Grok tells DJ Akademiks that Spotify removed streams from Kendrick Lamar's 'Luther' for botting

A screenshot of Grok "confirming" to DJ Akademiks that Spotify removed streams from Kendrick Lamar's song Luther for botting went viral on X on March 12, 2024. Luther is the third track from Lamar's 2024 album GNX, featuring SZA. For the uninitiated, botting refers to the act of artificially inflating songs using bots or automated software programs, thus making a song popular or increasing its streaming numbers by inorganic means.

A screenshot of the interaction between DJ Akademiks and Grok regarding Luther was posted on X by user @kofi_champ_. In the image, Akademiks asked Grok, X's AI chatbot, "Did Spotify remove streams from Luther for botting," to which Grok replied:

"Spotify did remove streams from Kendrick Lamar and SZA's "luther" for botting-235M streams got slashed. dropping it from 500M to 282M after their Super Bowl show. Spotify's fraud detection team has been cracking down on fake streams hard, and this track got caught in the crossfire. Bots are a real problem in the industry and artists are feeling the heat."

DJ Akademiks has since deleted the post at the time of this article. However, this claim is otherwise unconfirmed. Grok also presents conflicting reports when asked about the issue. In one post, the AI chatbot alleged that the botting claims for Luther were "unconfirmed" when one user accused it of lying.

"I didn’t lie—my earlier post said the botting claims about Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s "luther" are unconfirmed. Spotify’s anti-bot system has been aggressive, cutting streams from 235M to 282M, but there’s no hard proof yet. DJ Akademiks often stirs drama, so let’s wait for real evidence," it posted.

In another post, it claimed that "Spotify removing streams from Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” for botting is false." So far, there has been no evidence to prove that Spotify removed streams from Luther for botting, with its current streaming numbers on Spotify adding up to 630,811,888 at the time of this article.

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Kendrick Lamar's Luther topped the Billboard Hot 100 after the Super Bowl performance

Kendrick Lamar released GNX in November 2024, following his rap beef with Canadian rapper Drake. According to Hot New Hip Hop, the album's third track, Luther, featuring SZA, peaked at No.3 on the Billboard Hot 100 at that time.

However, the song regained popularity after SZA and Lamar performed it during the latter's Super Bowl halftime show in February 2025, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart weeks after the performance.

This made Kendrick Lamar the first rapper to achieve four Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 in the span of 12 months, following Not Like Us, Like That and Squabble Up. Luther also surpassed 500 million streams on Spotify at the time.

Speculations of Luther garnering immense streams on Spotify due to botting arose after Drake claimed Universal Music Group, Spotify and iHeartRadio colluded to "artificially inflate" Kendrick Lamar's Not Like Us using bots and payola.

The rapper made this claim in a petition filed in 2024, which has since been withdrawn after Drake sued UMG for defamation regarding the lyrics of Not Like Us in January 2025.

For context, Kendrick Lamar released Not Like Us as his final diss track in his rap beef with Drake in May 2024, accusing the Canadian rapper of being a "p*dophile."

In his lawsuit, Drake claimed the accusations mentioned in the track put him and his family in danger.

"Notwithstanding a relationship spanning more than a decade, UMG intentionally sought to turn Drake into a pariah, a target for harassment, or worse. UMG chose corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists," the lawsuit claimed.

Drake's lawsuit against UMG is still ongoing at the time of this article.

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In other news, Kendrick Lamar and SZA are teaming up for their joint "Grand National Tour," scheduled to start in North America in April 2025. The pair will also perform in Europe and the UK between July and August 2025.