The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rap music genre. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences 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".
The award was first presented to Eminem along with Jeff Bass and Luis Resto for the song "Lose Yourself" from the soundtrack 8 Mile in 2004. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide, the award honors the songwriter(s) of new songs (containing both music and lyrics) or songs "first achieving prominence during the period of eligibility". Songs containing prominent samples may be eligible. The award goes to the songwriter(s), not to the artist except when the artist is also a songwriter of the winning song.
Kanye West holds the records for the most wins and nominations in this category, having won seven times out of sixteen nominations. Ye, Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, Drake and Kendrick Lamar are the only songwriters to have won the category more than once. Cyhi the Prynce holds the record for most nominations without a win, with six.
Recipients
2000s Year Song Songwriter(s) Artist(s) 2004 "Lose Yourself" Jeff Bass, Marshall Mathers and Luis Resto Eminem "Beautiful" Calvin Broadus, Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams "Excuse Me Miss" Shawn Carter, Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams Jay-Z and Pharrell Williams "In da Club" Mike Elizondo, Curtis Jackson and Andre Young 50 Cent "Work It" Missy Elliott and Tim Mosley Missy Elliott 2005 "Jesus Walks" Che Smith and Kanye West Kanye West "Drop It Like It's Hot" Calvin Broadus, Chad Hugo, Scott Thomas and Pharrell Williams Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams "Hey Mama" Will Adams and Anthony Henry Black Eyed Peas "Let's Get It Started" Will Adams, Mike Fratantuno, Jaime Gomez, George Pajon Jr., Allan Pineda and Terence Yoshiaki "99 Problems" Shawn Carter and Rick Rubin Jay-Z 2006 "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" Devo Harris and Kanye West Kanye West "Candy Shop" Curtis Jackson and Scott Storch 50 Cent featuring Olivia "Don't Phunk with My Heart" William Adams, Printz Board, Stacy Ferguson and George Pajon Jr. Black Eyed Peas "Hate It or Love It" Curtis Jackson, Andre Lyon, Jayceon Taylor and Marcello Valenzano The Game featuring 50 Cent "Lose Control" Missy Elliott, Ciara Harris and Isaac Freeman III Missy Elliott featuring Ciara and Fatman Scoop 2007 "Money Maker" Christopher Bridges and Pharrell Williams Ludacris featuring Pharrell "It's Goin' Down" Chadron Moore and Jasiel Robinson Yung Joc "Kick, Push" Wasalu Muhammad Jaco Lupe Fiasco "Ridin'" Anthony Henderson,Juan Salinas, Oscar Salinas and Hakeem Seriki Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone "What You Know" Adrian Davis and Clifford Harris T.I. 2008 "Good Life" Aldrin Davis, Faheem Najm and Kanye West Kanye West featuring T-Pain "Ayo Technology" Nate (Danja) Hills, Curtis Jackson, Timothy Mosley and Justin Timberlake 50 Cent featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland "Big Things Poppin' (Do It)" Clifford Harris and Byron Thomas T.I. "Can't Tell Me Nothing" Aldrin Davis and Kanye West Kanye West "Crank That" Soulja Boy Soulja Boy 2009 "Lollipop" Dwayne Carter, Stephen Garrett, Darius Harrison, Jim Jonsin and Rex Zamor Lil Wayne featuring Static Major "Low" Tramar Dillard, Montay Humphrey and T-Pain Flo Rida featuring T-Pain "Sexual Eruption" Calvin Broadus, Seneca Lovejoy and Demetrius Stewart Snoop Dogg "Superstar" Wasalu Muhammad Jaco and Soundtrakk Lupe Fiasco featuring Matthew Santos "Swagga Like Us" Mathangi Arulpragasam, Dwayne Carter, Shawn Carter, Clifford Harris, Topper Headon, Mick Jones, Wesley Pentz, Paul Simonon, Joe Strummer and Kanye West T.I. featuring Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Kanye West and M.I.A.
2010s Year Song Songwriter(s) Artist(s) 2010 "Run This Town" Shawn Carter, Robyn Fenty, Makeba Riddick, Kanye West and Ernest Wilson Jay-Z featuring Rihanna and Kanye West "Best I Ever Had" Dwayne Carter, Aubrey Graham and Matthew Samuels Drake "Day 'n' Nite" Scott Mescudi and Oladipo Omishore Kid Cudi "Dead and Gone" Clifford Harris, Robin Tadross and Justin Timberlake T.I. featuring Justin Timberlake "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" Shawn Carter and Ernest Wilson Jay-Z 2011 "Empire State of Mind" Shawn Carter, Angela Hunte, Bert Keyes, Alicia Keys, Jane't "Jnay" Sewell-Ulepic and Alexander Shuckburgh Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys "Love the Way You Lie" Alexander Grant, Skylar Grey and Marshall Mathers Eminem featuring Rihanna "Not Afraid" Matthew Burnett, Jordan Evans, Marshall Mathers, Luis Resto and Matthew Samuels Eminem "Nothin' on You" Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Bruno Mars and Bobby Simmons Jr. B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars "On to the Next One" Shawn Carter, Jessie Chaton and Kasseem Dean Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz 2012 "All of the Lights" Jeff Bhasker, Malik Jones, Warren Trotter and Kanye West Kanye West featuring Rihanna, Kid Cudi and Fergie "Black and Yellow" Mikkel Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen and Cameron Thomaz Wiz Khalifa "I Need a Doctor" Andre Young, Alexander Grant, Skylar Grey and Marshall Mathers Dr. Dre, Eminem and Skylar Grey "Look at Me Now" Jean Baptiste, Chris Brown, Ryan Buendia, Trevor Smith, Dwayne Carter and Wesley Pentz Chris Brown, Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes "Otis" Shawn Carter and Kanye West Jay-Z and Kanye West "The Show Goes On" Dustin William Brower, Jonathon Keith Brown, Daniel Johnson, Kane and Wasalu Muhammad Jaco Lupe Fiasco 2013List of 2013 nominees "Niggas in Paris" Shawn Carter, Mike Dean, Chauncey Hollis and Kanye West Jay-Z and Kanye West "Daughters" Nasir Jones and Ernest Wilson Nas "Lotus Flower Bomb" Olubowale Akintimehin, S. Joseph Dew, Jerrin Howard, Walker Johnson and Miguel Jontel Pimentel Wale featuring Miguel "Mercy" Sean Anderson, Tauheed Epps, Stephan Taft, James Thomas, Terrence Thornton and Kanye West Kanye West featuring Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz "The Motto" Dwayne Carter, Aubrey Graham and Tyler Williams Drake featuring Lil Wayne and Tyga "Young, Wild & Free" Calvin Broadus, Chris Brody Brown, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Peter Hernandez and Cameron Thomaz Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa featuring Bruno Mars 2014 "Thrift Shop" Ben Haggerty and Ryan Lewis Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz "Fuckin' Problems" Tauheed Epps, Aubrey Graham, Kendrick Lamar, Rakim Mayers and Noah Shebib ASAP Rocky featuring Drake, 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar "Holy Grail" Shawn Carter, Terius Nash, J. Harmon, Timothy Mosley, Justin Timberlake and Ernest Wilson Jay-Z featuring Justin Timberlake "New Slaves" Christopher Breaux, Ben Bronfman, Mike Dean, Louis Johnson, Malik Jones, Elon Rutberg, Sakiya Sandifer, Che Smith, Kanye West and Cydel Young Kanye West "Started from the Bottom" William Coleman, Aubrey Graham and Noah Shebib Drake 2015 "I" Kendrick Duckworth, Columbus Smith and Ronald Isley Kendrick Lamar "Anaconda" Ernest Clark, Jamal Jones, Onika Maraj, Marcos Palacios and J. Solone Myvett Nicki Minaj "Bound 2" Mike Dean, Malik Jones, Che Pope, Elon Rutberg, Sakiya Sandifer, John Stephens, Kanye West, Charlie Wilson and Cydel Young Kanye West featuring Charlie Wilson "We Dem Boyz" Noel Fisher and Cameron Thomaz Wiz Khalifa "0 to 100 / The Catch Up" Adam Feeney, Aubrey Graham, Anderson Hernandez, Paul Jefferies, Matthew Samuels and Noah Shebib Drake 2016 "Alright" Kendrick Duckworth, Kawan Prather, Mark Spears and Pharrell Williams Kendrick Lamar "All Day" Ernest Brown, Tyler Bryant, Sean Combs, Mike Dean, Rennard East, Noah Goldstein, Malik Yusef Jones, Karim Kharbouch, Allan Kyariga, Kendrick Lamar, Paul McCartney, Victor Mensah, Charles Njapa, Che Pope, Patrick Reynolds, Allen Ritter, Kanye West, Mario Winans and Cydel Young Kanye West featuring Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom and Paul McCartney "Energy" Richard Dorfmeister, Aubrey Graham, Markus Kienzl, Matthew O'Brien, M. Samuels and Phillip Thomas Drake "Glory" Lonnie Lynn, Che Smith and John Stephens Common and John Legend "Trap Queen" Tony Fadd and Willie J. Maxwell Fetty Wap 2017 "Hotline Bling" Aubrey Graham and Paul Jefferies Drake "All the Way Up" Joseph Cartagena, Edward Davadi, Shandel Green, Karim Kharbouch, Andre Christopher Lyon, Reminisce Mackie and Marcello Valenzano Fat Joe and Remy Ma featuring French Montana and Infared "Famous" Chancellor Bennett, Ross Birchard, Ernest Brown, Andrew Dawson, Kasseem Dean, Mike Dean, Noah Goldstein, Kejuan Muchita, Patrick Reynolds, Kanye West and Cydel Young Kanye West featuring Rihanna "No Problem" Chancellor Bennett, Dwayne Carter and Tauheed Epps Chance the Rapper featuring Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz "Ultralight Beam" Chancellor Bennett, Kasseem Dean, Mike Dean, Kirk Franklin, Noah Goldstein, Samuel Griesemer, Terius Nash, Jerome Potter, Kelly Price, Nico "Donnie Trumpet" Segal, Derek Watkins, Kanye West and Cydel Young Kanye West featuring Chance the Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin and The-Dream 2018 "Humble." Kendrick Duckworth, Asheton Hogan and Michael Williams II Kendrick Lamar "Bodak Yellow" Dieuson Octave, Klenord Raphael, Shaftizm, Jordan Thorpe, Belcalis Almanzar and Anthony White Cardi B "Chase Me" Judah Bauer, Brian Burton, Hector Delgado, Jaime Meline, Antwan Patton, Michael Render, Russell Simins and Jon Spencer Danger Mouse featuring Run the Jewels and Big Boi "Sassy" Marlanna Evans and Eric Gabouer Rapsody "The Story of O.J." Shawn Carter and Dion Wilson Jay-Z 2019 "God's Plan" Aubrey Graham, Ronald LaTour, Daveon Jackson, Brock Korsan, Matthew Samuels and Noah Shebib Drake "King's Dead" Kendrick Duckworth, Samuel Gloade, James Litherland, Johnny McKinzie, Mark Spears, Travis Walton, Nayvadius Wilburn and Michael Williams II Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future and James Blake "Lucky You" Ray Fraser, Gary Lucas, Marshall Mathers, Matthew Samuels and Jahaan Sweet Eminem featuring Joyner Lucas "Sicko Mode" Khalif Brown, Rogét Chahayed, BryTavious Chambers, Mike Dean, Mirsad Dervic, Kevin Gomringer, Tim Gomringer, Aubrey Graham, John Edward Hawkins, Chauncey Hollis, Jacques Webster, Ozan Yildirim and Cydel Young Travis Scott featuring Drake, Big Hawk and Swae Lee "Win" Kendrick Duckworth, Anderson Hernandez, Johnny McKinzie, Matthew Samuels and Corey Thompson Jay Rock
2020s