After the manic and gleefully mean visuals of “Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar slows it down for the sensual “Luther” music video. Joined by frequent collaborator SZA—with whom he’s set to embark on the Grand National Tour next week—Lamar scored another hit with “Luther,” which has topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for seven consecutive weeks. In the video, both artists have dreamlike, romantic encounters in what feels like a liminal space.
The video is incredibly cinematic, featuring many quiet moments of prolonged eye contact between K.Dot and his video vixen. One memorable shot sees the woman coming down in a glass elevator as Kendrick, waiting on a couch below, slides perfectly into frame. SZA also has a love interest she meets at the eerily empty hotel, the visual ending with the couple swaying in a romantic slow dance over an extended sample of Luther Vandross on Cheryl Lynn’s track “If This World Were Mine.” And in case you thought Lamar was finally leaving Drake be, the “Luther” music video is notably directed by Karena Evans, who helmed several smash-hit Drake videos in 2018 including “Nice For What” and the Degrassi-themed “I’m Upset.”
Lamar and SZA first performed “Luther” (a track from Lamar’s album GNX) at the Super Bowl, their latest collaboration after working together for a decade. “For me personally, watching her, you know, her career and where she’s come from, it’s amazing to see,” Lamar said at a press conference for the Super Bowl (via People). “I get to finally see how certain individuals see me come up in the process because I’ve seen her, day one, coming in the studio and writing songs, throwing away songs, writing another song, throwing away songs.” He said he understood how SZA strived for greatness: “She always had it and I’m just honored to be next to her talent.”
For her part, SZA said on The Sherri Shepherd Show that it would be “amazing” to do a joint album with Lamar. “He’s such a genius, and part of his genius is him being so elusive and so mysterious. I don’t know what’s going on as much as you don’t know what’s going on,” she said. “I love that… He’s a huge part of my ‘fumbling and finding’ era, because I’m just trusting all of his expertise and being thrust into these moments and spotlight, and saying yes. He’s so good at saying yes and staying grounded, so I’m just like, ‘Teach me, Sensei, what you know.'” The co-headlining Grand National Tour kicks off April 19 in Minneapolis.
