Kendrick Lamar Named Billboard's No. 1 Pop Star of 2024 Sparks Backlash: 'This Doesn't Even Make Sense'

Kendrick Lamar's record year is the stuff only music stars can dream of, but his latest achievement has many spiraling.

On Dec. 23, Billboard unveiled its last two spots on its list of the greatest pop stars of the year. Sabrina Carpenter came in at No. 2, while Lamar claimed the No. 1 spot.

However, his placement was not without controversy and he was slammed, mainly due to people claiming that he was not a "pop" star, but rather a rap one.

"He definitely deserved but it almost feels weird to have a male rapper named the greatest pop star (and yes ik what "pop star" technically means)," shared one person.

"'Pop' 😂lmao y'all are crazy," someone else commented.

"I thought he was doing hip hop??" another questioned.

"Is he a pop star at all," another asked.

"He isn't even a pop star," someone else shared.

Others brought into the epic feud between Lamar and Drake into question.

"Wasn't it KENDRIK who called Drake a Pop Star?" someone questioned.

"Idk shoulda been Drake," commented another.

Lamar and Drake have had an ongoing feud that has resulted in potential legal action being taken against UMG from Drake.

Drake has filed multiple legal actions against "Not Like Us". Drake claims UMG "funneled payments" to iHeart as part of a "pay-to-play scheme" to promote "Not Like Us" on radio.

Additionally, Drake filed a previous legal action against UMG on Nov. 25. In that action, he claimed that UMG used payola to inflate the success of "Not Like Us" during its release week.

Both Spotify and UMG have since spoken out against Drake's accusations.

A Spotify spokesperson told Music Business World that the company has "no economic incentive for users to stream Not Like Us over any of Drake's tracks."

A spokesperson for UMG shared that they would never undermine any of its artists.

"The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue. We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear," they told Billboard.

Tags

Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Music