Doechii, T.I. & Yung Miami Lead 2027 Grammys Race for Best Rap Song and Performance: Our Predictions

From Drake’s jaw-dropping triple-album release to impressive stadium runs by Jay-Z and Ye, it’s been another busy year for hip-hop. Below, we assess the state of the three single-focused categories in the rap field at the 2027 Grammys: best rap performance, best rap song and best melodic rap performance.

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Best Rap Song

Without an active Kendrick Lamar album cycle or competitive submissions from Drake or J. Cole, the Big Three will likely be absent from these three categories — at least as lead artists. That’s enough to clear the way for several frontrunners. For this category, Cardi B submitted “ErrTime,” which topped Rhythmic Airplay and hit No. 43 on the Billboard Hot 100; its quotable bars and Jeezy-esque flow should carry it into the final lineup of nominees. That all sounds easy enough, but given that Cardi’s sole best rap song nomination was for “Bodak Yellow” back in 2018, this is far from a done deal.

Female rappers have made solid inroads in this category throughout the 2020s, and Doechii and Yung Miami both have strong shots at nominations here. Already a two-time Grammy winner, Doechii is almost guaranteed to show up here with her SZA-assisted “Girl, Get Up.” That ruminative duet is a nice foil to Yung Miami’s “Spend Dat,” a New York Knicks-embraced summer anthem that soared to the top 20 of the Hot 100 (No. 17), an increasingly rare feat this decade for mainstream rappers not named Drake, Cardi B or Kendrick Lamar. Nonetheless, Lamar will be in contention here, thanks to his featured turn on Baby Keem’s “Good Flirts,” which also features Momo Boyd and has a solid chance of a nomination for best rap performance.

Male rappers also scored a handful of hits that could pop up in this category. Don Toliver is a frontrunner across the rap field, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see “E85” nominated here. Likewise for Dave & Tems’ “Raindance” — a near-lock for a best melodic rap performance nod — and Lil Baby’s Pharrell-produced “Dead Fresh.” Near the top of the year, T.I. made an unexpected splash with his top 40 hit “Let ‘Em Know” (No. 33), and a nod in this category would be his fifth overall and first since 2010. He has never won. There’s also Belly Gang Kushington & 21 Savage’s “WTF Goin,” which dominated strip clubs, social media and urban radio in one fell swoop this year. 21 Savage’s sole Grammy win actually came in this category back in 2020 for his J. Cole-assisted “A Lot.” Don’t be too shocked to see him return with this runaway hit.

Hits are cool, but some artists simply have stronger pull with the Recording Academy’s voting members. For example, Rapsody has never charted on the Hot 100, but she’s picked up two prior nods in this category. This year, she’s competing with “God Gotta Afro,” a raucous, anthemic ode to Blackness that speaks to hip-hop’s grounding principles. In recent years, Tyler, the Creator has emerged as a Grammy darling, and that glow could rub off on AZ Chike, who’s competing with “Look Like My Mama.” Accompanied by a splashy, Sinners-spoofing music video and a top-tier verse from Tyler, “Mama” could sneak into this category.

Star-studded posse cuts often land here; think Tyler, the Creator’s “Sticky” earlier this year, Ye & Ty Dolla $ign’s “Carnival” the year before, and Killer Mike’s “Scientists & Engineers,” which won in 2024. The following tracks could follow this path to a nomination: “Go Girl” (Summer Walker, Latto & Doja Cat), “What We Got In Common” (Busta Rhymes & J Dilla featuring Common & Jon Batiste), “Norf Side” (Jill Scott & Tierra Whack) and “No I.D.” (Erykah Badu & The Alchemist featuring Westside Gunn).

There are also two artists who oscillate between being canceled and being embraced: Ye and DaBaby. If voters want to show Ye some love, don’t be surprised to see his Travis Scott-assisted “Father” pop up here. There was also a brief moment this year when DaBaby’s “Pop Dat Thang,” which brought him to the Hot 100’s top 40 for the first time in five years (No. 26), was the hottest song in hip-hop. Maybe a nomination here is his recognition for that conspicuous comeback.

Our Fearless Forecast

Our predictions are: “Girl, Get Up” (Doechii & SZA), “Good Flirts” (Baby Keem, Kendrick Lamar & Momo Boyd), “God Gotta Afro” (Rapsody & Karabo yaMorena), “Raindance” (Dave & Tems) and “Spend Dat” (Yung Miami).

Best Rap Performance

While Cardi’s chances for a best rap song nomination are considerably slimmer, she’s undoubtedly the closest thing to a lock for a best rap performance nod for “ErrTime.” After all, she’s far and away the most-nominated female rapper in this category, earning four of her five total nominations this decade.

Like many song and performance categories in the same genre, there’s often considerable overlap between the nominees for best rap performance and best rap song. At the 2026 ceremony, Lamar’s “TV Off” and Doechii’s “Anxiety” picked up nods in both categories, while Clipse and Tyler, the Creator appeared in both line-ups with different songs from the same respective albums.

With that in mind, “Good Flirts” and “Let ‘Em Know” both have strong shots here, as do “Spend Dat” and “God Gotta Afro.” Also keep an eye out for Don Toliver’s “Body”; not only is it the highest-peaking Hot 100 hit from Octane (No. 14), but the Justin Timberlake-sampling song can only be awarded here, since Toliver opted to push “E85” in the general field (record and song of the year).

A couple of other radio hits could pop up here, including “Pop Dat Thang,” “Same Sh!t” (Isaiah Rashad), and “WTF Goin.” Though it didn’t reach the airplay heights of the aforementioned tracks, it’s also worth keeping an eye on “Look Like My Mama.”

In a notably quieter year for major hip-hop crossover hits, it’s probably smart to look further down the ballot for some passion picks that could surprise the rap community come Nov. 16. Somewhat shockingly, De La Soul and Nas have never won a rap performance Grammy; during the years when the category combined solo and duo/group performances (1989-1990 and 2012-present day), each act earned just one nomination each. That could very well change should voters show some love to their “Run It Back!!” collaboration.

Speaking of collaborations, New York MC Max B could get a belated homecoming gift with a nomination for “Minks In Miami,” which he’d share with French Montana and Rick Ross (both previous nominees in this category). Jill Scott’s buzzy To Whom This May Concern, which is poised to dominate the R&B field, could also lift her Tierra Whack-assisted “Norf Side” to nomination here. A$AP Rocky has been steadily campaigning all year, which could earn him a career-first nod in this category for “Helicopter,” and Doja Cat has an outside chance of sneaking in with “Aaahh Men!,” which would be her first nomination here since “Vegas” in 2023.

And, for what it’s worth, don’t completely count out “Sk8” (JID, Ciara & Earthgang) or “B.B.B.” (Juvenile & Megan Thee Stallion), either.

Our Fearless Forecast

Our predictions are: “Let ‘Em Know” (T.I.), “Good Flirts” (Baby Keem, Kendrick Lamar & Momo Boyd), “Body” (Don Toliver), “ErrTime” (Cardi B) and “Same Sh!t” (Isaiah Rashad).

Best Melodic Rap Performance

Last year, Kendrick Lamar and SZA handily took home this award for “Luther,” which, truthfully, was the frontrunner from the moment it dropped alongside the full GNX album in November 2024. This year, another collaboration between an acclaimed male rapper and beloved female singer is leading the pack: “Raindance” (Dave & Tems). The British-Nigerian link-up ruled streaming and radio throughout the first half of 2026, reaching the top 10 of Rhythmic Airplay (No. 10) and the top half of the Hot 100 (No. 42). Notably, Tems already won this award in 2023 for her featured turn on Future & Drake’s “Wait for U.”

Tems’ stiffest competition will likely be last year’s victor, SZA, who’s back in contention alongside Doechii with “Girl, Get Up” this year. The soul-baring song isn’t the dancefloor anthem that “Raindance” is, but considering both TDE ladies’ Grammy-darling status, it would be foolish to count it out. Rounding out the top three competitors here is Don Toliver’s “E85,” arguably the defining song from his Octane album.

The second tier of best melodic rap performance contenders features several previous nominees. Cardi B will likely snag a nod for her Kehlani-assisted “Safe,” and Brent Faiyaz could earn his first nomination in this category since 2018 with his featured turn on A$AP Rocky’s “Stay Here 4 Life.” Leon Thomas had a major year at the 2026 Grammys, taking home two of his six nominations, and he could transfer some of that Midas touch to Wale for their Rhythmic Airplay-topping “Watching Us” duet.

Lil Baby is a three-time nominee and previous winner (“Hurricane,” with Ye and The Weeknd in 2022) who could land a spot in the final nominee line-up with “Dead Fresh.” And Doja Cat and Latto have also garnered significant buzz thanks to the former’s Tour Ma Vie world tour, positioning their “Okayyy” collab to potentially earn both ladies their third career nods in this category.

Of course, legends should never be counted out. “This Woman,” which finds Busta Rhymes & J Dilla honoring the voice of the late D’Angelo, and “I Can’t Wait,” a splashy collaboration between Ye and Ms. Lauryn Hill, could both pull off didn’t-see-them-coming nominations.

In recent years, melodic rap performance has proven surprisingly difficult to predict, with chart-topping hits often living alongside deep cuts and overlooked singles in the final line-up of nominees. Here are a few more titles to keep an eye out for: “Cameras” (Isaiah Rashad & Dominic Fike), “High Noon” (Shaboozey & Gunna), “California Dream” (Jhené Aiko & Larry June), “Sunday Again” (6lack & 2 Chainz), “Go Girl” (Summer Walker, Latto & Doja Cat), “Birds & the Bees” (Baby Keem), “Face Card” (Skilla Baby, Chris Brown & Bryson Tiller) and “What You Saying” (Lil Uzi Vert).

Our Fearless Forecast

Our predictions are: “Girl, Get Up” (Doechii & SZA), “Raindance” (Dave & Tems), “E85” (Don Toliver), “Safe” (Cardi B & Kehlani) and “This Woman” (Busta Rhymes, J Dilla & D’Angelo).