While it seems most automakers are staying away from spending big bucks on Super Bowl ads, there was no shortage of car-adjacent material at the Grammys this past weekend—even if little of it was officially sanctioned by the car brands themselves. After all, the music industry and cool cars have always gone hand-in-hand.
Kendrick Lamar walked away with an armload of trophies, earning no fewer than five Grammys, including one for Record of the Year. In case you’re unfamiliar, that confusingly named prize is awarded for one track, or a single from an entire album; in this case, it was the Drake diss track “Not Like Us” which not only gained huge airplay, but also smacked Drizzy back into the middle of last week.
Where cars come into all this is the title of Lamar’s latest album, a surprise drop in November called GNX. This is in direct reference to the mighty Buick Grand National Experimental hot-rod coupe of 1987, a model developed with McLaren (yes, that McLaren) and tuned to such heights that it waxed a contemporary Ferrari F40 in the quarter-mile. GNX is also the album’s penultimate track, and the entire upcoming supporting tour is called Grand National.
It is said Lamar holds the model in such high regard because it’s the type of car in which he was brought home after being born.
While we do not wish to give much air to the bizarre stunt pulled by Kanye West at this year’s Grammys, in terms of this post, it is worth noting Ye and Bianca Censori were spotted arriving in a pair of half-million-dollar chrome Maybach sedans, showcased earlier on an Instagram account billed to West’s manager John Monopoly. Perhaps the rapper will use the reflective finish to take a good look at himself—but probably not.
One of the nominees for Best Country Album was Post Malone with F-1 Trillion, released last August and featuring a slew of collabs with artists ranging from Tim McGraw to Luke Combs. On the cover is a 1971 Ford pickup truck appearing to stand on its grille above a body of water. In actual fact, it is a photo taken milliseconds before an actual truck slammed into a Mexican lake called Presa Salto del Nogal after being dropped from a crane.
The album art for its deluxe edition, called F-1 Trillion: Long Bed, shows the truck much higher in the air with the crane digitally erased. The battered remains of the vintage Ford were on display for a spell at a restaurant in Texas.
The rapper Doechii – who spits bars faster than the speed of light, even if absolutely none of them can be printed here – earned a Grammy in the Best Rap Album category, but it was the Best Rap Performance nomination for “Nissan Altima” which makes our list. The lyrics make precisely zero mention of the midsize sedan, but the video is filmed entirely in front of a third-gen example being towed away on the back of a flat-deck truck. It’s completely random in the best way possible.
And anyone who has seen Sabrina Carpenter’s video for the Grammy-winning song “Espresso” knows the singer is hove into a 1967 Plymouth Belvedere cop car as the track concludes, but not before lounging in a R107-era Mercedes 450 SL that’s been painted yellow and converted into a swimming pool. As one does.
This post on Instagram shows details of that build which was handled by a shop called Fused Metals.
Did we miss any 2025 Grammys-related star cars? Which was your favourite? Let us know in the comments below.
Sign up for our newsletter Blind-Spot Monitor and follow our social channels on Instagram ,Facebook and X to stay up to date on the latest automotive news, reviews, car culture, and vehicle shopping advice.