Cardi B & Kehlani: Take Best Hip-Hop at the VMAs

Cardi B, one of the biggest names in hip-hop, and Kehlani, the R&B/pop singer known for her genre-blending sound, their collab “Safe,” off Cardi’s 2025 album Am I the Drama?, won Best Hip-Hop at the 2026 MTV VMAs, held Sunday, September 27, at the Peacock Theater in LA with Snoop Dogg hosting.

Am I the Drama? dropped in 2025, went triple platinum, and fueled a 35-show tour that grossed over $70 million. It already won Best Hip-Hop Album at this year’s AMAs. Sunday’s VMA win beat out a stacked field — Drake’s “Janice STFU,” Travis Scott’s “Dumbo,” Tyler, The Creator’s “Sugar on My Tongue,” Don Toliver’s “E85,” and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Lover Girl.”

It’s Cardi’s fifth career VMA and her second win in this category (first was 2019’s “Money”). It’s also notable because pop dominated the night overall — Madonna and Taylor Swift swept most of the marquee categories — so this was hip-hop’s one big moment, and Cardi delivered it. She’s also already teased her next album for 2027.

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Ariel Newbold

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