Less than a month away from the six-year anniversary of his fourth studio album, Kendrick Lamar found another milestone for DAMN.
This month, the LP’s tenth track “LOVE” eclipsed 1 billion streams on Spotify. Featuring enchanting melodies from Zacari, who at the time was the latest signee to Lamar’s former label Top Dawg Entertainment, “LOVE” immediately resonated with fans.
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Peaking at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 following DAMN.’s release, the Kendrick-Zacari cut remained on the chart for 40 consecutive weeks. And with this latest achievement, it’s clear fans still press play on the timeless hit.
In fact, Lamar listeners still make frequent returns to the entire album. “LOVE” is the second song to hit 1 billion on Spotify after the project’s lead single “HUMBLE.” Meanwhile, the project’s second track, “DNA,” is positioned to reach the mark as well with currently more than 956 million plays.
In terms of his entire discography, “LOVE” is now the third song with 1 billion Spotify listens. “All The Stars” with SZA from the 2018 Black Panther soundtrack currently sits at 1.2 billion while “HUMBLE” sits at 1.8 billion.
May 2018 saw RIAA certify “LOVE” as 4x platinum. However, in the nearly five years following the certification, the song has surely achieved numbers that will likely help its pursuit to become a diamond single. Lamar has only achieved diamond certification once via his “Goosebumps” collaboration with Travis Scott.
Ultimately, “LOVE”’s continued success is just another reminder of how powerful and beloved Lamar’s DAMN. album was, even after he put out his recent Rap Album of the Year winning Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers in 2022.
Lamar’s 2023 is shaping up to be a busy one. He’ll headline Governors Ball 2023 in New York in early June before traveling to Tennessee for Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. He also headlines Bonnaroo on June 16.
(Photo by Santiago Bluguermann/Getty Images)