Nas hasn’t had much success at the Grammy awards. Well, to be honest, he hasn’t had any. The legendary rapper failed to bring home the coveted award each of the 13 times he was nominated. Luckily for him, all of that changed on Sunday at the 2021 Grammys. Nas won in the Best Rap Album category with his 13th album, King’s Disease. The project was boosted by a refreshed sound thanks to Hit-Boy’s production as well as solid contributions from the likes of Big Sean, Lil Durk, Anderson .Paak, and more.
The win comes 25 years after Nas received his first Grammy nomination in the Best Rap Solo Performance category at the 1996 show for “If I Ruled The World (Imagine That).” His nomination for the Best Rap Album is also the fifth time in Nas’ career that he was in the running for the award. The previous four times came in 2000 with I Am…, 2008 for Hip Hop Is Dead, 2009 for Nas, and 2013 for Life Is Good. Prior to this year, Nas was high on the list of artists with the most Grammy nominations without a win. The names ahead of him include Martina McBride (14), Brian McKnight (17), Snoop Dogg (17), and Morten Lindberg who holds the record with 20 winless nominations.
Nas beat D Smoke’s Black Habits, Jay Electronica’s A Written Testimony, Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist’s Alfredo, and Royce 5’9’’’s The Allegory to take home his first Grammy award.
