Kendrick Lamar accomplished this without dropping a single solo track this year.

Kendrick Lamar has officially crossed the 11 billion–stream mark on Spotify in 2025 across all credits, securing the biggest streaming year of his entire career. At this point, it’s hard to deny he’s experiencing one of the most dominant two-year stretches in hip-hop history.

Much of this momentum traces back to his now-legendary feud with Drake—one that Kendrick decisively won, with the billion-stream diss track “Not Like Us” becoming one of the most impactful songs of the decade. The aftermath propelled him into an unstoppable cultural moment: the most-viewed Super Bowl halftime performance ever, a wave of GRAMMY nominations, and an album already viewed as a front-runner for Album of the Year. Add to that the runaway success of “luther,” a likely Song of the Year contender, and a massively successful tour alongside SZA, and Kendrick’s 2025 is nothing short of historic.

What makes this run even more remarkable is that Kendrick didn’t release a single solo track this year. His dominance has come entirely from existing music, features, cultural impact, and the viral staying power of tracks like “tv now,” “Not Like Us,” and “luther.” Even older songs such as “All the Stars” continue to post impressive numbers seven years after their debut.

With 11 billion streams and counting, Kendrick Lamar has proven yet again that he operates on a level few artists in any genre can match. This kind of longevity, cultural relevance, and musical influence—without lifting a finger in the form of new solo releases—makes his 2025 run one for the history books.

Quincy

Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.