Because her tour schedule often takes her thousands of miles away from her hometown of Lagos, Nigeria, singer-songwriter Ayra Starr tries to bring a piece of home with her wherever she goes.

That piece is her brother, who is a musical person himself.

"My family is definitely part of my tour rider," Starr says with a laugh in the latest episode of Herbal Tea & White Sofas. "My brother is a songwriter — and is my best friend — so he has to be with me."

When it comes to food for her rider, Starr selects quick, savory meals like ramen noodles — and as she explains, that meal has a connection to home for her, too. "Noodles [are] my favorite food in the whole world, and it just comforts me," she explains.

"In Nigeria, we have noodles called indomie. I used to get it since I was a child, when I became a teenager, when I was in school," she recounts. "When I was in uni, I couldn't cook, I would always just make some indomie, and as Nigerians, we know how to make things taste amazing [by adding extra ingredients] in different ways."

Starr has inventive tricks for making her sweet snacks on tour taste extra-delicious, too. The singer says gummy bears are another tour rider staple — and she's got a super-sweet hack for taking the gummies to the next level. 

"You can never go wrong with gummy bears. Why? What else are you looking for," she says. "Let me put you guys on something right now that you might have never tried: Vanilla ice cream with gummies. Game changer. It's over."

Press play on the video above to learn more about Starr's favorite tour snacks, and her favorite parts about her show itself, and keep checking GRAMMY.com for more episodes of Herbal Tea & White Sofas.

Herbal Tea & White Sofas: Koven's Katie Boyle Explains How Having A Picture Of A Happy Dog Backstage Makes Her A Better Performer

Ayra Starr's rise to prominence in the realm of Afrobeats is a testament to her talent for seamlessly fusing "Gen-Z princess" flair with the wisdom of an old soul. From her inaugural 2021 EP and her debut album, 19 & Dangerous, to her presence at Music's Biggest Night, Starr has steadfastly embodied her artistic vision and accumulated experiences.

In the latter part of 2023, Starr embarked on her first headline tour, enchanting audiences with her sonorous voice and empowering blend of Afropop, R&B, and alté — skillfully interwoven with the vibrant sounds of her diverse roots. This international showcase further solidified her position as a dynamic force in the music industry.

"I'm constantly trying, constantly bettering myself, to show people I didn't come perfect," Starr tells GRAMMY.com. "I do have down and negative times where I'm in my head, I'm tired, or I'm not motivated. So, in a way, it's sort of a selfish thing where I make those songs for myself." 

This unwavering dedication to craft has transformed Starr into a formidable and industrious artist whose music resonates globally. Starr's pursuit of excellence is driven by a sense of artistic selfishness that compels her to continually evolve and elevate her musical prowess.

Born in Cotonou, Benin, Starr achieved monumental success with her single "Rush," released in 2022 as part of the deluxe version of 19 & Dangerous. The track became the most streamed solo song by a Nigerian female artist on Spotify and propelled her to become the youngest African female artist to surpass 100 million views on a single YouTube video. The Nigerian singer/songwriter's remarkable talent even captured the attention of former President Barack Obama, who included "Rush" in his annual year-end playlist in 2022.

The record-breaking track is nominated for the inaugural Best African Music Performance category at the 66th GRAMMY Awards. Ahead of the 2024 GRAMMYs, Arya Starr spoke to GRAMMY.com about family, touring Europe and how her relationship with numbers is her way  of documenting her growth.

This conversation has been edited for clarity.

How are you recovering after your first headline tour? 

Well, there's no recovery for me anytime soon. 

After the world tour, my schedule is still packed with other stuff to do. I'm enjoying it to be honest. I had a two-day break and I could sit in one place. I'm just very used to the chaos of it all. I'm a proper Lagos babe, so I'm always buzzing for what's next.

Good thing you mentioned Lagos. Your parents bounced around places; from being born in Benin to moving to Abuja and then finally settling in Lagos, how have those migrations have influenced your sound?

I feel like living in different places has really shaped my mind. I really know how to adapt to places, people as well as situations. 

And you can hear that in the music. I know how to try and do different things. I know how to put different cultures and different worlds into what I'm doing. In Stability for instance, you can hear the French aspect of my life. I grew up listening to [Congolese singer and composer] Awilo and I sampled that. I mixed that with Lagos life — proper Afrobeats vibes. 

Your career has featured a pattern of numbers. I read that you like the number 5, your debut album was titled 19 & Dangerous, and your tour was called 21. Why have numbers become a prominent part of your career?

To be honest, it comes very naturally to me. I don't know what it is yet. I've not tapped into that aspect of my life. I think it might make sense in the third album where I'll be able to answer this question. 

But I just like numbers. Right now, my favorite number is eight. I say eight all the time. I don't even know why eight is just my number now. And with 19 & Dangerous and the tour called 21, it's just me relating everything to my age and where I am currently in life. It's just showing people that [what's happening in my life] is a very present movement and activity. I want people to know that, yeah, I did that when I was 19. 

Does that mean it's sort of a brag?

It's less of me showing off and bragging and more about me being present. There were a lot of people that were 19 at that time. There were a lot of people that were 20, or 29 but could relate to what I was saying. With 21 now, I want to associate it with a feeling and less of a number. 

So it's just you documenting your growth as an artist?

Exactly! I'm stealing that by the way. [Laughing] 

You've toured and opened for several artists like Koffee in the past, but this is your first headline tour. How did that feel?

Amazing. I’ve been touring for a while, but doing my own [tour] was a different feeling. Like people bought tickets to see me. I'm the reason they're there. 

There's no time to mess up. It's a different type of pressure. At a certain point, during the Europe tour, I was just like, I’m so relaxed because it's my stage, they're here to see me you know. If I fall down, it's all part of the vibe. It's an experience for them. They're gonna talk about it years from now. 

Luckily that wouldn't happen… or did it?

Ah, it happened already but I'm over it. But it wasn't during this tour. I just got up immediately. I couldn't let that weigh me down. 

And would you say that's the theme of your life? Falling and getting back up?

Definitely, I'm not afraid to be seen trying, and that's like my whole M.O. because I'm not perfect, and I want that to inspire people. 

I didn't know how to do riffs and runs last year; I had to learn it. I didn't know how to learn choreography in one day, but now I'm doing that. I'm constantly trying, constantly bettering myself, to show people I didn't come perfect. I didn't come knowing any of this, and I had to learn along the way. 

This is me documenting. When I say my age, I want people to be aware that I didn't know anything. I'm just figuring this out. 

What memorable moments do you have from touring?

Singing "Rush," the acoustic version, with my fans. I met this fan that was pregnant and she sent her baby scan and she wanted to let me know she's naming her baby Ayra. I loved it so much, it made me so happy. 

That and just spending time with my team and my friends and being on stage. Every minute of being on stage is very memorable. 

Did you face any challenges while touring and how did you deal with them? 

I'm human at the end of the day, and you get tired, overwhelmed, sick. I had the flu every two business days. I lost my voice. There are a lot of challenges on the road, but we can't let that stop us. 

The thing about touring is that the world isn't stopping for me. I still have my family, my younger sister that wants to talk to me every day, I still have my younger brother. I have friends to keep up with. I have to be a human being outside of this. It's not necessarily a challenge; it's just something I'm aware of, and sometimes it can be hard. 

Is your family happy and proud of you? 

My younger brother makes music with me, so he's literally my partner. I'm also basically on the road with my family. I was with my mum in Paris. I try my best for them to experience it too. 

When I'm not with them, I just feel so guilty. I want my people to feel what I'm feeling; I want them to see the countries too because we all started together. I want them to experience the exact same thing I'm experiencing. I try to spend as much time with them as possible. 

My mum knows every lyric to every song. We were having a conversation, and she was referencing "Ase." I was like "OMG, mummy please, please!" So it's an everyday thing; they're in my life. They're very proud of me, but they're also kinda used to it as well. I feel like everybody expected it to happen. 

You're known for your uplifting and empowering lyrics, but have you found yourself in a situation where you're feeling down and you need a little bit of Ayra? 

Definitely. I do have down and negative times where I'm in my head, I'm tired, or I'm not motivated. So, in a way, it's sort of a selfish thing where I make those songs for myself. I have songs that I make for the future. Music is therapy for me. 

You first went into modeling and then finding music. How proud would little Ayra be of you right now, and how much of all what she experienced made you who you are today? 

She'd definitely be proud, but even right now, when I look back, I'm so proud of little Ayra too. It's because of her that I'm here now. It's because of that 16-year-old girl that didn't give up and kept going. 

I wanted to do modeling because everyone told me I couldn't do it, like I'm not tall enough, and I told them, "watch me." And I ended up doing it. 

How did music come into the fold from modeling? 

I used to do cover [songs] on Instagram. My mum and her friends used to force me to do covers. I uploaded one cover on Instagram —  I didn't even like the video. But something just kept telling me to post it and I did. Not up to 6 hours later, [Marvin Records CEO] Don Jazzy reached out. Three days later, he signed me. 

Your fashion choices are  constantly under scrutiny by fans, particularly by men. Did being constantly bludgeoned with such remarks regarding the male gaze affect you in any way? 

I've always had a mind of my own. Growing up in different places, in different cultures, has shaped my mind. And in spite of all these influences, I'm still myself. I went to a very religious school. I wrote "Asé" when I was 15 — I had no business writing that song. So that gives you a glimpse of the kind of mindset I had at a young age. 

And I still have now. I'm not really bothered about the male, female gaze, or anybody's gaze for that matter, except my own. I'm an artist to the core, and I want my style, my hair, my music, to represent how I feel. I don't really care about aesthetics, it's more about how I feel. 

What was the energy like before and after finding out about your GRAMMY nomination?

I was alone in my hotel room. I remember just speaking to God, asking him to let me be nominated. If I was nominated, I'd be so grateful because I'd know that all my hard work was not in vain. 

This nomination came at one of my low days. I was unmotivated, doubting myself. It was cold, and I was just tired. I was like, I just want rice and stew, abeg. I'm just tired, abeg [meaning please]. Next thing I know, I started getting calls. Tyla sent me a message. So even before I found out, people had started messaging and congratulating me. After I checked, I just knelt down and thanked God. 

Meeting people like David Guetta and Kelly Rowland, both of whom you idolize, must have been an incredible experience. Which encounter was the most memorable for you? 

Everything has been memorable — meeting Kelly, David. Like the Nigerian girl in me wanted to call him Mr. David, but he was like "no Ayra" and I was like "no sir but…." [Laughs.] All these people, they're human beings, and we forget that sometimes. They're regular humans with their lives, making music and doing what they love. 

David was an amazing person. He was so free. After every lyric I recorded, he'd whisk me up in the air. He was so hyped and happy. Then Kelly was like the most amazing human being. I'm so blessed to know her. She is an inspiration to me and everything to me. Even before she recorded the verse, I'd loved her for a long time. 

I don't know how she does it, whenever I'm feeling low or down, she just knows. She'll send me a random message or voice memo telling me to keep going. She's the most amazing human being; I love her so much. She's like my big aunty, she's my friend. She's a friend. 

2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List

It could be argued that 2023 was African music’ biggest year ever. The stars shined brighter, the hits went further, and the global music industry is taking notice. 

To wit, the Recording Academy announced the 2024 GRAMMY nominees for its inaugural Best African Music Performance award. Some of the continent’s biggest talents are getting the spotlight: Rising artists like Ayra Starr, ASAKE, and Tyla will compete against global megastars Burna Boy and Davido in a history-making category. 

But there was much more going on than hits and highlights. Afrobeats embraced continent-spanning sounds, from traditional genres to South African club music. Female artists from the continent shined as brightly as their male counterparts. Across the board, bold, experimental new sounds began to creep into the landscape. As an exciting year in Afrobeats and African music comes to a close, take a look at some of the trends that defined this broad soundscape in 2023. 

Afrobeats Stars Are Crossing Over in America

Even if the GRAMMYs hadn’t decided to shine a light on Africa’s music industry with the Best African Performance category, Afrobeats artists made major inroads into the American music market in 2023. ASAKE appeared on "Good Morning America" and "The Tonight Show" to promote his album Work of Art, and recently released a collab with H.E.R. And Burna Boy — one of the genre’s biggest forces — sold out Citi Field in New York and played to a massive Coachella crowd. 

Afrobeats artists played festivals across the country, none more significant than the first-ever stateside editions of AfroNation. Burna Boy headlined both legs of the genre-specific festival alongside WizKid in Miami and Davido in Detroit, while each one featured an undercard full of incredible artists. Rema, ASAKE, Ckay, and BNXN performed in Miami, while Detroit featured Kizz Daniel, P-Square, Stonebwoy, and others. 

But in terms of chart success, one song dominated above all. Driven by a remix featuring Selena Gomez, Rema’s "Calm Down" smashed Billboard records. The song became the longest-running No. 1 in the history of the U.S. Afrobeats chart, spending more than a full year at the top. It eventually crossed over to the Hot 100, also spending a on the chart and becoming the longest-charting African song in its history, although it fell short of the top, peaking at No. 3. 

There’s more where that came from. Rema’s success with "Calm Down" shows the potential Afrobeats artists have to connect with audiences across the world, including North America. Some are already looking for ways to integrate American music into their own songs.

Amapiano Is Everywhere

South Africa’s long history of flirting with house music — from kwaito in the post-Apartheid ‘90s, to the Afro-house of Black Coffee and Da Capo — is finally taking the country’s music global thanks to amapiano. The dance genre typified by sweltering grooves, sizzling shaker rhythms, and the bombastic log drum, was all over Afrobeats this year. 

Heartthrob Ckay tapped the sound on "Hallelujah" with Blaqbonez. Davido collaborated with Musa Keys on his GRAMMY-nominated track "Unavailable" [fellow nominees in the Best African Music Performance category are "Amapiano" by ASAKE & Olamide, Burna Boy's "City Boys," "Rush" by Ayra Starr, and Tyla's "Water."]  And Mr. Eazi recruited Focalistic, Major League DJz, and others for the debut record of his ChopLife Soundsystem side project. Artists as far away as China are also putting their own spin on the sound, such as Vinida Weng with "WAIYA." 

But no one in Afrobeats has embraced amapiano quite as much as ASAKE. His inventive take on the genre incorporates Indigenous sounds from Nigeria to create a totally new and personal style. Songs like "Basquiat" and "Amapiano" reverberate with amapiano log drums and cymbal samples as well as choral background vocals. 

America has caught amapiano fever as well. South African starlet Tyla’s R&B-inflected "Water" became a crossover hit, unseating Rema from No. 1 on the Billboard Afrobeats chart and reaching (as of this writing) a record-setting No. 1 10 on the Hot 100 — the highest-ever for a South African artist. Both U.S. legs of AfroNation also featured a Piano Power stage, with sets by Maphorisa, Musa Keys, Major League DJz, DBN Gogo, Focalistic, TXC, and Uncle Waffles, who also performed at Coachella. 

Female Artists Are On The Rise

Although Afrobeats has largely been dominated by male artists — especially the big three of Burna Boy, WizKid, and Davido — the genre’s female stars are also proving their might. Tems gained fame thanks to features on songs like WizKid’s "Essence," but stepped further into the spotlight following the release of 2022’s For Broken Ears. Her latest song, "Me & U," is a soul-searching track that doubles as a love song and a paean to the almighty. 

Tems' continues to receive industry recognition as well. At the 2023 GRAMMYs, she took home a golden gramophone for Best Melodic Rap Performance "Wait for U," a collab with Future and Drake. Her work co-writing Rihanna’s "Lift Me Up" from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack earned an Oscar nomination, and the song is nominated for Best Song Written For Visual Media at the 2024 GRAMMYs, alongside Barbie The Album's "Dance The Night," "I'm Just Ken," "What Was I Made For?" and "Barbie World.

Ayra Starr, meanwhile, is universally seen as Afrobeats’ next big thing. The Benin-born starlet’s triumphant song "Rush" notched a GRAMMY nod, and she’s continued her dominant streak with singles such as "Sability" and "Stamina" with Tiwa Savage and Young Jonn. She’s also featured on tracks by WizKid, Ninho, David Guetta, and Tyla. 

And speaking of the South African, Tyla’s success with "Water" also highlights the power of female Amapiano artists, none are as mighty as Uncle Waffles. The eSwatini native gained a huge hit with "Tanzania," and played it out to feverish crowds at Coachella and AfroNation Miami. 

Ghana’s Scene Is Buzzing

Two countries away from Nigeria, Ghana’s music scene is bursting with creativity. For proof, look no further than Atlanta-raised AMAARAE’s Fountain Baby, one of the most buzzed-about pop releases on either side of the Atlantic. The record fuses Accra-attitude with 2000s R&B futurism for a bold, dangerously sexy sound that’s totally unique. 

Black Sherif, meanwhile, reps the streets. As a major representative of asakaa, the country’s take on drill music, the rapper has taken the gritty sound of Ghana’s ghettos to new places this year, touring his 2022 record The Villain I Never Was and its hit single "Kwaku the Traveler" at the MOBO Awards in London, Wireless Festival in Abu Dhabi, and events across the U.S. His latest track "OH NO" goes into ambitious new territory with influences added from highlife and soul. 

Finally, Mr. Eazi may be Nigerian by birth, but Ghana is where he made his name and developed his signature "banku" sound, mixing Afrobeats with highlife and other local influences. After 10 years in the business, he finally released his debut album The Evil Genius with a uniquely artful twist: Every track is accompanied by a painting executed by an African artist. Eazi has called the album his most personal work yet. 

Afrobeats Artists Are Defying Genres

Burna Boy took on hip-hop and pretty much everyone else hopped onto amapiano, but in 2023 artists in Afrobeats and beyond took turns trying to expand the genre. Fresh off the success of "Calm Down," Rema delivered a scorching new EP. Ravage flung the singer into dangerous new territory, with dramatic lyrics and dark, hyperpop-leaning production on tracks like "Don’t Leave." 

Up-and-coming artists are also trying to break away from the pack with experimental new sounds. Blaqbonez, featured on Ckay’s "Hallelujah," spits over bouncy Igbo drumming on "NYEM EGO." Brazy, meanwhile, blended Afrobeats with Jersey Club on "omg." 

Last but not least, one of the most interesting Afrobeats-adjacent songs of the year was made in London. Nigerian-British Jim Legxacy’s "dj" boldly fuses hyperactive Afrobeats drums with Midwest emo guitars and a warbling, R&B-esque vocal performance. "You used to promise me you’d teach me how to DJ" may be one of the most instantly devastating opening lines of the year. 

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No matter who takes home the GRAMMY for Best African Music Performance, they’ll be making history in the process. One of three newly-added categories for the 2024 GRAMMYs, the award is a breakthrough for the African music industry, signaling the commercial and cultural prowess of the continent’s music.

"Giving African music its own category would highlight and celebrate the diversity and richness of Africa," Shawn Thwaites, project manager at the Recording Academy, said in a roundtable about the new category. "This is a great step forward!" 

African musicians have a long history at the GRAMMYs, from Ali Farka Touré to Wizkid. Artists of any African musical style can gain a nomination, whether they make Ethio-jazz, Ghanaian drill, high life, or kwassa. This year, however, one genre’s stars are shining particularly bright: Nigerian Afrobeats stars Burna Boy, ASAKE, Davido, and Ayra Star all netted nominations. 

And yet, this can’t be said to have been a conventional year for Afrobeats. The genre’s best and brightest have embraced the sensual, pulsating sound of amapiano, the South Africa-born house offshoot that has taken clubs from London to Lagos by storm. Three of the five tracks nominated take stylistic cues from amapiano, with ASAKE even namechecking the genre in the title of his nominated track. Meanwhile, South African Tyla’s blend of ama and R&B shows the pervasive nature of piano power across the field. 

Learn more about the nominees below, and see who takes the pioneering award during the 2024 GRAMMYs, held on Sunday, Feb. 4. 

"Amapiano"- ASAKE & Olamide

There are more established artists in this field, but none feel as momentous as Asake, whose rapid rise to fame feels at times like the Afrobeats equivalent of Beatlemania. Thanks to his deeply charismatic persona and spectacular stage presence, he’s become massively popular with just two albums under his belt. And speaking of spectacle, earlier this year he became the fourth Nigerian artist, behind Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy, to sell out London’s O2 Arena, entering on a helicopter.

The key to his appeal lies in his embrace of sounds from all over the continent, especially amapiano. His album Work of Art mixes the popular Afro-house offshoot with Mauritian séga music as well as fújì, an Indigenous Yoruba genre from Nigeria. 

"Amapiano" works as both a statement on the title genre’s popularity and a subtle flip on its conventions, rearranging elements such as the iconic log drum and combining them with dynamic rapping from Asake and featured artist Olamide. The song’s hook — "Steadily, steadily, heavily, we are getting lit" — is especially irresistible. 

"City Boys" - Burna Boy

There’s not a bigger star in Afrobeats, or even the whole of Africa itself, than Burna Boy. He nabbed two consecutive Best Global Album GRAMMY nods for his albums Twice as Tall and African Giant, and he’s also collaborated with global stars such as Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber.

After earning his first UK No. 1 album this year with the classic hip-hop influenced I Told Them…, featuring appearances from 21 Savage, J. Cole, RZA, and GZA, he’s firmly in his imperial era. It’s hard to get away with releasing a track called "Sittin’ On Top of the World" if you’re not doing just that. 

Yet it was "City Boys," that caught the Recording Academy’s attention this year. Produced by MD$ and Ruuben with a sample from Jeremih’s sultry R&B classic "Birthday Sex," the stomping, glamorous track reminiscent of late-’90s Timbaland beats highlights the path of influence from hip-hop to Afrobeats. In the song’s flashy video, Burna Boy rides around the streets of Los Angeles in a yellow Ferrari and matches an iced-out Richard Mille watch with a Wu-Tang Clan durag, paying tribute to hip-hop’s extravagance and braggadocio. The track also topped the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart in September

"UNAVAILABLE" - Davido Featuring Musa Keys  

Asake may have risen to fame based on his embrace of Amapiano, but Davido has been boosting the genre for even longer. Back in 2021 he joined forces with amapiano DJ and MC Focalistic on "Champion Sound," giving the style a crucial early foothold into the Afrobeats scene.

"Champion Sound" eventually became the lead single for Davido’s 2023 project Timeless, released after the tragic accidental death of his three-year-old son. It’s a record dominated by the forward momentum of Amapiano beats, and "UNAVAILABLE," the GRAMMY-nominated single from the album, is no exception. A brighter, smoother take on the sound with triumphant choral vocals on the hook, it features confident verses from Davido and collaborator Musa Keys. 

Considered one of Afrobeats’ big three along with Burna Boy and Wizkid, Davido first broke onto the scene in 2012. He’s since dueled with the other two artists for records and chart placements, such as Timeless beating Burna Boy’s album Love, Damini as the biggest debut for an album on Spotify Nigeria earlier. The album also gained the most single-day streams for any African album on Apple Music. 

"Rush" - Ayra Starr

With an anthemic tone reminiscent of Rihanna’s "Diamonds," Ayra Starr’s track was boosted up the global charts thanks to TikTok virality. Born in French-speaking Benin to Nigerian parents, the 21-year-old moved frequently during childhood, eventually ending up in Lagos to pursue music.

After a brief stint in modeling, she signed to the star-making Mavin Records label in 2020, only their third female act. This nomination is only the latest accolade for her: she’s already earned three Nigerian number one singles, a feature on Wizkid’s track "2 Sugar," and a spot on the soundtrack to Creed III. 

"Rush" is all about staying focused and grinding towards success. Starr sings about the cutthroat nature of the working world with determined fierceness: "Me no get the time for the hate and the bad energy / Got my mind on my money." The track may have a distinctive Afrobeats clave rhythm and Nigerian pidgin lyrics, but its glimmering synths recall early 2010s electro-pop from the likes of Robyn or Carly Rae Jepsen. 

"Water" - Tyla

The youngest nominee on this list and the lone South African artist, 21-year-old Tyla is already a star in her home country, having been nominated for two South African Music Awards.

With "Water," the lead single from her upcoming debut EP, she also became the first solo musician from South Africa in 55 years to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Largely driven forward by a popular TikTok challenge, the song debuted at 67 and has peaked at 21 so far. 

It’s easy to see the crossover appeal of "Water," which could be mistaken for an American pop song if not for the sweltering Amapiano instrumental underneath. Singing entirely in English, Tyla’s vocal delivery brims with confidence and desire, especially over the chorus — "Make me sweat, make me hotter, make me lose my breath, make me water" — while the song’s sweltering video turns up the heat further. 

The 2024 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 66th GRAMMY Awards, returns to Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, and will broadcast live on the CBS Television Network and stream live and on-demand on Paramount+ at 8-11:30 p.m. ET/5-8:30 p.m. PT. 

The Recording Academy and GRAMMY.com do not endorse any particular artist, submission or nominee over another. The results of the GRAMMY Awards, including winners and nominees, are solely dependent on the Recording Academy’s Voting Membership.

How To Watch The 2024 GRAMMYs Live: GRAMMY Nominations Announcement, Air Date, Red Carpet, Streaming Channel & More

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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