Top Wins And Anti-ICE Messages At The 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards
The 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards was an event to remember, as the live show highlighted some of the best in music. Hosted by comedian and television host Trevor Noah, this year’s GRAMMY Awards saw record-breaking wins and historic moments that captured the diversity of musical genres and sounds. This year’s awards also displayed a sign of the times, keeping its pulse on the current political climate that the music industry chose not to ignore during the live event.
Here are some of the top GRAMMY Award wins, Anti-ICE messages, and highlights from music’s biggest awards night this year.
Kendrick Lamar Becomes The Most Awarded Rapper In GRAMMYs History
Kendrick Lamar had a banner year in 2025, kicking it off by taking home five Grammys, including Record of the Year for “Not Like Us”. Fast forward through the year, where the rapper headlined the Super Bowl halftime show, his first stadium tour with singer SZA, and celebrated “luther” ending as the No. 2 top song of 2025 on the Billboard music charts.
This year at the 68th GRAMMY Awards, Kendrick Lamar capped off his winning season in historical fashion. Nabbing five Grammys, including Record of the Year for a second year in a row for “luther”, Kendrick Lamar became the most awarded rapper in Grammy’s history with 27 Grammy awards, surpassing Jay-Z.
Bad Bunny Secures The Award For Album Of The Year
The Grammy for Album of the Year is the crown jewel of the award’s event, and this year, the Spanish-language album Debí Tirar Más Fotos shone, as Puerto-Rican artist Bad Bunny took home the coveted award for his popular sixth studio album.
Just days before headlining the Super Bowl halftime show, Bad Bunny won the award and made history as the first Spanish-language album to win Album of the Year. As a champion for his homeland of Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny toured exclusively in the country last year, adding over $200 million to Puerto Rico’s economy through his residency. He dedicated his acceptance speech for Album of the Year, given entirely in Spanish, to immigrants, a theme that resonated throughout the annual awards show this year.
Artists Speak Out Against ICE And Mass Deportations In The U.S.
There was no shortage of public displays of protest regarding the current state of immigration crackdowns across the country at the 68th GRAMMY Awards. Many artists displayed their disapproval of ICE in subtle but evident ways, including ‘ICE OUT’ pins worn by Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber, Hailey Bieber, artist and songwriter Lachi, and other attendees to express their disapproval of the current administration’s call to forcefully detain immigrants across the country.
On the live show stage, notable anti-ICE speeches from artists Bad Bunny, Kehlani, Billie Ellish and Olivia Dean were given regarding the state of mass deportations and the immigration crackdown in America while accepting their awards. Host Trevor Noah comically also made light of the current state of politics in America, bringing levity but also awareness as the live show continued.
8-Year-Old Aura V Becomes The Youngest GRAMMY Winner To-Date
Winning the Grammy for Best Children’s Music Album, Aura V became the youngest Grammy award winner ever at eight years old for her album Harmony at the 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards. The young Maryland native takes home the GRAMMY award with her father, Harold Simmons II, who collaborated with her to make the album. Her individual musical credit cements her in GRAMMY history, only edging out Blue Ivy, who held the title at nine years old, a win passed down for Black Girl Magic.
R&B Artist Durand Bernarr’s First GRAMMY Award Acceptance Goes Viral
Durand Bernarr is not new to the music industry as a decades-long singer, songwriter, and background vocalist, but as of the 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards, he is now solidified as a new GRAMMY Award-winning artist, winning for Best Progressive R&B Album for his fourth studio album BLOOM.
His win was no short of a beautiful surprise to him, and it showed, as his mad dash to the stage to accept his first Grammy win went viral, followed by his joyful acceptance speech. Accompanied by his mother and father, who later joined him on stage during his speech, the R&B artist vividly displayed his excitement and gratitude, all while encouraging other independent artists in the music industry.
Lauryn Hill Leads A Historic Tribute For The Late De’Angelo, Roberta Flack, And Angie Stone
A star-studded and touching tribute became a main event at this year’s GRAMMY Awards for legendary R&B and Soul artists who passed away last year. Honoring artists De’Angelo, Roberta Flack, and Angie Stone, a full tribute was given by various multi-hyphenate music artists and led by R&B and Soul legend Lauryn Hill, her first GRAMMY performance in 27 years.
The medley included renditions of popular songs sung and played by some of R&B, Soul, and Neo-Soul music’s most incomparable artists, including Bilal, Raphael Saddiq, Chaka Khan, and Lalah Hathaway, among others. The tribute concluded with the reunion of Lauryn Hill and Wyclef John of The Fugees, where they performed their popular version of Roberta Flack’s, “Killing Me Softly” to end the historic set.
