Kendrick Lamar Spotify streams jump after half time show - Only half a million listeners away from all-time record

Kendrick Lamar’s dominant 2024 has spilled over into 2025, as his wins keep mounting (both real and perceived). After his impressive run at the Grammys, he followed up with an even bigger statement on one of the world’s largest stages, the Super Bowl halftime show. His precisely crafted 13-minute minute medley included excerpts from 10 songs, including most notably the culture-shaping diss track Not Like Us. According to Spotify, the reception to his performance led directly to an exponential rise in his streams across the board.

Kendrick Lamar Skyrockets on Spotify

Per the numbers, Not Like Us enjoyed a 430% spike in streams on Spotify after his iconic performance in New Orleans. The nine other songs he performed reached into the double digits as well for a collective 175% total gain, according to data provided by the streaming service. Interestingly SZA who was a guest feature saw her streams as a whole increase by a whopping 80% on Spotify in the United States in response to the halftime show performance.

The viewing audience took to DSPs to do a deep dive into the artists’ respective work as soon as their set had concluded.

While this is clear evidence that the ‘Half Time show effect’ is tangible, it also inches Kendrick Lamar closer to a major milestone with another victory in his sights. Dot is now less than half a million listeners away from breaking the all-time record for most monthly listeners for a hip-hop artist in Spotify history.

If this wasn’t enough of a statement regarding his body of work, it’s made even more poetic by the fact that if he crosses the intended mark, he would be surpassing Drake as the previous holder of the illustrious designation. What a full-circle moment that would be.

Not Like Us

Before his Super Bowl appearance fans had been speculating whether or not Kendrick Lamar would perform Not Like Us on America’s biggest stage. Dot did not disappoint and the track was the biggest beneficiary from the noticeable jump in streaming numbers on Spotify. The track in question was one of the diss tracks from his ongoing feud with Drake. Euphoria, another track Lamar released during their heated beef, also cut his New Orleans showcase.

Firmly sticking to his resolve, Kendrick Lamar called out Drake by name, in a moment that was instantly minted as the meme of 2025 thus far. While he refrained from using the word ‘pedophile’ which appears on what’s arguably the track’s most iconic bar, the packed stadium was still on board with chanting out “tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor”. ‘Euphoria’, another track Lamar released during the heated beef, also made the cut in New Orleans.