Kendrick's Unstoppable 2025: Surprise Album, Billion Streams, Grammy Nods, and Drake Rumors

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Kendrick Lamar has had an absolutely dominant past few days, cementing what many are calling one of the most historic runs in hip-hop history. The Compton rapper dropped his sixth studio album, GNX, on Friday, November 22nd without any warning whatsoever. No advance singles, no cryptic social media posts, just a surprise release that immediately topped multiple Billboard charts. The twelve-track project features collaborations with SZA, Deyra Barrera, and Dody6, with production from heavyweight names like Jack Antonoff, Sounwave, and Kamasi Washington.

What makes this album drop even more remarkable is that it caps an already unprecedented year of achievements. According to recent reports, Kendrick has officially crossed eleven billion streams on Spotify in 2025 alone, marking his biggest streaming year ever. And he accomplished this without releasing a single solo track until now. His dominance came entirely from existing music and cultural impact, particularly his Drake beef and the viral success of tracks like "Not Like Us," "Luther," and "tv now."

Speaking of Grammy recognition, the Recording Academy just announced that Kendrick landed nine nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards, following his triumphant sweep earlier this year where he took home record of the year and song of the year. He's nominated in three major categories again and could potentially repeat in those top spots while adding album of the year to his trophy case. His new album GNX and the single "Luther" featuring SZA are expected to be major contenders at the February 1st ceremony in Los Angeles.

On the live performance front, Kendrick and SZA recently performed together during their Grand National Tour stop on November 28th. They're also preparing for their upcoming Super Bowl LIX halftime show appearance on February 9th, where SZA will join him as a special guest performer. The two have become frequent collaborators, previously earning Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe nominations for their Black Panther song "All the Stars."

There's one development worth noting, though unconfirmed: Drake has allegedly been planning a comeback album called ICEMAN with intentions to challenge Kendrick's dominance in 2026. While this remains speculation at this point, it suggests the rivalry between the two artists may not be entirely over.

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