Kendrick Lamar’s “Squabble Up” Headed For A #1 Debut

Kendrick Lamar’s GNX album is projected to be the biggest release in 2024 with his anticipated track, “squabble up,” leading the way. The song, originally teased in July, is on pace to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hip-Hop charts. It has already topped the Apple and Spotify charts after Lamar released the album on Friday (Nov. 22). The song was teased at the beginning of the music video for Lamar’s Grammy-nominated hit “Not Like Us.” Fans couldn’t get enough of rapping the song’s intro verse, “Woke up looking for the broccoli.”

“Squabble Up” has accumulated over 3.2 million views on YouTube and over 14 million streams on Spotify. The song samples Debbie Deb’s 80s classic “When I Hear Music.” The legendary singer would comment on Lamar’s use of the classic on Friday. She tweeted, “I’m excited and honored to be on Squabble Up! Thank you @kendricklamar for keeping Old Skool alive!.”  The iconic sample joins others like Luther Vandross’ “This World Was Mine” and 2Pac’s “Made N***as.” 

Despite “squabble up” taking center stage, the buzz around the album shows no signs of waning. The album is receiving widespread acclaim for its bold themes and incisive lyricism. The conversations it has ignited—both within the music industry and beyond—demonstrate Lamar’s extraordinary talent for provoking thought and stirring emotion, one line at a time. Lamar’s release follows a huge year for Top Dawg Entertainment that saw the release of new music by Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, and Doechii.

In a single day, GNX accumulated over 44 million streams on Spotify. The addition of “wacced out murals” and “squabble up” has earned Lamar a record-breaking five #1 hits in 2024. The streak began with “Like That,” Kendrick earned #1 hits with “Not Like Us” and “Euphoria.” “Not Like Us” received seven Grammy nominations for the 58th award. The Grammy-nominated hit united Los Angeles hip-hop in July at the iconic Pop-Out concert.