Kendrick Lamar, Doechii, SZA and other Hip-Hop/R&B artists have received nominations ahead of the iHeartRadio Music Awards.
On Thursday, January 8, iHeartMedia and FOX Entertainment revealed the nominees for the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards. Kendrick Lamar racked up five nominations, including Artist of the Year and Hip-Hop Artist of the Year. His hit "luther" featuring SZA also earned nominations for Song of the Year, Hip-Hop Song of the Year, and Best Collaboration. Other rappers like Drake, Cardi B, GloRilla, Sexyy Red, Playboi Carti and BigXthaPlug, were also nominated in categories like Hip-Hop Artist of the Year and Hip-Hop Song of the Year.
Doechii is also in the running for Song of the Year and Best Lyrics for her hit "Anxiety." The track appears on her critically acclaimed album Alligator Bites Never Heal, but it first debuted in 2019 as part of her "COVEN MUSIC" segments on her YouTube channel. "Anxiety" has been a fan favorite of Doechii's for years, but it gained even more popularity after the audio went viral on TikTok last February. After she finally got the Gotye sample cleared, Doechii released it as a single along with an accompanying music video. Meanwhile, other rising stars like Zeddy Will, Moliy, Pluto and YKNIECE were also nominated for Best New Hip-Hop Artist.
In addition to SZA's nominations, other R&B acts like Leon Thomas, Chris Brown, Kehlani, and Mariah The Scientist were nominated for categories like R&B Song of the Year and R&B Artist of the Year. Fresh acts like Jenevieve, kwn and Sailorr are in the running for Best New R&B Artist along with Leon Thomas and Mariah The Scientist.
The 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards will are live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 26, at 8:00 p.m. ET on FOX. The event will also be heard on iHeartRadio stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio app.