a tribute led by Lauryn Hill honouring D’Angelo and Roberta Flack. Hill opened with “Nothing Even Matters” before welcoming a lineup that included Lucky Daye, Raphael Saadiq, Anthony Hamilton, Leon Thomas, Bilal, and Jon Batiste to perform selections from D’Angelo’s catalogue. The tribute later shifted to Roberta Flack’s work, featuring performances by Batiste, Leon Bridges, Alexia Jayy, Lalah Hathaway, October London, John Legend, and Chaka Khan. Hill closed the segment with “Feel Like Makin’ Love” before reuniting with Wyclef Jean for a powerful rendition of “Killing Me Softly With His Song.”
Doechii won Best Music Video for “Anxiety,” while the Sinners soundtrack connected to Ryan Coogler’s film continued its strong awards-season run.
Once again, the Grammy Awards delivered memorable performances, landmark achievements, and a global celebration of culture.
