Kendrick Lamar’s Two Record Of The Year Winners Return To The Charts

Kendrick Lamar’s “Luther” with SZA and “Not Like Us” — his two Record of the Year Grammy winners — return to multiple Billboard charts together.Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl LIX Pregame + Apple Music Halftime Show Press Conference on February 06, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images).

Billboard via Getty Images

At the 2026 Grammy Awards, Kendrick Lamar, alongside his frequent collaborator, SZA, took home multiple honors. The two most notably came out on top in the Record of the Year category, which is often considered the most sought-after prize at music’s biggest night.

Only a handful of hip-hop or R&B tracks have been nominated for the prestigious trophy, and even fewer have won. Lamar and SZA snagged the hardware for “Luther,” their ode to the great Luther Vandross, and when that name was called, he became just the fourth musical act in history to snag back-to-back Record of the Year Grammys. He also walked away with the golden gramophone at the 2025 ceremony with his Drake diss track, “Not Like Us.”

Both of those smashes return to Billboard charts this week as they remain hugely popular, even after their promotional periods eclipsed.

Kendrick Lamar’s “Luther” Reenters Multiple Streaming Charts

Between those two songs by Lamar, “Luther” is the bigger hit at the moment. That’s not surprising, since it’s the newer of the pair and the one that collected the Record of the Year Grammy only about a month ago.

“Luther” bounds back onto the Streaming Songs chart, Billboard’s rundown of the 50 most-played tunes of any genre or language on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and others, at No. 47. Coincidentally, the former champion reenters one of the most competitive lists published by the company each week in America in that spot during its forty-seventh stay on the rundown.

The same smash also breaks back onto the Rap Streaming Songs chart, a more specific version of the Streaming Songs tally. “Luther” finds its way to No. 5 on that list after not appearing just a few days ago.

“Not Like Us” Returns to the Top 10

Lamar doubles up with comebacks on the Rap Streaming Songs chart as his two Record of the Year recipients both break back inside the top 10. “Not Like Us” sneaks onto the roster at No. 9, just a few pegs beneath where “Luther” reenters. “Not Like Us” also bounds onto the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs tally at lucky No. 13.

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Looking beyond only the rosters where “Luther” and “Not Like Us” return, the former of the two – the biggest hit from Lamar’s GNX album – is a major win on several other rankings. “Luther” is steady at No. 3 on the Rap Airplay chart and jumps 10 spaces to No. 9 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs tally, settling in just a few spaces ahead of where “Not Like Us” reappears. “Not Like Us” can also be located on the Rap Digital Song Sales roster, where it dips two spots to No. 9, where it is miraculously counted among the 10 bestselling rap cuts in the nation.

Kendrick Lamar’s Global Wins Include Two SZA Smashes

Lamar currently fills three spaces on the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S., the two worldwide rosters. “Luther,” “All the Stars” – another collaboration with SZA – and “Not Like Us” all improve on the Billboard Global 200, settling in at No. 70, No. 77, and No. 93, respectively.

Only “All the Stars” also manages to better its position on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S., where streams and sales originating from America are of no consequence. On that list, the Oscar-nominated cut pushes three spaces north to No. 86. Both “Luther” and “Not Like Us” fall on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S.

Kendrick Lamar Joins U2, Roberta Flack and Billie Eilish

The first musician to win back-to-back Record of the Year Grammys was Roberta Flack, who did so in 1973 and 1974. The first honor was for “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” and then a year later with “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” U2 became the second act to manage the showing with both “Beautiful Day” and “Walk On” in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Billie Eilish shocked the music industry when “Bad Guy” and “Everything I Wanted” – the latter a standalone single – came out on top earlier this decade, and just a month ago, Lamar joined this exclusive club.