Kendrick Lamar and SZA are on a red-hot streak with their “Luther” record owning the Billboard Hot 100 for 7 weeks straight … a feat the song’s sample inspiration cannot wrap her head around!!!
TMZ Hip Hop reached out to Cheryl Lynn, the veteran R&B powerhouse whose vocals from her 1982 duet with the late Luther Vandross, “If This World Were Mine,” were used to construct “Luther” … and she’s pinpointed several reasons for Kendrick and SZA’s latest success.
Cheryl calls the track multi-generational, bold, captivating, and filled with passion, noting how the fusion of Kendrick and SZA’s voices seems to appeal to everyone — Old School meets New School with great respect!!!
The “Got to Be Real” singer says she’s a firm believer that great music never dies … it simply lives, morphs, and evolves as ear candy that soothes the soul and warms the hearts of music lovers everywhere.
Her calculations are fairly accurate … “Luther” is currently fast-tracking to 1 billion streams on Spotify and the music video, released on Friday, has already breached 1 million views — and counting!!!
Taking a 43-year-old song and flipping it into a new-age classic showcases hip hop music’s superpower, and Cheryl tells us it’s been both a blessing and a humbling experience to witness the work she did with Vandross — inspired by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell — being appreciated and applauded today in 2025.
Cheryl says she owes her cemented career to God, as she’s been getting embraced by the younger generation for some time now.
TikTok communities have been going hard with the #EncoreChallenge for over a year … inspired by one of Cheryl’s greatest hits!!!
