Key Takeaways:
- Kendrick Lamar earned Billboard’s 2025 R&B/Hip Hop Artist of the Year title after a year of record-breaking success.
- His single “luther” featuring SZA broke records with a 23-week run at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart.
- Beyond music, Kendrick’s Emmy-winning Super Bowl performance and sold-out tour with SZA kept him at the center of Hip Hop culture.
Kendrick Lamar continues to rack up accolades in 2025 — and beyond. The Compton rapper has been named Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip Hop Artist of the Year thanks to his music dominating the charts the entire year.
K. Dot’s critically acclaimed GNX album was released on Nov. 22, 2024, and has maintained its hit-making momentum ever since. Per Billboard, the “Money Trees” rapper was chosen based on his music activity on the weekly Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts between Oct. 26, 2024, and Oct. 18, 2025.
The majority of Lamar’s success on Billboard was tied to his “luther” single, which features vocals from SZA. The Luther Vandross-sampling track, produced by Sounwave and Jack Antonoff among others, was an unavoidable smash all of 2025. By June, it broke the record for the longest-running No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart after a 23-week run.
The GNX album itself debuted at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, spent seven weeks at the peak spot, and remained in the Top 10 for most of the year. The LP was full of charting singles like "tv off," "peekaboo," and "squabble up." The Drake diss track “Not Like Us” also charted throughout the year.
Beyond the charts, King Kendrick was an ever-present and dominant figure in the Hip Hop zeitgeist. In February, he was the halftime headliner at the NFL’s Super Bowl, which broadcast his talents to a global audience and earned him an Emmy. The “Grand National Tour” he embarked on with SZA was a success as they routinely sold out stadiums and featured special guests for its acclaimed performances all year. It kicked off in April, and the Australian leg is still ongoing.
And for next year, Kendrick Lamar is nominated for nine Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.