All the Stars

Lamar first hinted at his involvement with the Black Panther soundtrack album in the music video for his song "Love", released on December 22, 2017.^[3][10] In the video, at about 1:54 into the song, a clapperboard is shown with the words "B.Panther Soundtrack Coming Soon".^[11] Lamar subsequently announced his involvement on January 4, 2018, along with the release of "All the Stars".^[3][6]

Upon its release, Lamar announced his praise for Black Panther and its director, Ryan Coogler, writing "the magnitude of [the] film showcases a great marriage of art and culture. I'm truly honored to contribute my knowledge of producing sound and writing music alongside Ryan and Marvel's vision."^[5][6]

"All the Stars" received positive reviews from critics. Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone praised the song, calling Lamar's verse "defiant" and SZA's verse "enthralling" and "filled with vocal turns".^[7] However, Sheldon Pearce of Pitchfork gave the song a negative review, calling it "generic" and "pales in comparison to [Lamar and SZA's] recent works".^[12] Pearce further wrote that the song is "full of heavy-handed plotting and everyman cliches" and is "so nondescript that it reeks of compromise, devoid of personality or any true vision."^[12] Although Pearce complimented Lamar and SZA's performances and the "slick production", he ultimately wrote that "'All the Stars' is uncharacteristically conservative for these two stars, all in service of a bigger picture."^[12]

In December 2018, Billboard ranked "All the Stars" as the 15th best song of the year.^[13]

In the week ending January 20, 2018, "All the Stars" debuted at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[14] For the week ending March 3, 2018, the single reached number seven on the Hot 100.^[15] It is Lamar's second top-ten hit on the chart in 2018, following his collaboration with the Weeknd on "Pray for Me", which reached number seven in early February. It also became SZA's second top-ten hit on the chart following her collaboration with Maroon 5 on the single "What Lovers Do".^[16] On the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, "All the Stars" debuted at number 19 and stayed in the top 20 for three weeks. In its fifth week, it reached number five on the chart.

Worldwide, the song peaked at number one in Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, and Slovakia. The song reached the top ten in Australia, Canada, Hungary, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

The song is certified diamond in France and Brazil.

The music video for the song was filmed in January 2018 and released to Lamar's Vevo channel on YouTube on February 6, 2018. It was directed by Dave Meyers and the Little Homies.^[17] As of September 2025, the video has over 583 million views.^[18]

The video features themes and images of Afrocentrism and Afrofuturism, referencing the visual language of the film. The beginning of the video references to the Middle Passage, with appearances of Fulani hats, La Sape, Pantsula, Kufi caps, traditional African masks, and Kandake at the end. The video also features a sequence where Lamar walks alongside several panthers referencing the Black Panther soundtrack album.^[19][20]

Lamar and SZA performed "All the Stars" during their co-headlining Grand National Tour (2025). Concerts were divided into nine acts; they performed the song during the fifth.^[23] Standing on opposite ends of the runway, they sung their parts as the platforms below the two took them higher into the air.^[24]

Credits adapted from digital booklet.^[26]

Performers

• Kendrick Lamar – vocals
• SZA – vocals

Technical

• Matt Schaeffer – record engineering, mix engineering
• Mike Bozzi – master engineering
• Sam Ricci – record engineering
• James Hunt – record engineering
• Lorenzo Richards - record engineering

Production

• Ezinma – string arrangement
• Sounwave – production
• Al Shux – production

• List of highest-certified singles in Australia
• List of number-one songs of 2018 (Malaysia)
• List of number-one songs of 2018 (Singapore)
• Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2018