Kendrick Lamar Makes History With Another Week At No. 1

Forbes

15-05-2025

Kendrick Lamar and SZA's 'Luther' hits 20 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, tying ... More 'Old Town Road' and nearing an all-time record. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 11: Kendrick Lamar performs during the 2023 Governors Ball Music Festival at Flushing Meadows Corona Park on June 11, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage)
In just the past year, Kendrick Lamar has produced two of his biggest songs. That's quite the feat for a rapper who has already been at the top of his game for well over a decade. Following 'Not Like Us,' which ended his feud with Drake with certainty, Lamar dropped a new album titled GNX at the end of 2024.
That project has produced multiple smashes, with 'Luther' — his latest collaboration with SZA — being the most popular. It's that tune that makes history again this frame, as it holds at No. 1 on multiple Billboard rankings.
'Luther' is steady at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart this week. The track reaches its milestone twentieth frame in charge of the list of the most consumed songs in those styles throughout the U.S. The ranking blends sales, streams, and radio activity to show true popularity — and for months now, that top spot has belonged to 'Luther.'
Amazingly, the Lamar-SZA tune has only spent 24 weeks on this ranking, as it needed only a very short span of time before it rose to the summit, and it's largely proved unbeatable since.
'Luther' is just the fourth track in history to spend 20 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Half of those tunes are by Lamar, and coincidentally, half are also by SZA — though the two musicians manage the feat with different compositions.
With 20 weeks at No. 1, 'Luther' is tied with 'Old Town Road' by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus as the third-longest-running leader of all time on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Ahead of it by just one frame is 'Kill Bill' by SZA. The all-time record was set only a few months ago by 'Not Like Us' — which means Lamar may soon match, and then pass, his own best showing.
In just a few days, it's highly likely that SZA will tie her greatest performance on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. At the moment, it doesn't look like 'Luther' faces any serious competition that may dethrone it. There's every chance that SZA will soon not only match Lamar's greatest performance and the all-time record, but beat her own best showing as well. The two have been unstoppable for several years now, and 'Luther' is quickly becoming a career-defining success for the pair.