SZA’s ‘Luther’ with Kendrick Lamar tops charts for 13 weeks. Off-stage, she convinces a kid to give up drugs for a selfie.
SZA is riding high these days, and for good reason. Her collaboration with Kendrick Lamar on “Luther” has been glued to the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100 for an astounding 13 weeks straight, a silky tribute to the late R&B titan Luther Vandross that’s become a defining moment in both artists’ already glittering careers.
And if that wasn’t enough to keep her name in bold print, their latest joint effort, “30 for 30,” just debuted at No. 1 on the Hot R&B Songs chart, a fresh cut from the deluxe edition of her album SOS. It’s the kind of one-two punch that cements SZA and Kendrick as a musical superpower, a duo who can do no wrong when they sync up.
But this week, SZA’s making noise for something that doesn’t involve a mic or a mixing board—and it’s a story that hits harder than any bassline.
Picture this: SZA, mid-drive-through run, probably just trying to snag a burger or some fries, when she clocks something jarring—a young kid clutching “Whippet” drugs.
For the uninitiated, Whippets are nitrous oxide canisters, the kind of cheap, dangerous inhalant that promises a fleeting high and delivers a whole lot of trouble, especially for someone too young to know better.
Most people might’ve kept their eyes on the menu board, but not SZA. She leaned out her window and turned the moment into something real.
With nothing but her star power and a quick pitch, she convinced the kid to ditch the drugs for a selfie and a video with her. No lectures, no judgment—just a straight-up trade, celebrity for sobriety.
She didn’t stop there, either. SZA took to Instagram story afterward, her words dripping with raw dismay.
“It was heartbreaking to see someone so young involved in something so dangerous,” she wrote. “I just wanted to do something, anything, to help.” And help she did.
The article says she “persuaded” the kid, which means that selfie-and-video combo worked—those Whippets got left behind, at least for that moment. It’s the kind of small-scale heroics that doesn’t make it to the Grammy stage but echoes louder than a sold-out crowd.
In a pop culture landscape where stars often stumble into the headlines for meltdowns or missteps, SZA’s move feels like a jolt of pure oxygen—ironic, given the nitrous context.
She didn’t call the cops or preach from a pedestal; she met the kid where they were and flipped the script with a grin and a camera. It’s a vibe that’s pure SZA: unscripted, human, and effortlessly cool.
And it’s a stark contrast to the polished triumph of her music career, where she’s currently untouchable. “Luther,” with its lush grooves and Kendrick’s razor-edge verses, isn’t just a hit—it’s a phenomenon, marking his sixth Hot 100 No. 1 and her third.
Add “30 for 30” to the mix, and you’ve got an artist who’s firing on all cylinders.
But SZA’s not content to just stack chart wins. She’s out here proving that fame can be more than a flex—it can be a lifeline.
And there’s more coming: she and Kendrick are gearing up for the Grand National Tour, set to kick off in April 2025, a coast-to-coast victory lap that’ll likely see them tearing up stages with the same energy they bring to the studio.
If their recent Super Bowl halftime cameo is any hint—where they dazzled millions and sparked a few Twitter firestorms—it’s going to be a wild ride.
Still, it’s that drive-through detour that lingers. SZA didn’t have to stop, didn’t have to care. But she did. And in doing so, she reminded us that the brightest stars don’t just shine—they reach down and pull you up, one selfie at a time.
Source The Mirror
