For the first time, Grammy voters chose an entirely Spanish-language album as their album of the year: Bad Bunny's *Debí Tirar Más Fotos*, while Kendrick Lamar collected five trophies and passed Jay-Z for the most career Grammy wins by a rapper.
The milestones came at the 68th annual ceremony in Los Angeles. Bad Bunny had previously reached the album-of-the-year field with *Un Verano Sin Ti* in 2023, but his 2026 victory marked the first time the Recording Academy gave its leading award to an album performed entirely in Spanish. He dedicated the result to Puerto Rico and to people who leave their home countries to pursue opportunities elsewhere.
Lamar entered the event with nine nominations and 22 previous wins. He earned three awards during the Premiere Ceremony: rap performance as a featured artist on Clipse's *Chains & Whips*, the melodic rap category through his SZA collaboration *Luther*, plus the rap-song prize for *TV Off*. During the televised show, *GNX* won rap album and *Luther* took record of the year.
Those five victories raised Lamar's career total to 27, moving him beyond Jay-Z's 25. He had needed four wins to take the record. The total also reflected recognition across performance, songwriting, album and general-field categories rather than a single sweep within one narrow area.
Other major awards were distributed among several artists. The songwriting prize went to Billie Eilish for *Wildflower*, and Olivia Dean was named best new artist. Lady Gaga took pop vocal album for *Mayhem*, while Lola Young received the pop solo performance award for *Messy*.
Immigration policy emerged as a recurring subject in acceptance speeches. Bad Bunny, Eilish, Dean, Shaboozey and other artists referred to immigrants' lives or criticised US immigration enforcement. Those interventions made the broadcast not only an awards presentation but also a prominent platform for artists responding to the country's political climate.
Trevor Noah hosted the Grammys for the sixth consecutive year, which organisers said would be his final turn in the role. Most awards were presented before the main telecast, with the leading categories and high-profile performances reserved for the broadcast.
The night's two central records captured different dimensions of the music industry. Bad Bunny's win expanded the linguistic history of the Grammys' premier album category, while Lamar's total established a new career benchmark for hip-hop artists. Together, they placed Puerto Rican and rap music at the centre of an institution that has often faced scrutiny over how it recognises both.
Lamar missed three nominated awards: the album and song general-field prizes, together with pop duo or group performance. His record-setting total therefore came from five wins across the eight category outcomes in which his work appeared.
