Kendrick Lamar's Diss Track Breaks Spotify Record

It's 'Game Over' As Kendrick Lamar Breaks Drake’s Spotify Record with 'Not Like Us'

Kendrick Lamar solidifies his place in hip-hop history by surpassing Drake’s record for the most monthly listeners for a rapper on Spotify. With 88.9 million monthly listeners, Lamar has now claimed the top spot, dethroning the Canadian rapper.

'Not Like Us' on Kendrick Lamar’s Streaming Success

Lamar’s dominance on Spotify comes after the explosive success of his diss track, Not Like Us, which was originally released during his feud with Drake in 2024. Within just one month of its release, the track racked up an impressive 300 million streams on the platform.

The song had already made waves in November 2024 when Drake filed a lawsuit alleging that Universal Music Group (UMG) manipulated streaming numbers to favor Lamar. However, both UMG and Spotify dismissed these claims, with UMG asserting that they did not offer lower licensing rates than standard industry practices.

Super Bowl LXI Performance Fuels Kendrick Lamar’s Record-Breaking Growth

A major turning point in Lamar’s streaming surge was his electrifying performance at Super Bowl LXI on February 9, 2025. The event, which drew over 100 million viewers, led to a 175% increase in his Spotify streaming numbers, according to kworb net's stats on Spotify release.

In just 48 hours, Lamar gained 2.5 million new monthly listeners, further cementing his dominance. Performing Not Like Us at the Super Bowl also triggered a 430% surge in the track’s streams, pushing it past 1 billion total plays on Spotify last month.

Lamar’s diss track did more than just dominate streaming platforms—it also swept the Grammy Awards, winning in five different categories. On the charts, Not Like Us held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for several weeks and topped the Hot Rap Songs chart, proving its massive impact on the industry.