The 2025 Grammy Awards were always expected to be a big night, but no one thought they would be this historic, emotional, and messy.
Beyoncé, who has ruled the music industry for years, finally won Album of the Year, an award that escaped her despite being the most awarded artist in Grammy history.
Kendrick Lamar, on the other hand, proved why he’s seen as one of hip-hop’s GOATs, as he took home five Grammys, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year for Not Like Us, a song that didn’t just go after Drake but completely tore him down.
But, aside from the awards, Los Angeles had just experienced one of its worst wildfire disasters.
So, the Grammys had to recognize the people who had lost their homes, their businesses, and their sense of normal life.
The show tried to do both—celebrate music while shining a light on the LA fires—and the result was one of the most chaotic and unforgettable Grammy nights in years.
Key Takeaways
- Beyoncé finally won Album of the Year after years of losing. She also became the first Black woman in 50 years to win a country Grammy.
- Kendrick Lamar won five Grammys, including Song and Record of the Year for Not Like Us. The song was a diss track aimed at Drake, making the win even more shocking.
- The Grammys honored the victims of the California wildfires with special tributes. Performances, speeches, and donations helped support those affected.
Beyoncé Finally Wins Album of the Year
There are some things that seem like they should have already happened by now.
Beyoncé winning Album of the Year at the Grammys was one of them.
For years, she has been the most nominated and most awarded artist in Grammy history.
But whenever she was up for Album of the Year, someone else walked away with it, to the point that it became one of the biggest ongoing controversies in Grammy history.
Fans watched her lose to artists who, while talented, didn’t have anywhere near her cultural impact.
At some point, it stopped feeling like bad luck and started looking like something else.
But this year, that changed when Beyoncé won Album of the Year for Cowboy Carter.
She stepped into country music—a genre that has historically been hostile toward Black artists—and gave fans far more than they were expecting, in the best way.
It felt like the win that should have happened ages ago, but Beyoncé handled it with her usual grace.
When she accepted the award, which was presented by members of the Los Angeles Fire Department as part of the Grammys’ tribute to wildfire victims, she took a long pause before saying:
“It’s been many, many years.”
And that was enough. The audience exploded.
Everyone knew what she meant.
But she wasn’t done.
She also won Best Country Album, making her the first Black woman in 50 years to win a country Grammy.
And just to add another layer to the moment, she took home Best Country Duo Performance with Miley Cyrus.
Of course, Beyoncé wasn’t going to accept all this without making a statement about the industry’s boxing of artists into genres to control them.
“Sometimes genre is a codeword to keep us in our place as artists, and I just want to encourage people to do what they’re passionate about,” she told the audience.
The fact that Taylor Swift presented the award made it even more surreal, considering Swift herself had to fight to be taken seriously when she moved from country to pop.
Kendrick Lamar’s Night Was a Statement
While Beyoncé’s victory was about overdue recognition, Kendrick Lamar’s was about domination.
There was no avoiding it—whether anyone wanted to admit it or not, his feud with Drake became the center of the Grammys.
His song Not Like Us—a track that completely obliterated Drake’s reputation—won Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
The Grammys don’t typically reward diss tracks like that, let alone one at the center of an actual legal battle.
Lamar, however, didn’t bring any of the drama to his acceptance speech.
Instead, he kept it focused on Compton, refusing to even mention Drake.
“I can’t give enough thanks to these places that I rolled around since high school,” he said, letting the moment be about his roots rather than his rival.
Meanwhile, Drake didn’t even show up, but he didn’t stay silent either.
At a concert in Australia a few days later, he told the crowd:
“No matter what, Drizzy Drake is very much alive, and that’s all thanks to you.”
And that wasn’t the only response from the Drake camp.
His father, Dennis Graham, made it clear he didn’t care at all.
“I don’t care enough about that s–t. That ain’t got nothing to do with me,” he said when asked about Lamar’s win.
But the drama isn’t over.
Drake has already taken legal action against Universal Music Group, arguing that the label intentionally promoted false allegations about him through Not Like Us.
Since the song just won the biggest music awards, it will only make things even messier.
The Grammys Tried to Balance the Music With Real-World Tragedy
Outside all the awards and feuds, there was another presence looming over the night—the California wildfires.
It would have been impossible for the Grammys to ignore what happened.
So, instead, they leaned into it.
Trevor Noah, opening the show, set the tone immediately.
“This city has just been through one of the largest natural disasters in American history,” he told the audience.
Throughout the night, there were multiple tributes.
One of the most emotional came when Dawes, a band that lost their homes and instruments in the fires, took the stage with John Legend, Sheryl Crow, and St. Vincent.
Then, later in the night, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars performed “California Dreamin'”, set to a montage of Californians who had lost everything.
Local businesses affected by the fires were given advertising space, restaurants that had been struggling to stay open catered the event, and major sponsors like Amazon Music, CBS, and Mastercard made large donations.
And Now, All Eyes Are on the Super Bowl
The Grammys may be over, but Kendrick Lamar isn’t done with this year’s biggest stages yet.
He’s set to headline the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, and the biggest question is whether he’ll perform Not Like Us—on live television, in front of millions, on the biggest night in American sports.
For those who only care about the performance and not the game, expect it to start around 8:00 p.m. ET, though the time could shift.
If he actually performs the song, it could be one of the most talked-about Super Bowl halftime shows in history.
If he doesn’t, people will still find a way to connect it to the feud.
Either way, this year in music is far from over.
