The 2026 Grammys were a spectacle in the best at this year as more than a handful or artists lit up the stage and brought the necessary energy to the prestigious awards show.
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R&B had a serious moment with singers like Leon Thomas, Kehlani, and Durand Bernarr taking home trophies. Kendrick Lamar also made history while Bad Bunny, Lauryn Hill and performers like Bruno Mars, Olivia Dean and more brought down the house in various ways. But if you didn’t have the bandwidth to watch the entire three and a half hour-long show, check out some of the best moments, surprises and snubs we’ve highlighted below!
Best Moment: Bad Bunny Goes Off on ICE Chaos, Calls for More Love
Bad Bunny, who’s set to take over the Super Bowl stage on Feb. 7, made sure to use his platform to make an impassioned speech at the 2026 Grammys. In particular, he called out ICE for their unfathomable behavior and chaos and called for humanization of the organizations targets.
“First, before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say ICE Out. We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans,” he said in part.
He also urged people to use love to drive out the hate that’s being stoked throughout the country.
“The hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate, is love,” he said.
SNUB: Clipse Not Winning Best Rap Album
While there was a lot of chatter and discourse surrounding Clipse’s long-awaited and highly anticipated album “Let God Sort Em Out”—the rap duo ultimately walked away without the gold. In fact, the win actually went to Kendrick Lamar for his “GNX” album. This win while unexpected for some was monumental for the LA rapper it helped break the record for the most Grammy wins by a rapper. Lamar has now surpassed Jay-Z with 26 awards total.
Surprise: Olivia Dean Winning Best New Artist & Shouting Out Her Immigrant Heritage
While many Black folks were pulling for Leon Thomas to get his recognition for Best New Artist, Olivia Dean wound up walking away with the gold hardware. Dean’s album, “The Art of Loving” blew up on the charts thanks to hits like “Lady, Lady” “Man I Need” and “So Easy to Fall In Love.” During her acceptance speech, Dean took a moment to heap praise and honor on her immigrant background as her mother is Jamaican-Guyanese, saying: “Im up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant. I’m a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated. We are nothing without each other.”
Best Moment: Lauryn Hill’s Touching Tribute to D’Angelo and Roberta Flack
For the first time since 1999, Lauryn Hill graced the Grammys stage for the In Memoriam segment to do a tribute to D’Angelo and Roberta Flack. But she wasn’t alone! In fact, she brought out a variety of R&B and soul singers like Leon Thomas, Lucky Daye, Raphael Saadiq, Lalah Hathaway, Bilal, October London and more. The performance was hands-down the most emotional and soul-stirring one that took place. Don’t believe us, see for yourself below!
Surprise: Kendrick Lamar & SZA Winning Record of the Year
Up against artists like Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter, Kendrick Lamar emerged as the winner once again during the night, walking away with the trophy for Record of the Year for “Luther” feat. SZA. The presentation was equally iconic as Cher was the one to give the two their award. In their speech, they gave honor to the late Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn—whose 1982 song “If This World Were Mine” was used as the sample for Lamar’s song. SZA also took a moment to encourage viewers to not feel full of despair amidst these trying times.
SNUB: Black Artists Shut Out for Album of the Year
Justin Beiber, Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, Leon Thomas, Tyler the Creator, Kendrick Lamar, and Lady Gaga were all up for the most coveted award: Album of the Year. But unfortunately, all the Black artists failed to receive the win. Instead, that gold trophy went to Bad Bunny—and while we root for everybody Black over here and always will, his win felt good to see for so many reasons and on so many levels. Congrats to him and all the other Black folks who took home gold this year!
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