| Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance | |
|---|---|
 "Scientists & Engineers" by Killer Mike, André 3000, Future, and Eryn Allen Kane is the most recent recipient | |
| Awarded for | Quality rap performances |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences |
| First awarded | 1989 |
| Currently held by | Killer Mike featuring André 3000, Future & Eryn Allen Kane, "Scientists & Engineers" (2024) |
| Website | grammy.com |
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance is an honor presented to recording artists for quality rap performances. It was first presented at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards in 1989 and again at the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1990, after which point the award was split into two categories: Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. These two categories were combined again in 2012 as a result of a restructure of Grammy categories, and the reinstated Award for Best Rap Performance was presented at the 54th Grammy Awards in 2012. The restructuring was the consequence of the Recording Academy's wish to decrease the number of categories and awards and to eliminate distinctions between solo and duo or group performances.[1]
The Grammy Awards, an annual ceremony established in 1958, and originally called the Gramophone Awards,[2] are presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".[3]
The award goes to the artist. The producer, engineer, and songwriter can apply for a Winner's Certificate.[4]
The first award for Best Rap Performance was presented to DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (the vocal duo consisting of DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith) for "Parents Just Don't Understand".[5] The ceremony was not without controversy; nominees Jeff and Smith led a boycott in protest of the awards presentation not being televised, and some members of the rap community felt that more qualified artists were overlooked. After the reintroduction of the category in 2012, American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West won the award two consecutive times; the two rappers were surpassed in terms of wins by fellow American rapper Kendrick Lamar, who holds the record with six awards. American rapper Megan Thee Stallion and American singer-songwriter Beyoncé became the first female artists to win the category with "Savage (Remix)".
- ^ "Explanation For Category Restructuring". GRAMMY.org. 5 April 2011. Archived from the original on December 3, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
- ^ "Grammy Awards at a Glance". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ^ "Overview". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ^ "Grammy Blue Book (2021 edition)" (PDF).
- ^ "Hip-hop's history at the Grammys". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News Publishing Company. February 9, 2004. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2011.