“Luther” Dominates Once Again: Kendrick Lamar and SZA Have Snatched the Headlines Indefinitely
It appears that Lamar and SZA have not yet sprung out of the gates this week; their chartbuster, “Luther,” has retained its position on the Billboard Hot 100. It is refreshing to know that “Luther” has retained its position for the sixth consecutive week. SZA and Kendrick Lamar have truly outdone themselves with the single, “Luther,” which does pay its dues to the greatly admired R&B singer Luther Vandross. This does make sense since SZA and Kendrick Lamar have been in the limelight lately for the single marking its tremendous run of six weeks in the first position.
“Luther” does seem to be paying its due share towards its artists as it marks some stiff competition in the industry. This emerges as Lamar’s sixth number one hit, while it is the third for SZA. It also means that these artists have fortified their positions due to the longest-charting single of their careers.
The Achievement of the Century: “Luther” Sets a Record for a Rap Song
The record of “Luther” does not seem to end at just taking over board charts. The record does have its own significance in the history of rap music. It has been previously achieved by Jack Harlow, who set the record for his song “Lovin on Me” (2023-24) in the previous years for a rap song on the Hot 100 since 24kGoldn’s “Mood,” which featured iann dior. The only rap songs that achieve victory on board recordings on this decade list all go to Roddy Ricch’s “The Box,” which takes over these decade songs with the courtesy of the 11-week-dominated board in 2020.
Wallan and Roan Make Waves
To accompany the continued reign of ‘Luther,’ the Wallen and Roan surge is forcing the currently stagnant Hot 100 to dynamically welcome new contenders into the top 10. Morgan Wallen’s ‘Just in Case’ is set to rise to number 4 with a bang, making it his 14th top 10 hit, according to reports. This record collection marvel is further supplemented by the fact it is the record fifth top 10 single released from an album before its official release. Wallen’s anticipated Billboard album I’m the Problem is set to drop on May 16th.
Moreover, the trek of Chappell Roan’s ‘Pink Pony Club’ to the No. 5 ground also makes a mark at this milestone as it signifies the third top five hit for Roan, solidifying her spot in enabling the industry.
Data and Methodology
The Billboard Hot 100 stems out as a unique tracklist that combines the various data streams to identify the most popular songs in the country into one comprehensive chart. It integrates U.S. streaming data (both audio and video), radio airplay statistics, and sales data. The sales data covers the purchases made as physical singles and digitals from a leading retailer, excluding the sponsored D2C sites.
All charts, including the Hot 100, will remain updated on Billboard.com till tomorrow, ‘April 1st,’ and are set to run on Luminate till ‘April 5, 2025.’ Fans can track changes to Billboard via @billboard and @billboardcharts on X and Instagram.
Independent data vendor Luminate provides the information for the Billboard charts, which rely on their data. Luminate offers assurance through a meticulous review of all provided data and its relevance to reality. In addition to billing, through predetermined standards, any questionable or unverified data is purged before the chart ranking takes shape and is published.
Sales and Streaming of Luther
Analyzing certain aspects of “Luther’s” overall performance helps identify reasons behind the maintained success. The track illustrates the performance of Larry “Luther” Jones boasting of his popularity with 58.3 million U.S. radio airplay audience impressions during the week of March 21-27. Larry also experienced a marginal 3% growth over the previous week alongside 26.3 million official streams, marking a 6% drop from last week, as well as selling 3,000 copies, which is a 13% lower growth relative to the previous week.
The single’s impressive performance is further proven by its streaming and digital sales metrics. Streaming Songs has “Luther” break back into the top spot from No. 3, claiming the throne for the fifth time, whereas Radio Songs has stagnant but still impressive standings with a steady No. 2 peak while maintaining position on the Digital Song Sales chart, dropping from No. 15 after peaking at No. 4.
“Luther” also maintains a strong hold on the R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap charts, where it still sits atop both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts for the 14th consecutive week as they are tracked using the same methodology as the Hot 100.
