Luther — Kendrick Lamar & SZA

Released on Kendrick Lamar's GNX album, "Luther" sampled Luther Vandross to showcase a softer romantic register, accumulating over 1.8 billion streams in 2025 alongside a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Song. Its 15% higher first-week retention rate than the average rap ballad on this list proved that the Kendrick and SZA pairing outperformed #3 "Espresso" in streaming consistency among dedicated fans.