30 for 30 (song)

"30 for 30"
Single by SZA and Kendrick Lamar
from the album Lana
ReleasedJanuary 7, 2025 (2025-01-07)
Genre
Length4:38
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
SZA singles chronology
"Drive"
(2024) 		"30 for 30"
(2025)
Kendrick Lamar singles chronology
"Luther"
(2024) 		"30 for 30"
(2025)
Audio
"30 for 30" on YouTube

"30 for 30" is a song by SZA and Kendrick Lamar from Lana (2024), the reissue of SZA's second studio album SOS (2022). It was released alongside "BMF" as the reissue's third and fourth singles on January 7, 2025.

The song was written by both SZA and Lamar, along with Bobby DeBarge, Greg Williams, Anthony Jermaine White and Michael Uzowuru while production was handled by the latter two. It arrived a month after their previous two collaborations for Lamar's GNX, "Luther" and "Gloria".[1]

Composition and lyrics

A more braggadocious piece within her discography, "30 for 30" allows SZA to "bask in her accomplishments" accentuated with "soaring strings and booming 808's".[2] The song starts off with a spoken-word sample, taken from the R&B/funk band Switch song "I Call Your Name", with lead singer Bobby DeBarge admitting to indulging in "immature things" as well as "painful doubts and insecurities"; all of which SZA tries to leave behind as old patterns all the while being "candid" and "direct" about it.[3]

Meanwhile, Lamar pokes fun at a former friend of SZA for asserting more femininity than she does. Listeners and critics alleged that lyrics on the song could be aimed at Canadian rapper Drake, who had been in a feud with Lamar for the majority of 2024, while the song itself title might be a reference to the former's 2015 song "30 for 30 Freestyle".[4]

Release and reception

The song was sent to radio stations alongside "BMF" as Lana's third and fourth singles on January 7, 2025.[5][6] "30 for 30" debuted atop the US Hot R&B Songs chart, SZA's seventh and Lamar's second to do so. It entered the chart with 17.5 million streams, 2,000 downloads, and 385,000 people reached by airplay. With the debut, SZA broke the record for the most number-ones by a woman on the chart.[7] On the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, "30 for 30" peaked at number 22.[8]

In a ranking of all tracks from Lana, Billboard writer Mackenzie Cummings-Grady placed "30 for 30" fourth, citing the song as another example of how both artists "bring out the best in each other". Cummings-Grady thought Lamar's "cocky" style effectively rubbed off on SZA and encouraged her to achieve her own "victory lap".[2] Mya Abraham of Vibe called the song an immediate standout and obsession.[9] To the writers of The Express Tribune, "30 for 30" is another installment of "their successful partnership" following the previous collaborations on GNX.[10]

Charts

Chart performance for "30 for 30"
Chart (2024–2025) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[11] 77
Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA)[12] 11
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[13] 42
Global 200 (Billboard)[14] 29
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[15] 35
Philippines (Philippines Hot 100)[16] 78
UK Singles (OCC)[17] 68
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[18] 12
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 22
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[19] 4

Release history

Release dates and formats for "30 for 30"
Region Date Format(s) Labels Ref.
United States January 7, 2025 Rhythmic contemporary radio
[5]

References

  1. ^ Curto, Justin (December 20, 2024). "SZA's Lana Is Finally Here". Vulture. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (December 20, 2024). "SZA's SOS Deluxe Lana: All 15 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  3. ^ Sheffield, Rob (December 21, 2024). "SZA is at her most streamlined and direct on Lana". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  4. ^ Andrews, Elias (December 21, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar Appears To Diss Drake On New SZA Song "30 for 30"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Crossover: Your Radio Chart Previews". Hits. January 10, 2025. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  6. ^ "Pop Mart: Hot New Releases". Hits. January 10, 2025. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  7. ^ Anderson, Trevor (December 31, 2024). "SZA & Kendrick Lamar's '30 for 30' Debuts at No. 1 on Hot R&B Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  8. ^ a b "SZA Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  9. ^ Abraham, Mya (December 21, 2024). "SZA, Tiffany Evans, NAO, And More New R&B For The Weekend". Vibe. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  10. ^ "SZA releases SOS Deluxe: Lana with 14 new tracks and a star-studded collaboration roster". The Express Tribune. December 21, 2024. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  11. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 6 January 2025". The ARIA Report. No. 1818. Australian Recording Industry Association. January 6, 2025. p. 4.
  12. ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. January 6, 2025. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  13. ^ "SZA Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  14. ^ "SZA Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  15. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 3, 2025. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  16. ^ "Week of January 11, 2025". Billboard Philippines. January 8, 2025. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  17. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  18. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  19. ^ "SZA Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2024.