Cheryl Lynn Praises Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s ‘Luther’ Topping Billboard for 7 Weeks

Kendrick Lamar and SZA are on a red-hot streak with their “Luther” record owning the Billboard Hot 100 for 7 weeks straight … a feat the song’s sample inspiration cannot wrap her head around!!!

TMZ Hip Hop reached out to Cheryl Lynn, the veteran R&B powerhouse whose vocals from her 1982 duet with the late Luther Vandross, “If This World Were Mine,” were used to construct “Luther” … and she’s pinpointed several reasons for Kendrick and SZA’s latest success.

Cheryl calls the track multi-generational, bold, captivating, and filled with passion, noting how the fusion of Kendrick and SZA’s voices seems to appeal to everyone — Old School meets New School with great respect!!!

The “Got to Be Real” singer says she’s a firm believer that great music never dies … it simply lives, morphs, and evolves as ear candy that soothes the soul and warms the hearts of music lovers everywhere.

Her calculations are fairly accurate … “Luther” is currently fast-tracking to 1 billion streams on Spotify and the music video, released on Friday, has already breached 1 million views — and counting!!!

Taking a 43-year-old song and flipping it into a new-age classic showcases hip hop music’s superpower, and Cheryl tells us it’s been both a blessing and a humbling experience to witness the work she did with Vandross — inspired by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell — being appreciated and applauded today in 2025.

Cheryl says she owes her cemented career to God, as she’s been getting embraced by the younger generation for some time now.