Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino see uptick in Spotify streams

by: Rachel Narozniak Jun 5, 2020

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As an increasing number of listeners seek solace in music with a message that is relevant to the Black Lives Matter movement and the ongoing protests nationwide, past releases from Kendrick Lamar and Childish Gambino are once more moving up the charts. “Alright,” of Lamar’s 2015 Grammy Award-winning album, To Pimp A Butterfly, occupied No. 26 on the global Spotify chart as of June 2. Notably, this is the highest position on this chart that the song has occupied to date.

Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” earns its highest rank of all time on the global Spotify chart (#26 on June 2).

— chart data (@chartdata) June 3, 2020

Similarly, Gambino’s “This Is America” outpaced approximately 100 chart-placing tracks to claim the No. 2 spot on Spotify’s US charts, garnering one million streams in just one day. Both “Alright” and “This Is America” have been sonic cornerstones of Black Lives Matter initiatives: Lamar’s song was heavily played during the 2016 Black Lives Matter protests, and Gambino’s record has also been circulated for its confrontation of police brutality and racial injustice.

Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” jumps 95 spots to #2 on the US Spotify chart. It earned over 1 million streams yesterday.

— chart data (@chartdata) June 3, 2020

Other thematically related releases also saw an uptick in streams, such as N.W.A‘s “F*ck tha Police,” which shot up by 272%. Beyoncé and Lamar’s “Freedom” notably returned to the top 200 on the global Spotify chart, with 691,229 streams on June 2.

Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar’s “Freedom” returns to the top 200 on the global Spotify chart (691,229 streams on June 2).

— chart data (@chartdata) June 3, 2020

Featured image: Michael Owen Baker