Luther (song)

"Luther" is a love ballad that combines contemporary R&B^[2] and hip-hop^[3][4] with elements of 1980s R&B and freestyle music.^[5] The lyrics are about imagining a better future for one's beloveds.^[6] The track begins with classical guitar riffs and a vocal sample of Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn's 1982 rendition of "If This World Were Mine",^[7][8] originally performed by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.^[9] After the sample, Lamar delivers his first verse in a monotone, pauses with repeated "fa"s, then continues his second verse, which is accentuated by double vocal tracking and an orchestral swell.^[7] The chorus features Lamar and SZA harmonizing together, with SZA's vocals being layered on top of Lamar's, against accentuations of 808 drums and hi-hats.^[7][10]

A concept art music video for the song was released on April 11, 2025, directed by Canadian director and actress Karena Evans.^[11][12] It stars both Lamar and SZA, along with Nigerian-American musician, visual artist and model Annahstasia Enuke playing Lamar's love interest, while model Geron McKinley plays SZA's respective love interest.^[13][14][15] Most of the scenes were shot on location of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles, as well as the Brandeis-Bardin Campus of American Jewish University and its House of the Book, in the Simi Hills of the Simi Valley, in California,^[16][17][18] the same shooting location where the one-minute teaser for GNX was filmed.^[19][20] The song pauses throughout the video to play the original sample of "If This World Were Mine", and the video's final minute consists of Vandross' first verse playing uninterrupted. The video won the 2025 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Music Video and the 2026 Juno Award for Video of the Year.

The song received widespread critical acclaim. Writing for NME, Kyann-Sian Williams thought the song was yet another demonstration of the duo's "chart-topping chemistry" and praised their "debonair" take on a "traditional love ballad".^[3] Lindsay Zoladz at The New York Times called "Luther" a notably "tender moment" and "three-minute pause" from an otherwise boastful album.^[6] Tomás Mier of Rolling Stone noted Lamar for "stretching his singing chops" before being joined by SZA.^[21] The song was nominated for three Grammy Awards in 2026, winning two for Record of the Year and Best Melodic Rap Performance.

In New Zealand, "Luther" debuted at number one on the Official Aotearoa Music Charts, marking Lamar's fourth overall number-one single in the country, and his second for 2024. Following the Super Bowl LIX halftime show performance, "Luther" returned to the top spot and spent five consecutive weeks, totaling six weeks atop.^[29]

In the United States, "Luther" debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, following the release of GNX. It re-entered the top ten on the chart dated January 11, 2025, at number seven. Starting at the issue date of January 25, 2025, "Luther" gradually climbed up each spot,^[30] until it finally reached number one on the chart dated March 1, 2025, becoming Lamar's sixth number-one hit and SZA's third.^[31] The song spent thirteen straight weeks at the summit of the chart, becoming both Lamar and SZA's longest-running chart-topper.^[32] The song finished at number two on the 2025 Billboard Hot 100 Year-End chart.^[33]

Lamar made history on the December 21, 2024, issue of Billboard by replacing himself at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart with "Luther", becoming the first artist to achieve three consecutive number ones without interruption in the magazine's history.^[34] The single spent 31 nonconsecutive weeks at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the longest reign in the chart's history. It likewise topped Hot Rap Songs for 47 weeks, also marking the longest-running number-one single to date on that ranking.

The duo performed "Luther" as part of Lamar's Super Bowl LIX halftime show performance in February 2025.^[35] Later in April, they began embarking on the co-headlining Grand National Tour, where they performed "Luther" as one of the concerts' final songs.^[36]

• Kendrick Lamar – songwriter, composer, vocals
• SZA – songwriter, composer, guest vocals
• Sam Dew – songwriter, composer, additional vocals
• Ink – songwriter, composer
• Jack Antonoff – composer, recording, producer
• Scott Bridgeway – composer, producer
• roselilah – composer, producer
• M-Tech – composer, additional producer
• Ray Charles Brown, Jr – recording
• Oli Jacobs – recording, mixing
• Tony Austin – recording
• Laura Sisk – recording
• Jonathan Turner – recording
• Sounwave – composer, producer
• Kamasi Washington – composer, producer

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