Kendrick Lamar Crosses 1 Billion Spotify Streams in 2026
Kendrick Lamar has become the third rapper to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify so far in 2026. He joins Drake and Kanye West in reaching the milestone this year. The achievement underscores his continued commercial success and fuels anticipation for new music and potential festival appearances.
- Drake was the first rapper to reach the milestone in 2026, surpassing 1 billion streams in just 20 days and hitting 2 billion by early February. - Kanye West, also known as Ye, became the second rapper to cross 1 billion streams in 2026, achieving the feat in mid-February, largely driven by the performance of his legacy catalog. - A significant portion of Lamar's recent streaming success can be attributed to his sixth studio album, *GNX*, which was surprise-released on November 22, 2024, and became his fifth project to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. - In February 2025, Lamar became the first rapper in history to reach 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify, joining a small group of artists to ever hit that milestone. - Lamar's 2017 album, *DAMN.*, which won a Pulitzer Prize, continues to be a major streaming driver, having surpassed 10 billion total streams on Spotify in August 2025. - Fans are anticipating new music from a confirmed feature on his cousin Baby Keem's album *Ca$ino*, scheduled for a February 20, 2026 release. - A live-action comedy film produced by Lamar and his company PGLang, in collaboration with *South Park* creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, has been delayed and is now scheduled for a March 20, 2026 release.
