Kendrick Lamar's "DNA" Becomes His Latest Diamond Hit

BYGabriel Bras Nevares733 Views
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Entertainment: Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Apr 23, 2017; Indio, CA, USA; Kendrick Lamar performs during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at Empire Polo Club. Mandatory Credit: Zoe Meyers/The Desert Sun via USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
A great start to K.Dot's 2025.

Kendrick Lamar's "DNA.," one of his biggest hits off of 2017's DAMN., has now sold over 10 million equivalent units in the United States, making it his fifth solo or collaborative single to be eligible for Diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). These other tracks are "HUMBLE.," "goosebumps" with Travis Scott, "All The Stars" with SZA, and "F**kin' Problems" with A$AP Rocky, 2 Chainz, and – you guessed it – Drake. Other cuts like the Taylor Swift team-up "Bad Blood" are very, very close, and eligibility for certifications doesn't equate to an official certification, at least not yet.

Either way, this is great news for Kendrick Lamar and an excellent way to kick off his 2025, as it shows how his work continues to endure regardless of any beef situation. It also follows the commercial success of his new album GNX, which closed off 2024 with three platinum-eligible hits in quick succession and within a very short amount of time. These are "squabble up," "tv off" and the SZA-assisted "luther," which rank among many fans' best of the year lists. Not all of them, but they certainly resonated with a lot of hip-hop listeners.

Read More: Kendrick Lamar Is Hip-Hop's MVP For 2024

Kendrick Lamar's "DNA." Sells Over 10 Million Units In The United States

Elsewhere, Kendrick Lamar's 2025 is kicking off with some welcome competition, as Joey Bada$$ recently caused a stir with his new "The Ruler's Back" single. While some fans interpreted some West Coast-targeting bars on here as direct K.Dot disses, it's more likely that it's just a fiery, determined, hard-working, and competitive energy that could go at pretty much anyone. Also, Joey frames this as a Jay-Z reference first and foremost, so people going wild over this as if it was a full-on diss track need to pump the brakes a little bit.

Instead, they should celebrate this increased effort from our best MCs to truly impress us, and hope that it inspires the rest of them to do the same. "DNA." joins many other commercial successes for Kendrick Lamar in the past 12 months or so, all of which don't even come close to the artistic and cultural impact that he's championed for years now.

Read More: Biggest Hip-Hop Moments Of 2024

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About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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