By Rose Miami 
HangupsMusic.com – The highly anticipated return of the XXL Awards has officially commenced, heralding the 2026 season with a robust slate of nominees and an expanded, influential board of industry luminaries. Kicking off today, February 9th, the announcement unveils contenders across 15 distinct categories, including prestigious nods for Album of the Year and the coveted Male and Female Rapper of the Year titles. This year’s iteration promises heightened intrigue with the introduction of four exciting new categories: Verse of the Year, Social Media Master, Rapper-Hosted Podcast, and Viral Song of the Year, reflecting the dynamic evolution of the hip-hop landscape.
The ultimate victors will be determined through a rigorous voting process undertaken by the esteemed XXL Awards board. This distinguished assembly comprises a comprehensive cross-section of the music industry’s most impactful figures, including seasoned label executives, discerning A&Rs, strategic marketing experts, influential managers, prominent promoters, acclaimed producers, influential DJs, respected publicists, and a curated selection of veteran artists. While the board will cast their ballots for 14 categories, a single, crucial award, "The People’s Champ," will be decided by the collective voice of the fans. Voting for all categories opens today and will conclude on February 13th at 11:59 p.m. EST, with the winners set to be revealed later this month.
Further solidifying its position as a benchmark of hip-hop excellence, XXL has significantly bolstered its Awards board for 2026, welcoming an additional 45 influential figures. This expansion brings the total number of board members to an impressive 353, ensuring a diverse and knowledgeable voting body. Among the notable new inductees are industry titans such as Idris "Peeda Pan" Abdul Wahid, Antoine "Fee" Banks, Steve Berman, the acclaimed rapper and entrepreneur Big Sean, the pioneering Chief Keef, and influential figures like Carlos Cuadros, Josh Dickinson, DJ Drewski, DJ Kast One, Cara Donatto, Jessica Eason, Peter Edge, Bianca Edwards, Justin Eshak, Bill Evans, Kierra Felton, John Fleckenstein, Lena Franklin, the legendary Funkmaster Flex, Stan Gabart, Wendy Goldstein, David "Dave-O" Grear, David Gross, Ambrosia Healy, Norjon Hedman, Natalie Ho, Chris Jordan, Sophie Kautz, Jaide Lewis, Naim McNair, the chart-topping producer Metro Boomin, Zekiel Nicholson, Tim Pithouse, Joshua "J1" Raiford, Ebrahim "Abe" Rasheed, Malita Rice, Jim Roppo, Jentry Salvatore, Javier "Jay" Sang, Lauren Schneider, Jay Schumer, Dante Smith, Charlene Thomas, Michael "Blue" Williams, Henny Yegezu, and Amanda Zimmerman.
The full list of nominees across all categories for the XXL Awards 2026 is as follows:
Artist of the Year
- Tyler, The Creator
- Kendrick Lamar
- Drake
- Clipse
- Cardi B
- Playboi Carti
- YoungBoy Never Broke Again
Album of the Year
- Clipse, Let God Sort Em Out
- Cardi B, Am I the Drama?
- Playboi Carti, Music
- J.I.D, God Does Like Ugly
- Drake and PartyNextDoor, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U
- Tyler, The Creator, Don’t Tap The Glass
- Freddie Gibbs, Alfredo 2
Song of the Year
- Drake and PartyNextDoor, “Nokia”
- Metro Boomin, “Take Me Thru Dere” featuring Quavo, YKNiece, Breskii, DJ Spinz
- YoungBoy Never Broke Again, “Shot Callin”
- Clipse, “Chains & Whips” featuring Kendrick Lamar
- Gunna, “wgft” featuring Burna Boy
- Playboi Carti, “Rather Lie” with The Weeknd
- G Herbo, “Went Legit”
Male Rapper of the Year
- Tyler, The Creator
- Drake
- Kendrick Lamar
- Pusha T
- Malice
- YoungBoy Never Broke Again
- Playboi Carti
Female Rapper of the Year
- Cardi B
- Monaleo
- GloRilla
- Doechii
- Latto
- Megan Thee Stallion
- Ice Spice
Lyricist of the Year
- Malice
- Joey Bada$$
- J.I.D
- Drake
- Freddie Gibbs
- Chance The Rapper
- Wale
Producer of the Year
- Metro Boomin
- Sounwave
- The Alchemist
- Pharrell Williams
- Cardo Got Wings
- Turbo
- F1lthy
Performer of the Year
- Kendrick Lamar
- Drake
- Travis Scott
- Tyler, The Creator
- Doechii
- YoungBoy Never Broke Again
- Playboi Carti
Video of the Year
- Kendrick Lamar and SZA, “Luther”
- Drake, “Nokia”
- Clipse, “So Be It”
- Doechii, “Denial Is a River”
- Tyler, The Creator, “Darling, I”
- Travis Scott, “4×4”
- Destroy Lonely, “Screwed Up”
Verse of the Year
- J. Cole on “Clouds” (Verse 2)
- Malice on Clipse’s “F.I.C.O.” featuring Stove God Cooks
- Kendrick Lamar on Clipse’s “Chains & Whips”
- Pusha T on Clipse’s “So Be It”
- Samara Cyn on “Vitamins & Minerals” (Verse 1)
- J.I.D on “Community” featuring Clipse
- Meek Mill on Fridayy’s “Proud of Me”
Social Media Master of the Year
- 50 Cent
- Boosie BadAzz
- Cardi B
- Plies
- Dax
- Soulja Boy
- Vic Mensa
Rapper-Hosted Podcast of the Year
- The Joe Budden Podcast
- Million Dollaz Worth of Game (Gillie Da Kid and Wallo267)
- Fat Joe and Jada
- It Is What It Is (Cam’ron and Ma$e)
- Let’s Rap About It (Jim Jones, Fabolous, Maino, Dave East)
- Drink Champs
- Best Rapper in L.A. (Murs)
Viral Song of the Year
- Metro Boomin, “Take Me Thru Dere” featuring Quavo, YKNiece, Breskii, DJ Spinz
- Skrilla, “Doot Doot (6 7)”
- Pluto and YKNiece, “Whim Whammie”
- Rob49, “WTHelly”
- Doechii, “Anxiety”
- YoungBoy Never Broke Again, “Shot Callin”
- Gelo, “Tweaker”
Hip-Hop’s Humanitarian of the Year
- Gunna
- Chance The Rapper
- The Game
- Megan Thee Stallion
- 50 Cent
- Trae Tha Truth
- YoungBoy Never Broke Again
The People’s Champ
- YoungBoy Never Broke Again
- Playboi Carti
- Nicki Minaj
- Tyler, The Creator
- Travis Scott
- Drake
- Megan Thee Stallion
- GloRilla
- Kendrick Lamar
- Cardi B
- 50 Cent
- Gunna
- G Herbo
- J.I.D
- Joey Bada$$
- Pooh Shiesty
- Westside Gunn
- Eminem
- Yeat
- Malice