Roommates, social media (and y’all in the comments) are still weighing in on the Grammys 2025. But, if we’re talking WINNERS, the Grammys 2025 looked sweet for Black artists! Beyoncé got her FIRST ‘Album of the Year’ Grammy for ‘Cowboy Carter’ and made history as the first Black woman to win in the ‘Best Country Album’ category! Meanwhile, ‘Not Like Us’ sent Kendrick Lamar home with an armful of Grammys for the diss track that rocked 2024!
That’s far from it, though! Chris Brown, Doechii, and more Black artists got their moment and a gold trophy to prove it last night! Here’s a rundown of Black winners and their categories and memorable moments from their speeches. From Kendrick Lamar thanking his wife Whitney for crip walking in his video to Blue Ivy telling her stunned mama to get up for her well (and long) deserved honor!
Beyoncé…That’s It! That’s The Headline!
Bey swept the Grammys on Sunday night (Feb. 2). To be exact, she took home three awards, but she made history across the board! ‘Cowboy Carter secured the award her Hive has advocated for for YEARS: ‘Album of the Year.’
“I’m very full and very honored. It’s been many, many years,” Beyoncé said, and the crowd went off with applause! Blue Ivy escorted her mother on stage and stood proudly in the background as Bey thanked the Grammys and everyone who worked on ‘Cowboy Carter’ with her.
“I hope we keep pushing forward and opening doors,” she said.
In a post-win interview about her ‘AOTY’ win, Beyoncé told an ET reporter that the moment was “very surreal.” Swipe below to see what she said about people welcoming ‘Cowboy Carter’ with open arms, especially country artists.
“It’s been 25 years of just working really hard and trying my best to keep growing and keep opening doors. So, I’m just very honored,” Bey said. “Happy that my daughter got to see that!”
As mentioned, she also did her big one in the country album space at the Grammys. This comes less than a year after the Country Music Awards gave Beyoncé nothing for ‘Cowboy Carter,’ despite its shot to the top on the charts!
In her speech for ‘Best Country Album,’ she started by thanking God for allowing her to do what she loves “after so many years.” She thanked all of the country artists who accepted her project and revealed that it was hard work. She is the first Black woman to win in this category EVER.
“I think sometimes genre is a cold word to keep us in our place as artists, and just want to encourage people to do what they’re passionate about. And to stay persistent,” Bey said in her speech.
Last night, Bey was up for 11 awards, bringing her total number of Grammy nominations to 99. At 43 years old, the singer is now the most nominated in Grammy history!
Let’s just say that this year, Jay-Z was in the audience smiling and clapping rather than clocking the Grammys tea on stage!
Bey also won alongside Miley Cyrus for their collaboration ‘II Most Wanted’ — another ‘Cowboy Carter’ classic.
Following the ceremony, Bey gave her Hive another treat: a tour confirmation via social media. ‘Cowboy Carter’ is hitting the road in the U.S. and overseas, including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Houston, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Las Vegas, Paris, and London. She has not announced if any of the Black country artists on the project will join her on tour.
Drake was nawt in the audience as his rival snagged five wins out of seven nominations. To be fair, Drizzy also had no nominations for 2025. Also, it was Kendrick’s moment every time ‘Not Like Us’ collected an award! Videos from the Grammys show celebs, from Beyoncé to Taylor Swift, on their feet, vibing to the diss track. ‘Not Like Us’ won for ‘Record of the Year,’ ‘Song of the Year,’ ‘Best Rap Song,’ ‘Best Music Video,’ and ‘Best Rap Performance.’
While accepting his fifth Grammy of the night, he said, “At the end of the day, nothing is more powerful than rap music. We are the culture.”
During another ‘Not Like Us’ win speech for ‘Song of the Year,’ Lamar dedicated his award to his partner, Whitney Alford. You might recall that she was HEAVY talk during the entire Drizzy beef, but her ultimate clapback was appearing next to her man and their two kids in the music video that’s now a Grammy winner! Sheesh!
Lamar isn’t new to getting his flowers at the Grammys, though. He’s been nominated 57 times and has taken home 22 in his career. Next week, he will headline the Super Bowl — and SZA will be joining him on stage!
At the 67th Grammy ceremony, Breezy was honored with ‘Best R&B Album’ for the project, ’11:11.’ He was up against Usher, Muni Long, Lucy Daye, and Lalah Hathaway. In celebration, he wrote “WE DID IT” on his Instagram Stories after winning! The last time Chris Brown won a Grammy Award was in 2012, in the same category for ‘F.A.M.E.’
On his IG feed, he shared a thank-you message for his supporters along with a photo of himself and a Grammy Award. In 15 hours, his post had over 68,000 comments.
“THANK YOU GOD FOR COVERING ME IN YOUR LOVE AND THANK YOU TEAM BREEZY BEING MY RIDE OR DIES! THANK YOU TO MY KIDS! THANK YOU TO EVERY PRODUCER, WRITER, MANAGEMENT, RCA, STREET TEAM, RADIO,PHOTOGRAPHERs, DIRECTORS, AND THANK YOU TO THE GRAMMYS,” Breezy said in the caption.
Doechii Makes History In ‘Best Rap Album’ Category
Doechii didn’t hold back her joy while accepting her first Grammy Award for her album, ‘Alligator Bites Never Heal.’ The Florida native is only one of three women to win in the ‘Best Rap Album’ category aside from ‘Invasion of Privacy’ six years ago and Lauryn Hill.
This year, she was up against J. Cole, Common & Pete Rock, Eminem, Future & Metro, and Boomin for the award.
“I dedicated myself to sobriety, and God told me I would be rewarded and he would show me how good it would get.” And then she gave a heartfelt advice to the Black girls and women watching: ‘I wanna tell you, you can do it. Anything is possible. Don’t allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you that tell you that you can’t be here, that you’re too dark or that you’re not smart enough or that you’re too dramatic or you’re too loud. You are exactly who you need to be, to be right where you are and I’m a testimony.’”
Aside from securing a historic W, Doechii also shut down the Grammys stage with a choreographed performance of her song ‘Catfish.’
Muni Long also got her flowers at the Grammys 2025 when she secured the ‘Best R&B Performance’ award. She was up against Jhené Aiko, Chris Brown, Coco Jones, and SZA.
Alicia Keys Accepts Dr. Dre Global Impact Award
At Sunday’s ceremony, Alicia Keys delivered a powerful speech while accepting her Global Impact Award. She specifically opened up about “diversity, equity, and inclusion” being a gift and not a threat. People from different backgrounds with different points of view change the game, she said.
“When destructive forces try to burn us down, we rise from the ashes like a phoenix, and as you see tonight, music is the unstoppable language that connects us all,” Keys added.
