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Kendrick & SZA’s “luther” Turns a Soul Classic Into a Mythic Love Story

Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s collaboration “luther” released in November 2024 as part of Lamar’s sixth studio album GNX, has garnered significant acclaim for its soulful homage and lyrical depth. The track prominently samples Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn’s rendition of “If This World Were Mine,” weaving themes of love, empowerment, and resilience.

The track is a romantic, introspective offering. Kendrick channels divine symbolism to promise a better world for his partner, while SZA adds emotional depth with themes of resilience and hope.

Lyrical Depth

Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s “luther” unfolds like a love letter written from a parallel universe: a world shaped by devotion, resilience, and a quiet revolution of care. This is not a ballad for a perfect world. It’s a vision of what could be, shaped through pain, protection, and power.

The track opens with a borrowed line from Luther Vandross—“If this world were mine”—and Kendrick picks it up like a torch. What follows is a dreamscape, both tender and defiant, where love becomes an act of transformation.

A World Rewritten Through Love

Kendrick’s verses aren’t just romantic; they’re metaphysical. The refrain “If this world was mine…” becomes a mantra, repeated like a sacred promise. But this isn’t soft sentimentality, it’s filled with fire.

He imagines lifting his partner’s dreams up and striking down her enemies before God, not with violence for the sake of power, but with light. There’s biblical energy in the imagery: purging darkness with flame, bringing justice with intimacy.

The use of Roman numeral seven adds a cryptic layer, hinting at spiritual completeness or divine order. And yet, he brings it down to earth: “Do your dance, let ‘em watch”. It’s both a call for joy and a shield from the world’s judgment.

SZA Grounds the Fantasy

While Kendrick builds a mythic landscape, SZA brings it back to the body, the everyday, the ache of survival. “Concrete flowers grow,” she sings. This is a nod to beauty blooming in harsh realities. Her voice carries the burden of inherited pain and fleeting weekend escapes. Still, she looks forward:

“Better days comin’ for sure.”

She doesn’t sugarcoat the struggle. But she also doesn’t dwell in it. Her chorus is half-prayer, half-declaration: if it were up to her, pain would be erased and joy handed over like a birthright.

Physicality Meets Devotion

The second and third verses blend the sensual with the sacred. Kendrick becomes more tactile—

“do it real slow,
put that on my soul”

but even the eroticism is devotional. He’s not just hyping his lover’s beauty; he’s promising emotional safety.

Lines like “I might even settle down for you” flip the rapper stereotype of emotional detachment on its head. There’s a softness here, a willingness to be changed by love, even tamed by it.

Closing

“luther” is ultimately a love song for those who have had to fight to feel safe. It’s about offering someone not just desire, but refuge. A place to lay their burdens down. Kendrick and SZA imagine a world where love doesn’t just feel good, it heals.

Through gospel echoes, classic soul samples, and hazy R&B textures, they build a sonic utopia. But it’s never escapist. It’s grounded in real struggle and real loyalty. The fantasy is sharp, not soft, For Kendrick, it’s a weapon against the chaos outside.

“If this world were mine…” isn’t just a what-if—it’s a vow.

The music video for “Luther” just dropped on YouTube, directed by Karena Evans, known for her work on Drake’s “In My Feelings” and Coldplay’s “Everyday Life”. (reported by Variety)

Kendrick Lamar – “luther” (feat. SZA) Lyrics

[Intro]
If this world were mine

[Verse: Kendrick Lamar]
Hey, Roman numeral seven, bae, drop it like it’s hot
If this world was mine, I’d take your dreams and make ’em multiply
If this world was mine, I’d take your enemies in front of God
Introduce ’em to that light, hit them strictly with that fire
Fah-fah, fah-fah-fah, fah-fah, fah
Hey, Roman numeral seven, bae, drop it like it’s hot
If this world was mine, I’d take your dreams and make ’em multiply
If this world was mine, I’d take your enemies in front of God
Introduce ’em to that light, hit them strictly with that fire
It’s a vibe, do your dance, let ’em watch
She a fan, he a flop, they just wanna kumbaya, nah

[Chorus]
In this world, concrete flowers grow
Heartache, she only doin’ what she know
Weekends, get it poppin’ on the low
Better days comin’ for sure
If this world were—
If it was up to me
I wouldn’t give these nobodies no sympathy
I’d take away the pain, I’d give you everything
I just wanna see you win, wanna see
If this world were mine

[Verse: Kendrick Lamar & SZA]
It go in (When you), out (Ride it), do it real slow (Slide)
Baby, you a star, strike, pose
When I’m (When you), with you (With me), everything goes (Slow)
Come and (Put that), put that (On my), on my (Titi), soul (Soul)
‘Rari (Red), crown (Stack), wrist (Stay), froze (Really)
Drip (Tell me), pound (If you), on the way home (Love me)

[Chorus]
In this world, concrete flowers grow
Heartache, she only doin’ what she know
Weekends, get it poppin’ on the low
Better days comin’ for sure
If this world were—
If it was up to me
I wouldn’t give these nobodies no sympathy
I’d take away the pain, I’d give you everything
I just wanna see you win, wanna see
If this world were mine

[Verse: Kendrick Lamar & SZA]
I can’t lie
I trust you, I love you, I won’t waste your time
I turn it off just so I can turn you on
I’ma make you say it loud
I’m not even trippin’, I won’t stress you out
I might even settle down for you, I’ma show you I’m a pro
I’ma take my time and turn it off
Just so I can turn you on, baby
Weekends, get it poppin’ on the low
Better days comin’ for sure

[Outro: SZA]
I know you’re comin’ for
Better days
If this world were mine