Kendrick Lamar may have had an inkling that he would clean up at the 2025 Grammy Awards long before the ceremony even began — according to one fan theory, at least.
The Compton rap star won all five awards he was nominated for this past weekend, taking home Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance and Best Music Video.
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Each trophy was awarded to his hit Drake diss “Not Like Us,” extending his victory lap over the 6 God following their thrilling rap battle last year.
“Not Like Us” is the first diss track to win a Grammy and the most decorated rap song at the awards, while Kendrick is just the second rapper to win Record of the Year and Song of the Year following Childish Gambino in 2019.
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After the show, one keen listener dove back through Lamar’s discography and picked out some eerily prescient lyrics about his historic night at the Grammys.
“It just dawned on me that in the song Now or Never by Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige (2012), the lyrics state: ‘I see myself performing there / Sold out shows where the room is packed / Sitting at the Grammys, winning five awards / See myself on big billboards,'” they wrote in a post on X that has since gone viral.
It just dawned on me that in the song Now or Never by Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige (2012), the lyrics state:
“I see myself performing there
Sold out shows where the room is packed
Sitting at the Grammys, winning five awards
See myself on big billboards.”@Jeremy_Hechtpic.twitter.com/l2vtFUbw6r— Austin Henderson 🎮 (@HendoProduction) February 4, 2025
Other fans were also stunned by Kendrick’s apparent premonition, with one writing: “This guy scares me how prophetic his words are! ‘my talents will take me places I’ve never been’ words I live by!”
Another said: “He spoke it into existence! He really did the inner work to propel it forward. So proud of him!!!!”
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Others highlighted another line in K. Dot’s catalog that touches on his oracle-esque nature: “I’m prophetic, they only talk about it, how I get it,” from recent hit “TV Off.”
It’s worth pointing out that “Now or Never,” which appeared as a bonus track on his debut album good kid, m.A.A.d city, was recorded years before Kendrick was even recognized by the Recording Academy.
The GNX MC didn’t earn his first Grammy nominations until 2014, although he went 0-for-7 that year. (Of course, GKMC was controversially snubbed for Best Rap Album in favor of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis‘s The Heist, prompting a public apology from the Seattle native.)
Dot would have to wait another year for his first Grammy win when “i” took home Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance.
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He has since become the third most decorated rapper at the Grammys with 22 awards to his name — putting him just three behind the current record holder, JAY-Z.
Speaking of Hov, five Grammys isn’t the only prediction of Kendrick’s that has come true.
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“You look at people like JAY-Z, Nas, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg — all these cats promised longevity,” he told the BBC back in 2012 after a performance in London. “Those artists already did it, they conquered. That’s the ambition I have — that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
