Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s LUTHER Reigns Supreme with 11th Week at #1 on Billboard Hot 100

Jephthah Nana Adjei Osei - Mensah
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Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s LUTHER Reigns Supreme with 11th Week at #1 on Billboard Hot 100
Kendrick Lamar & SZA
Written By : Ekow Adjei Mensah


Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s soulful collaboration LUTHER has cemented its place in music history, securing an 11th consecutive week at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 as of May 5, 2025, making it the longest-running chart-topper of the year. The track, a tribute to R&B legend Luther Vandross through its sample of his and Cheryl Lynn’s cover of IF THIS WORLD WERE MINE, blends Kendrick’s incisive lyricism with SZA’s emotive vocals, resonating with a broad audience. 

Released on Lamar’s GNX album via pgLang/Interscope, LUTHER has amassed 68.4 million radio airplay impressions, 21.9 million streams, and 2,000 sales in the U.S. for the April 18-24 tracking week, per Billboard. Its historic run marks it as the first song by a solo male and female duo without additional acts to lead for double-digit weeks, surpassing Diana Ross and Lionel Richie’s nine-week ENDLESS LOVE in 1981.

The song’s dominance extends beyond the Hot 100, holding #1 for 18 weeks on both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, a proof of its genre-blending appeal. LUTHER has also topped Radio Songs for four weeks and Streaming Songs for seven, with its April 11 video release, directed by Karena Evans, boosting streams by 10% that week to 25 million. 

This milestone ties Roddy Ricch’s THE BOX (2020) for the longest #1 rap hit this decade, with posts on X suggesting it could soon claim the record if it maintains its 89% chance of a 12th week at #1. The track’s success, fueled by its Super Bowl LIX performance and the duo’s Grand National Tour launch on April 19, underscores Kendrick and SZA’s cultural and commercial prowess, with SZA calling Lamar’s elusive genius a key to their magic on The Sherri Show.

LUTHER’s prolonged chart reign reflects a stagnant yet competitive Hot 100, where older hits like Shaboozey’s A BAR SONG (Tipsy) and Teddy Swims’ LOSE CONTROL persist, as noted on Reddit’s popheads. Despite this, the song’s cross-format appeal, topping Adult R&B Airplay, Rap Airplay, and more, sets it apart, making history as the first to lead both Adult R&B and Rap Airplay charts.

For Kendrick, it’s his sixth Hot 100 #1, and for SZA, her third, each extending their longest chart reigns. As the duo prepares for their European tour leg, “LUTHER continues to captivate, blending nostalgia, innovation, and raw emotion. Its enduring success signals not only a personal triumph for Kendrick and SZA but also a defining moment for R&B and rap’s mainstream convergence.

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