Kendrick Lamar continues his reign at the top of the music world as his chart-topping collaboration with SZA, “Luther,” has officially surpassed one billion streams on Spotify. The milestone comes just seven months after the song’s release in November, making it Lamar’s fastest track to hit the billion-stream mark.
The achievement sees “Luther” breaking Lamar’s previous streaming record, held by his viral hit “Not Like Us,” which reached the milestone in eight months. With this latest feat, “Luther” becomes Kendrick’s eleventh song to enter Spotify’s billion-streams club, joining fan favorites like “HUMBLE.,” “Money Trees,” and the Oscar-nominated “All the Stars,” another standout collaboration with SZA.
“Luther” has been nothing short of a global phenomenon since its debut. Earlier this year, the single spent an impressive 13 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and dominated the Billboard Hip Hop chart for a staggering 25 weeks. Its blend of Lamar’s lyrical sharpness with SZA’s soulful melodies struck a chord with fans and critics alike, propelling it to become one of 2025’s defining tracks.
This latest streaming milestone adds to what has already been a monumental year for Kendrick Lamar. Just weeks ago, the Compton-born rapper swept the 2025 BET Awards, taking home five major trophies. The event, held in his hometown of Los Angeles, saw Kendrick winning Album of the Year, Best Hip Hop Artist, Best Collaboration, Video of the Year, and Video Director of the Year—an accolade he shared with longtime friend and creative partner Dave Free.
During the televised BET Awards ceremony, Kendrick made a rare appearance to accept his Album of the Year award. In his speech, he gave heartfelt thanks to BET for consistently representing authentic hip hop culture. “I ain’t been here in a long time but I always kept my heart BET,” he said. “I always made sure they representing the culture right and they put me in the midst of the cycle we represent and that’s real, true, down-to-earth music that people can feel so I always give my heart to BET.”
Kendrick also took a moment to shout out his company pgLang, his Los Angeles supporters, and SZA, who was in the crowd during the awards show. “We on tour right now, please come to the show. We gonna keep this thing going, I appreciate y’all,” he said.
For SZA, “Luther” has also marked a major career highlight. Just last week, she publicly thanked Kendrick for what she called “the biggest moment” of her life, referencing the song’s cultural impact and chart success.
As “Luther” continues to rack up streams and Kendrick’s dominance in the industry shows no signs of slowing, fans can only wonder what records the rapper and his collaborators will break next.
