WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 14: Megan Thee Stallion performs onstage during iHeartRadio Hot 99.5’s … [+]
At the 2021 Grammys, Megan Thee Stallion ended the evening with three awards, enough to make her not just one of the most-decorated female rappers ever, but the second-most-awarded musician at that year’s ceremony (behind her collaborator Beyoncé, with whom she shared two trophies). This time around, she’s only up for a pair of prizes, but should she win one of them, she’ll join a club of some of the most successful and critically acclaimed hip-hop artists ever and make history.
Stallion is currently nominated for Best Rap Performance for her single “Thot Shit,” and should she be named the champion, she’ll become just the fourth musician to claim the category for herself more than once. She won this Grammy last year alongside Beyoncé for the remixed version of her single “Savage.” That tune beat out major hits by the likes of DaBaby, Big Sean, and the late, great Pop Smoke, and when the two women heard their names called, they became the first female musicians to come out on top.
So far, only three stars have won the category more than once, and they’re among the best rappers ever. Kendrick Lamar leads the pack, with four wins in the Best Rap Performance vertical. The Compton musician has collected this trophy for his singles “I,” “Alright,” “Humble” and “King’s Dead” alongside Jay Rock, Future and James Blake. Amazingly, he snagged all four trophies in just five years, with only Chance the Rapper, Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz’s “No Problem” breaking up the streak.
Jay-Z and Kanye West won back-to-back Best Rap Performance Grammys in 2012 and 2013 after the Recording Academy reintroduced the field. The friends and collaborators beat out the competition with their critically-adored and commercially successful singles “Otis” and “N***** in Paris,” both taken from their joint album Watch the Throne.
West and Lamar are tied for the second-most nominations, with six apiece. Jay-Z is one nod behind them, with five to his name. They all come behind Drake, who has been nominated 10 times, though he asked the Academy to retract his submission this year, so the official record counts nine chances to win (with no prizes). Should Stallion claim the honor, she’ll obviously be the first female artist to do so more than once.
This year, Stallion is competing against Cardi B (“Up”), Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar (“Family Ties”) and J. Cole, 21 Savage and Morray (“My Life”), and there doesn’t appear to be a frontrunner at this semi-early stage. Votes have already been cast, but it’s impossible to know which smash the music industry chose as the winner until April 3, when the Grammys return after being initially postponed due to the surge in Covid-19 cases.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2022/02/25/grammys-2022-kanye-west-jay-z-kendrick-lamar-andmegan-thee-stallion-the-rapper-could-make-history/