"Luther" (stylized in alllowercase) is a song by American rapperKendrick Lamar and American singer-songwriterSZA. Titled after the AmericanR&B andsoul singerLuther Vandross, the track contains asample of Vandross andCheryl Lynn's 1982 rendition of "If This World Were Mine", originally performed byMarvin Gaye andTammi Terrell. "Luther" was released as the third single from Lamar's sixth studio album,GNX, on November 29, 2024, throughPGLang andInterscope Records.

"Luther" was written by Lamar, SZA,Ink, andSam Dew; it was produced bySounwave,Jack Antonoff,Ruchaun "Scott Bridgeway" Akers,Kamasi Washington, Matthew "M-Tech" Bernard andRoshwita Larisha "roselilah" Bacha. AnR&B andhip-hoplove ballad with influences of 1980s R&B andfreestyle music, "Luther" features Lamar and SZA's vocal harmonies against808 drums,hi-hats, and anorchestral arrangement. Its lyrics are about imagining a better future for one's loved ones.

Music critics lauded "Luther" for the vocal chemistry between Lamar and SZA; many reviews highlighted it as a tender and heartfelt track compared toGNX's boastful other songs. The single spent 13 consecutive weeks at number one on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart, making it Lamar and SZA's longest-charting number one song on the chart, as well as the second longest-running hip-hop song of all time on the Hot 100, behindLil Nas X's "Old Town Road". It also peaked at number one in New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and South Africa; at number three on theBillboard Global 200 chart; and in the top 10 in many countries including in Australia, Canada, Portugal, and the UK.

Lamar and SZA first performed "Luther" live at theSuper Bowl LIX halftime show on February 9, 2025. At the68th Grammy Awards, "Luther" wonRecord of the Year andBest Melodic Rap Performance, and was additionally nominated forSong of the Year.

"Luther" is alove ballad that combinescontemporary R&B^[1] andhip-hop^[2][3] with elements of 1980s R&B andfreestyle music.^[4] The lyrics are about imagining a better future for one's beloveds.^[5] The track begins withclassical guitarriffs and a vocal sample ofLuther Vandross andCheryl Lynn's 1982 rendition of "If This World Were Mine",^[6][7] originally performed byMarvin Gaye andTammi Terrell.^[8] After the sample, Lamar delivers his firstverse in a monotone, pauses with repeated "fa"s, then continues his secondverse, which is accentuated by double vocal tracking and anorchestral swell.^[6] Thechorus features Lamar and SZAharmonizing together, with SZA's vocals being layered on top of Lamar's, against accentuations of808 drums andhi-hats.^[6][9]

Aconcept art music video for the song was released on April 11, 2025, directed by Canadian director and actressKarena Evans.^[10][11] It stars both Lamar and SZA, along withNigerian-American musician, visual artist and modelAnnahstasia Enuke playing Lamar's love interest, while model Geron McKinley plays SZA's respective love interest.^[12][13][14] Most of the scenes were shot on location of theWestin Bonaventure Hotel inLos Angeles, as well as theBrandeis-Bardin Campus of American Jewish University and itsHouse of the Book, in theSimi Hills of theSimi Valley, inCalifornia,^[15][16][17] the same shooting location where the one-minute teaser forGNX was filmed.^[18][19] The song pauses throughout the video to play the original sample of "If This World Were Mine", and the video's final minute consists Vandross' first verse playing uninterrupted.

The song received widespread critical acclaim. Writing forNME, 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".^[2] Lindsay Zoladz atThe New York Times called "Luther" a notably "tender moment" and "three-minute pause" from an otherwise boastful album.^[5] Tomás Mier ofRolling Stone noted Lamar for "stretching his singing chops" before being joined by SZA.^[20] The song was nominated for three Grammy Awards in 2026, winning two forRecord of the Year andBest Melodic Rap Performance.

InNew Zealand, "Luther" debuted at number one on theOfficial Aotearoa Music Charts, marking Lamar's fourth overall number-one single in the country, and his second for 2024. Following theSuper Bowl LIX halftime show performance, "Luther" returned to the top spot and spent five consecutive weeks, totaling six weeks atop.^[26]

In theUnited States, "Luther" debuted at number three on theBillboard Hot 100, following the release ofGNX. 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,^[27] until it finally reached number one on the chart dated March 1, 2025, becoming Lamar's sixth number-one hit and SZA's third.^[28] The song spent thirteen straight weeks at the summit of the chart, becoming both Lamar and SZA's longest-running chart-topper.^[29] The song finished at number two on the 2025Billboard Hot 100 Year-End chart.^[30]

Lamar made history on the December 21, 2024, issue ofBillboard by replacing himself at number one on theHot 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.^[31] The single spent 31 nonconsecutive weeks at number one on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the longest reign in the chart's history. It likewise toppedHot Rap Songs for 46 weeks, also marking the longest-running number-one single to date on that ranking.

The duo performed "Luther" as part of Lamar'sSuper Bowl LIX halftime show performance in February 2025.^[32] Later in April, they began embarking on the co-headliningGrand National Tour, where they performed "Luther" as one of the concerts' final songs.^[33]

• 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

• 2024 singles
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• Contemporary R&B ballads
• Music videos directed by Karena Evans
• Pop ballads
• Songs written by Atia Boggs
• Songs written by Kendrick Lamar
• Songs written by SZA
• Songs written by Sam Dew
• Songs written by Sounwave
• Songs written by Jack Antonoff
• Songs written by Marvin Gaye
• Song recordings produced by Jack Antonoff

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