Kendrick Lamar Crowned Billboard’s ‘Greatest Pop Star’ of 2024
American rapper Kendrick Lamar has been named Billboard’s ‘Greatest Pop Star’ of 2024, cementing his dominance in the music industry this year.
Lamar’s recognition follows an impressive year on the Billboard Hot 100, driven in part by his high-profile hip-hop feud with Canadian rapper Drake. The rivalry fueled the release of several charting songs, including Lamar’s hit single “Not Like Us,” which claimed the number-one spot.
This accolade makes Kendrick Lamar the first rapper to earn the title of Billboard’s Greatest Pop Star since Drake achieved the honor in 2018, highlighting the significant impact of hip-hop on mainstream music.
In other Billboard milestones, Mariah Carey’s holiday classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You” has tied Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” and Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” as the longest-running number-one song in Billboard Hot 100 history, with each track holding the top spot for 17 weeks.
This historic achievement underscores the influence of Black artists, as the longest-running chart-toppers in Billboard Hot 100 history are all by Black lead performers.
