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GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Inspirations: Darius Rucker
Darius Rucker

Photo: Jason Kempin/WireImage.com

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GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Inspirations: Darius Rucker

56th GRAMMY winner reveals five GRAMMY Hall Of Fame recordings that are always on his mind

GRAMMYs/Dec 3, 2014 - 05:06 am

(To commemorate the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame's 40th Anniversary in 2013, GRAMMY.com has launched GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Inspirations. The ongoing series will feature conversations with various individuals who will identify GRAMMY Hall Of Fame recordings that have influenced them and helped shape their careers.)

Before he became a GRAMMY-winning country artist, Darius Rucker was best known as the singer and rhythm guitarist for Hootie And The Blowfish, the GRAMMY-winning South Carolina pop group whose debut album, 1994's Cracked Rear View, yielded five hit singles and two GRAMMY Awards, including Best New Artist and, according to Rucker, a complete surprise victory in the Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal category for "Let Her Cry."

"We didn't think we'd win the group vocal category with TLC's 'Waterfalls' as our competition," Rucker recalls. "We thought TLC [were] going to clean up everything. But I remember it so vividly. It was Kiss, in makeup for the first time since the '70s, and Tupac Shakur presenting our second category, and when Tupac announced, 'My boys, Hootie And The Blowfish,' well, to know we were multiple GRAMMY winners was something that you dream about, but how many people actually get to achieve it?

As a country artist, Rucker realized a lifelong dream when he was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry on Oct. 2, 2012, during his Opry performance at the Ryman Theatre in Nashville, Tenn.

"When I started in country music, I told my management that I wanted to be a member of the Opry and that it was something very important to me," says Rucker. "For so many years, I felt I was a pop guy trying to be a part of country music. When I got my Opry membership, I knew I was in the family."

Fresh from picking up Best Country Solo Performance for "Wagon Wheel" at the 56th GRAMMY Awards, Rucker details five GRAMMY Hall Of Fame recordings that get his musical wheel turning.

"Georgia On My Mind"
Ray Charles
ABC Paramount (1960)
Single
Inducted 1993

"Ray Charles was so important to me as a kid and my mom was such a huge Ray Charles fan. I think 'Georgia On My Mind' was one of those songs that shaped me as a singer when I was younger — I'm talking 7 or 8 years old. I remember 'Georgia …' being one of those songs where I was just sitting around the house, put the record on with my mom, had people over and started singing. That was my go-to record when I was ready to entertain my family. It was one of those early impact songs for me, along with a bunch of Al Green stuff."

Abbey Road
The Beatles
Apple (1969)
Album
Inducted 1995

"Abbey Road is my favorite album of all time. To me, there's nothing even close. That's my favorite record and I've listened it a million times. … I've sat in my high school and sat in my room discussing it, especially in college, and been totally moved by it because the songwriting and the George Martin production [are] great on that record from start to finish. It's a record that I only put on when I have enough time … to [listen to] the whole thing.

"The first side boasts such great songs, and the second side medley — the mix of all those songs sounds so perfect, as if they're all written to go together. Then you wait a few seconds after 'Carry That Weight' and they play 'The End,' and you think, 'Man, that's the way you're supposed to end a record!' It's perfect."

"Always On My Mind"
Willie Nelson
Columbia (1982)
Single
Inducted 2008

"I had an aunt, who, God rest her soul, was a huge Willie Nelson fan, and that song for me has always been about as perfect as you can get, not to mention the vocal. Willie sounds absolutely amazing on that song. I remember singing it as a kid, and I remember even now when it comes on the radio or I [play] it on my iPod, you try to sing it like Willie and you can't. Nobody can sing it like Willie. It's one of those early songs, for me, that reminds me just how much I love country music. I couldn't hear it enough.

"And the delivery: You feel every word that Willie's saying. You really feel the love that he has for this woman that he can't be with. That song does it for me and definitely influenced me tons growing up."

"Fire And Rain"
James Taylor
Warner Bros. (1970)
Single
Inducted 1998

"'Fire And Rain' for me means so many different things. I've always been a James Taylor fan and I've worn his Greatest Hits out a million times, but that song is special to me.

"When I first heard 'Fire And Rain,' I didn't know what it was about. I [now] know it referred to someone in James' life that had died in a plane crash. That made the song [much] more poignant for me. My grandmother had also passed away. My aunt lived around the corner from us, and we all went around to my aunt's house after we heard the news. The sun came up, and I figured it was time for me to go home — I was 16 or 17 — and at the house [we had] this light switch that when you flipped it, the stereo would switch on. So, I walked in, flipped the switch and 'Fire And Rain' came on the radio that instant. I will never forget the impact of that moment, because the song was perfect for that moment. And whenever I heard the song on the radio after that, it just took it to a whole new level for me."

"Ain't No Sunshine"
Bill Withers
Sussex (1971)
Single
Inducted 1999

"Bill Withers was one of the reasons I wanted to sing. As a kid, I wanted to sing those Bill Withers songs — 'Lovely Day,' 'Grandma's Hands' and especially 'Ain't No Sunshine.'

"It's another one of those songs that makes you feel. I remember losing a girlfriend in college and putting on 'Ain't No Sunshine' and crying like a little baby because that song was so true. And Bill Withers' vocals are wonderful. The writing, the genius to have the repetitive breakdown of 'I know, I know, I know' — you start singing it live and everybody starts singing it because they know it. That's one of those songs that I'd sit back after I'd sing it and go, 'Man, I really want to be a singer someday.'"

(Darius Rucker won his first two GRAMMYs in 1995 for Best New Artist and Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for "Let Her Cry" with Hootie And The Blowfish. He won his first GRAMMY as a solo artist at the 56th GRAMMY Awards on Jan. 26 for Best Country Solo Performance for "Wagon Wheel.")

(Nick Krewen is a Toronto-based journalist and co-author of Music From Far And Wide: Celebrating 40 Years Of The Juno Awards, as well as a contributor to The Routledge Film Music Sourcebook. He has written for The Toronto Star, TV Guide, Billboard, Country Music, and was a consultant for the National Film Board's music industry documentary Dream Machine.)

The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Returns To Celebrate 50th Anniversary: Inaugural Gala & Concert Taking Place May 21 In Los Angeles
The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame returns to celebrate its 50th anniversary with an inaugural gala and concert taking place Tuesday, May 21, at the NOVO Theater in Los Angeles

Image courtesy of the GRAMMY Museum

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The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Returns To Celebrate 50th Anniversary: Inaugural Gala & Concert Taking Place May 21 In Los Angeles

Following a two-year hiatus, the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame returns to celebrate its 50th anniversary with an inaugural gala and concert on Tuesday, May 21, at the NOVO Theater in Los Angeles. Ten recordings will be newly inducted into the Hall this year.

GRAMMYs/Mar 5, 2024 - 02:00 pm

Following a two-year hiatus, the GRAMMY Museum and Recording Academy are reinstating the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame on its 50th anniversary. The momentous event will be celebrated with an inaugural gala and concert on Tuesday, May 21, at the NOVO Theater in Los Angeles; tickets and performers for the event will be announced at a later date. As part of the return, 10 recordings, including four albums and six singles, will be newly inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame later this year.

The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame was established by the Recording Academy's National Trustees in 1973 to honor recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance that are at least 25 years old. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts with final ratification by the Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees. There are currently 1,152 inducted recordings in the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame. View the full list GRAMMY Hall Of Fame past inductees.

This year, the GRAMMY Museum’s GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Gala will be the first of what will become an annual event, and includes a red carpet and VIP reception on the newly opened Ray Charles Terrace at the GRAMMY Museum, followed by a one-of-a-kind concert at the NOVO Theater in Downtown Los Angeles.

The inaugural gala and concert is produced by longtime executive producer of the GRAMMY Awards, Ken Ehrlich, along with Chantel Sausedo and Ron Basile and will feature musical direction by globally renowned producer and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes. For sponsorship opportunities, reach out to halloffame@grammymuseum.org.

Keep watching this space for more exciting news about the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame!

2024 GRAMMYs: See The Full Winners & Nominees List

Billy Strings On His Three GRAMMY Nominations, Working With Dierks Bentley & Willie Nelson
Billy Strings

Photo: Christopher Morley

interview

Billy Strings On His Three GRAMMY Nominations, Working With Dierks Bentley & Willie Nelson

When Willie Nelson asked Billy Strings for instructions in the studio, he thought, 'I'm nobody, dude; you're Willie Nelson. You're asking me?' But Strings is certainly somebody: he's up for three golden gramophones at the 2024 GRAMMYs.

GRAMMYs/Jan 18, 2024 - 04:44 pm

Is it possible to write someone else's song for them? Which isn't the same as being an outside writer: it's writing something that spiritually belongs to your influence. That's the sensation that came over guitar and banjo picker Billy Strings, when he wrote "California Sober."

"California Sober" had the lilt and thematic ring of something like Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard's 1983 hit "Reasons to Quit"; in fact, it felt like it emanated from Nelson entirely. Which makes sense, given that Strings had just hit the road with the country patriarch.

"I don't think I would've recorded the song if Willie wouldn't have wanted to do it with me," Strings tells GRAMMY.com. "It's like, I'm not even going to cut this unless Willie wants to do it. It would just be like ripping off Willie's sound."

Exhilaratingly, the Red-Headed Stranger accepted — and their resultant duet of "California Sober" is nominated for Best American Roots Song at the 2024 GRAMMYs. And that's just the beginning of his prospects at Music's Biggest Night, coming up on Feb. 4.

At the 2024 GRAMMYs, Strings also picked up a nomination for Best Bluegrass Album for Me/And/Dad — his album with his bluegrass old-timer father, Terry Barber. And Dierks Bentley's "High Note," featuring Strings, is up for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

Read on for an interview with Strings about how these albums and songs came to be, and what he learns from Nelson, Bentley, and Béla Fleck, and much more.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Tell me about your relationship with the Recording Academy, and the GRAMMYs.

Well, the last few years, let's see: we were nominated for Best Bluegrass Album for Home, and we won that [in 2021]. And the next year we were nominated for two different things. Can't really remember, but we didn't win anything. [Editor's note: Strings received nominations for Best Bluegrass Album (Renewal) and Best American Roots Performance ("Love And Regret").]

That was when I went out there and checked it out, and had a great time being on the red carpet and seeing all the crazy outfits and stuff. And it's kind of crazy because although we didn't win, my friend Béla Fleck won.

I played on [his] record [2021's My Bluegrass Heart]. I was so honored to play with Béla Fleck and all those amazing musicians on that record, and it's been like 20 years since Bela made a bluegrass record — it's like, man, he deserves it.

And that was a big moment in my life — being in the studio with those guys, making that record. I still look back and I'm grateful to Béla for giving me the opportunity to do that because it gave me so much more confidence in myself. I still get almost emotional when I think about Béla actually asking me to be on his record because it just means so much to me. It's just always been kind of crazy. I'm just completely flabbergasted and honored because I never thought I'd be nominated for a GRAMMY or anything — let alone we won one already.

[Me/And/Dad] is probably the most important record I'll ever make because it's with my dad. And I think it's an important record for bluegrass too, just because of the songs and kind of the way we played those songs. And there's an old style that, as time goes on, the guys who sing and play like that are kind of dying off.

My dad's one of that older guard, and he just has this beautiful voice and amazing guitar playing, and he taught me everything I know about bluegrass music and it's deep in my heart and soul. It was so cool to be able to call my dad and say, hey man, guess what? Our record got nominated for a GRAMMY," and he's like, "Holy s—."

Can you drill deeper into why it's the most important thing you'll ever make?

Because everything I know about music, and bluegrass, I learned from my dad.

He started me off really young in my childhood; it was so based around the music. All the sweet memories that I have from when I was a boy were based around bluegrass music, and it seeps into your heart and soul and gets under your skin in a way that I guess only bluegrassers could really know.

It's music that can make me cry and make me laugh, and it gives me déjà vu, and it's almost a portal directly to my childhood back before I knew anything dirty about the earth. It was back, simpler times, just hanging around the campfire, picking music, and with my family and just beautiful times. 

And whenever I get together with my dad and play, it brings me back to just being a little boy.

And can you speak more to the importance of Béla Fleck? I interviewed him at Newport Folk, and he couldn't have been kinder nor gentler, with a fraction of the ego he could rightfully have.

He's the best man. He's become a good friend of mine. Obviously, he was my hero first. And so that's always good when you meet your heroes and they're really cool people. It means a lot.

And he's just like any of us; he's constantly just playing and trying to write and get better. He said to me one time, "We're all just trying to keep our heads above water," 'cause maybe I was feeling down about my playing or whatever, he's like, man, we're all doing the same thing.

What he's done for new acoustic music is incredible. The things that he's done with the five string banjo, and not only him, but his bands like the Flecktones and New Grass Revival with Sam Bush and John Cowan and those guys just, that's a big inspiration to us up and comers that are playing bluegrass music but like a little bit more progressive side.

I listen to everything from heavy metal to hip-hop and jazz and everything, so it's kind of sweet when you can take bluegrass instruments and play any kind of fusion music. And Béla is a huge innovator in that world.

One thing he told me was, "There is no best." I'm sure that resonates with you in some way.

Yeah, absolutely. Everybody's kind of the best at what they do. I'll never be as good as Tony Rice, ever — not if I practice eight hours a day for the rest of my life. I'll never touch him. But if I just kind of focus on what I'm doing and try to invent my own voice, maybe I'll be the best one at that.

How would you characterize that voice you've developed?

Well, I was raised playing bluegrass music — pretty traditional bluegrass. And then in my teenage years, I veered off and played heavy metal and got into more writing songs and just lots of different music other than bluegrass.

But when I came back to bluegrass, some of those things kind of stuck, particularly the stage performance thing. A lot of bluegrass bands, I feel like just stand there and play, 'cause they don't really have to do anything else. I can't help but move around and jump around and bang my head and stuff like I used to in a heavy metal band, 'cause that's how I learned to perform.

I've seen people be like, man, this is not headbanging music. And I'm like, "Well, hell yeah, it is."

Can you talk about Dierks Bentley, and "High Note," and the road to the nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance?

Dierks is a good buddy. He's just a real dude. I met him a few years ago. I was walking down the street, I was going to lunch with [flatpicker] Bryan Sutton and this white pickup truck pulled up, and Brian's like, "Oh, hey, what's up, man?"

We started talking. I didn't even know who it was. And the inside of his pickup truck was a mess. It was just like, s— everywhere, tapes and old, just like my car. So I'm like, okay, well, who's this guy? And then I realized he's a big country star, and I liked that he was a big country star and drove around with a messy truck.

Are you a messy truck guy too?

I try to keep it pretty nice nowadays, but yeah, usually my s— gets trashed. There's like fishing lures and just bulls— everywhere.

So I don't know, that made an impression on me for some reason — the inside of the cab of his truck. But after that, we became buddies and we had picked a couple times. He's a good buddy of [mandolinist] Sam Bush as well and so that's kind of a mutual friend of ours.

And there had been a couple times on stage where me and Sam were playing with Dierks, and he can play some bluegrass, man. He knows a lot of bluegrass songs and stuff.

So when he hit me up to do this song with him, I was like, of course, but especially when I heard it on a high note, he knows I like to smoke a lot of weed and stuff, so it was kind of like the perfect song for me. And it had that bluegrass flavor so I could jump on guitar and sing the tenors and stuff, sing the harmonies and stuff.

How popular is weed in the bluegrass community?

Well, I mean, in our scene it's pretty popular, but there's also folks that don't like to see me up there smoking or anything… maybe the more old-school kind of conservative types. But I just do my thing, man. I'm not trying to hurt nobody.

Speaking of, we have "California Sober" with Willie Nelson.

Man, so, Willie Nelson, holy f—.

Yeah, dude.

Wow, I love him so much. My grandpa loved him a lot, and my mom. When I grew up, my dad would, he'd be singing "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain" and all them songs, and a lot of songs off Red Headed Stranger, I heard growing up — my dad singing those, and my grandpa playing the records, and stuff.

Willie was a big deal, especially to my grandpa, and he's been dead since 2001. So I always think about my grandpa when I think of Willie too, 'cause he loved him so much. If my grandpa was around to hear this song, he would just lose it.

And the way that it came about was, I went on tour with Willie on his road show, The Outlaw Tour, and we were one of the bands on there. And during that tour, Willie invited me up on his bus, and we hung out for a little while and just shot the s— and told jokes, and he told me how he got Trigger and everything, and talked about Django Reinhardt and Doc Watson.

I just had a great time. It was like hanging out with my grandpa or something, and I had a great time on the tour. And when I got home from that tour, I was sitting out by my burn pile and I ripped off this piece of cardboard, and I just had this tune going in my head, "I'm California sober, as they say / Lately, I can't find no other way."

I just wrote it down on this piece of cardboard. And then I went inside and kind of started writing a song — and I realized that I was writing a Willie Nelson song. I was so inspired by being on the road with Willie that I came home and I wrote this song — it's like I wrote it, but it was such a Willie song.

So what happened next?

I had my manager reach out to his manager, or whatever, and say, "Hey, here's this song that I wrote. Would you want to do it with me? And the answer was a resounding, 'Hell yes.'"

We made the track here in Nashville with me and the band, and then I went down to Luck, to his studio down there at his home in Texas, and Willie came in and we just hung out for a while, man. He sat down in front of the mic and he said, "Well, what do you want me to do?" And I was like, What the hell? I'm nobody, dude; you're Willie Nelson. You're asking me?

But he was like, "Well, do you want me to sing a verse?" I was like, "Tell, try to sing harmonies on the chorus and then take a crack at that second verse." So he put the harmonies on the chorus just fine. And when he got to this verse, it seemed like he was kind of just still learning the words a little bit, and I don't know if something [happened] like, he got frustrated on one take or something.

The next time, he just nailed it, and it was like this young Willie voice came out and he just sang so beautifully, and I had goosebumps, and it was just incredible, man.

And then right after that, he finished his part, he said, "We got it?" And I said, "Man, I think we got it. He said, "OK, let's go play cards."

So we went out back to his little spot there, where he's been playing cards for 50 years with everyone, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. His old buddy, Steve, [was there]; we were sitting there playing poker, and… I'm sitting there playing cards with two old buddies who have been playing cards together for 50 years, man. Hearing those two talk s— to each other, man.

They took a thousand dollars of my money real quick, and I would've paid another thousand just to sit there at that table and hear them bulls— each other.

What will your call with Willie be like if "California Sober" wins?

I'm going to say, "Hey, man, I'm coming to get my thousand dollars back."

Béla Fleck Has Always Been Told He's The Best. But To Him, There Is No Best.

GRAMMY Museum Foundation Receives $2 Million Donation From The Ray Charles Foundation
Ray Charles plays piano as he performs onstage in Portugal in 1988.

Photo: Rita Barros / Getty Images

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GRAMMY Museum Foundation Receives $2 Million Donation From The Ray Charles Foundation

On Jan. 29, an official GRAMMY Week event will celebrate the renaming of the GRAMMY Museum's rooftop terrace, in honor of Ray Charles' legacy. The event is hosted by GRAMMY-winning producer Jimmy Jam, with artists Aloe Blacc and DJ Khalil.

GRAMMYs/Jan 18, 2024 - 03:03 pm

The GRAMMY Museum Foundation has received a $2 million donation from the Ray Charles Foundation. To celebrate this gift and honor Ray Charles’ lasting legacy as one of the most iconic and celebrated artists of all time, the GRAMMY Museum will rename their rooftop terrace The Ray Charles Terrace at the GRAMMY Museum.

Funds from this gift will go towards the Museum’s Campaign For Music Education, which launched in Oct. 2022 and aims to expand access to the Museum’s education programs, including GRAMMY In The Schools programming.

An official GRAMMY Week event honoring the terrace renaming will take place the evening of Mon, Jan. 29, ahead of the 2024 GRAMMYs. The ribbon-cutting celebration, hosted by GRAMMY-winning producer Jimmy Jam, will feature a red carpet, cocktail reception, and music curation by GRAMMY-winning DJ Khalil — as well as a performance by GRAMMY nominee Aloe Blacc, who will perform some of Ray Charles’ biggest hits. 

The GRAMMY Museum’s rooftop terrace serves as an incredible resource for the museum and the community, boasting phenomenal 180-degree views of downtown Los Angeles and the Hollywood Sign, and hosting more than 150 events each year, making it one of the most sought-after venues in downtown Los Angeles.

“The GRAMMY Museum embodies the spirit of our mission to empower young people through education,” says Valerie Ervin, President of The Ray Charles Foundation. “We are thrilled to be able to continue our partnership with the Museum and help them achieve their goal of expanding music education and fostering a love of music in our next generation.” 

“As the GRAMMY Museum celebrates our 15th anniversary, more than ever we are leaning into expanding music education and access to our renowned programs,” said Michael Sticka, President/CEO of the GRAMMY Museum. “We are incredibly grateful to our partners, the Ray Charles Foundation, for their generosity and investment towards the Museum’s Campaign for Music Education, which will help us further our educational mission. It’s an honor to deepen our longstanding relationship.”

The GRAMMY Museum’s Campaign For Music Education launched in Oct. 2022 with the goal of raising money for their educational endowment and programs. The funds raised will expand access to their music education programs across the country. The campaign is co-chaired by some of the biggest names in music, including Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Bruno Mars, Shawn Mendes, and Rosalía. The GRAMMY Museum’s objective is to eliminate the financial burden to access music education and foster the next generation of music’s creators and leaders. The campaign is a call to action for the music industry, with labels, publishers, artists, promoters, and more coming together to ensure that music education is accessible, sustainable and available for any and all who want it. 

GRAMMY In The Schools is the “umbrella” name for all GRAMMY Museum Foundation education activities, which fund school music programs, provide valuable career guidance, and honor teachers and students nationwide. Some of these programs include GRAMMY Camp, GRAMMY In The Schools Fest, GRAMMY In The Schools Sessions, GRAMMY Museum Student Showcase, and GRAMMY In The Schools Workshops. Additionally, the Music Educator Award presented by the GRAMMY Museum and the Recording Academy, honors outstanding music educators. Lastly, we expanded our online presence with the GRAMMY In The Schools Learning Hub, which is an online resource allowing educators, students, parents, music professionals, and music lovers to gain valuable insights and strategies on anything involving music. 

The GRAMMY Museum, currently celebrating its 15th anniversary, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating and exploring music from yesterday and today to inspire the music of tomorrow through exhibits, education, grants, preservation initiatives, and public programming. Paying tribute to our collective musical heritage, the Museum values and celebrates the dynamic connection in people’s diverse backgrounds and music’s many genres, telling stories that inspire us, and creative expression that leads change in our industry. 

The Ray Charles Foundation is dedicated to providing support in the area of hearing disorders and the empowerment of young people through education by offering support to educational institutions and non-profit education programs. Ray Charles said, “The inability to hear is a handicap; not the inability to see.” The vision of The Ray Charles Foundation is to instill in the youth of America that “there is no challenge too great one cannot overcome.” 

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GRAMMY Rewind: Kendrick Lamar Honors Hip-Hop's Greats While Accepting Best Rap Album GRAMMY For 'To Pimp a Butterfly' In 2016
Kendrick Lamar

Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

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GRAMMY Rewind: Kendrick Lamar Honors Hip-Hop's Greats While Accepting Best Rap Album GRAMMY For 'To Pimp a Butterfly' In 2016

Upon winning the GRAMMY for Best Rap Album for 'To Pimp a Butterfly,' Kendrick Lamar thanked those that helped him get to the stage, and the artists that blazed the trail for him.

GRAMMYs/Oct 13, 2023 - 06:01 pm

Updated Friday Oct. 13, 2023 to include info about Kendrick Lamar's most recent GRAMMY wins, as of the 2023 GRAMMYs.

A GRAMMY veteran these days, Kendrick Lamar has won 17 GRAMMYs and has received 47 GRAMMY nominations overall. A sizable chunk of his trophies came from the 58th annual GRAMMY Awards in 2016, when he walked away with five — including his first-ever win in the Best Rap Album category.

This installment of GRAMMY Rewind turns back the clock to 2016, revisiting Lamar's acceptance speech upon winning Best Rap Album for To Pimp A Butterfly. Though Lamar was alone on stage, he made it clear that he wouldn't be at the top of his game without the help of a broad support system. 

"First off, all glory to God, that's for sure," he said, kicking off a speech that went on to thank his parents, who he described as his "those who gave me the responsibility of knowing, of accepting the good with the bad."

Looking for more GRAMMYs news? The 2024 GRAMMY nominations are here!

He also extended his love and gratitude to his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and shouted out his Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates. Lamar specifically praised Top Dawg's CEO, Anthony Tiffith, for finding and developing raw talent that might not otherwise get the chance to pursue their musical dreams.

"We'd never forget that: Taking these kids out of the projects, out of Compton, and putting them right here on this stage, to be the best that they can be," Lamar — a Compton native himself — continued, leading into an impassioned conclusion spotlighting some of the cornerstone rap albums that came before To Pimp a Butterfly.

"Hip-hop. Ice Cube. This is for hip-hop," he said. "This is for Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle. This is for Illmatic, this is for Nas. We will live forever. Believe that."

To Pimp a Butterfly singles "Alright" and "These Walls" earned Lamar three more GRAMMYs that night, the former winning Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and the latter taking Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (the song features Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat). He also won Best Music Video for the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood." 

Lamar has since won Best Rap Album two more times, taking home the golden gramophone in 2018 for his blockbuster LP DAMN., and in 2023 for his bold fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Watch Lamar's full acceptance speech above, and check back at GRAMMY.com every Friday for more GRAMMY Rewind episodes. 

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