# Loyalty (Kendrick Lamar song)
"LOYALTY." is a song by the American rapper [Kendrick Lamar](https://www.edgepedia.org/kendrick-lamar) featuring the Barbadian singer Rihanna, released on April 14, 2017 as a track on Lamar's fourth studio album, *DAMN.*[1](https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/RIAA-MAY-2018-AWARDS.pdf) Built on a reworked sample of [Bruno Mars](https://www.edgepedia.org/bruno-mars)' "24K Magic," the song addresses allegiance and honesty and became one of the album's most radio-friendly cuts.[2](https://www.complex.com/music/a/cmplxjoshua-espinoza/how-kendrick-lamar-rihanna-loyalty-collaboration-went-down) It won the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Performance in 2018 and was certified 2X Platinum by the RIAA.[3](https://www.grammy.com/video/kendrick-lamar-rihanna-loyalty-best-rap-sung-performance/) • [1](https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/RIAA-MAY-2018-AWARDS.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist and feature | Kendrick Lamar featuring Rihanna; their first collaboration[1](https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/RIAA-MAY-2018-AWARDS.pdf) • [4](https://www.wmagazine.com/story/rihanna-kendrick-lamar-loyalty-video) |
| Release | Track on *DAMN.*, released April 14, 2017 on TDE/Aftermath/Interscope[1](https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/RIAA-MAY-2018-AWARDS.pdf) |
| Production | Terrace Martin, DJ Dahi, and Sounwave, over a sample of Bruno Mars' "24K Magic"[2](https://www.complex.com/music/a/cmplxjoshua-espinoza/how-kendrick-lamar-rihanna-loyalty-collaboration-went-down) |
| Music video | Released July 28, 2017; directed by Dave Meyers & the little homies; over 256 million YouTube views[5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlh-dzB2U4Y) |
| Grammy Award | Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 2018 Grammy Awards, one of five wins for Lamar that night[3](https://www.grammy.com/video/kendrick-lamar-rihanna-loyalty-best-rap-sung-performance/) |
| Certification | RIAA 2X Platinum, certified May 25, 2018[1](https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/RIAA-MAY-2018-AWARDS.pdf) |
## Creation and production
The beat began with the producer Khrysis, who was working under 9th Wonder and sent the "24K Magic" sample to the Los Angeles producer and musician [Terrace Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/terrace-martin), a longtime Lamar collaborator who had produced on each of Lamar's studio albums.[6](https://www.complex.com/music/a/william-e-ketchum-iii/terrace-martin-damn-loyalty-interview) Martin said he wanted to replay the sample, reverse it, change the key, and add a third harmony while keeping it recognizable but with a different edge; he sped it up and slowed it down repeatedly and replayed it about five times before bringing the idea to Lamar.[6](https://www.complex.com/music/a/william-e-ketchum-iii/terrace-martin-damn-loyalty-interview)
**A group effort.** In the studio with [DJ Dahi](https://www.edgepedia.org/dj-dahi), the team added drums, and Lamar said immediately, that same day, that he would get Rihanna on the record.[2](https://www.complex.com/music/a/cmplxjoshua-espinoza/how-kendrick-lamar-rihanna-loyalty-collaboration-went-down) Sounwave then added his own refinements; Martin described the process as a roughly seven-day stretch of back-and-forth work.[6](https://www.complex.com/music/a/william-e-ketchum-iii/terrace-martin-damn-loyalty-interview) Martin credited Dahi for embracing experimental ideas, Sounwave for refining sounds and "making songs out of everything," and Lamar for providing the melodies.[2](https://www.complex.com/music/a/cmplxjoshua-espinoza/how-kendrick-lamar-rihanna-loyalty-collaboration-went-down) The song was recorded over a few days, though Martin spent a long time re-imagining the Mars sample.[2](https://www.complex.com/music/a/cmplxjoshua-espinoza/how-kendrick-lamar-rihanna-loyalty-collaboration-went-down)
Rihanna was one of three guest features on *DAMN.*, alongside U2 on "XXX." and Zacari on "LOVE."[2](https://www.complex.com/music/a/cmplxjoshua-espinoza/how-kendrick-lamar-rihanna-loyalty-collaboration-went-down) The collaboration marked the first time Lamar and Rihanna had worked together.[4](https://www.wmagazine.com/story/rihanna-kendrick-lamar-loyalty-video)
## Music video
The video premiered on July 28, 2017, the fourth *DAMN.* track to receive one after "HUMBLE.," "DNA.," and "ELEMENT."[5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlh-dzB2U4Y) • [7](https://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/07/28/kendrick_lamar_rihanna_release_loyalty_video.html) It was directed by Dave Meyers & the little homies and produced by Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, [Dave Free](https://www.edgepedia.org/dave-free), and Nathan K. Scherrer through TDE Films and FREENJOY INC.[5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlh-dzB2U4Y)
**Bonnie and Clyde framing.** Critics read the video through the outlaw-couple tradition: Lamar and Rihanna play lovers on the wrong side of the law who prove their fidelity in defying-death situations, dangling from building edges, fighting muscle-bound rivals, and doing donuts in a sports car.[8](https://www.vogue.com/article/rihanna-kendrick-lamar-loyalty-video-fashion) GQ described it as a slick, old-school gangster hype reel casting the pair as a mix of Bonnie, Clyde, Sid, and Nancy.[9](https://www.gq.com/story/kendrick-lamar-loyalty-video) Surreal touches include quicksand streets, sharks swimming in concrete, and trust falls atop skyscrapers, while scenes of extreme violence, including a fistfight, a car crash, and a murder, are shown without visual embellishment.[10](https://www.powmag.net/p/kendrick-lamar-rihanna-loyalty) In one sequence Lamar dangles Rihanna over the edge of a skyscraper, underscoring the song's theme.[4](https://www.wmagazine.com/story/rihanna-kendrick-lamar-loyalty-video)
The video has drawn more than 256 million views on Lamar's official YouTube channel.[5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlh-dzB2U4Y)
## Awards and commercial performance
At the 60th [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards) in January 2018, "LOYALTY." won Best Rap/Sung Performance, the first award of the night, presented by [John Legend](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-legend) and [Tony Bennett](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-bennett).[3](https://www.grammy.com/video/kendrick-lamar-rihanna-loyalty-best-rap-sung-performance/) • [11](https://time.com/5122373/kendrick-lamar-grammys/) It was one of five wins for Lamar that evening, which also included Best Rap Album for *DAMN.* and Best Rap Song for "HUMBLE."[3](https://www.grammy.com/video/kendrick-lamar-rihanna-loyalty-best-rap-sung-performance/) Accepting the award, Lamar passed the microphone to Rihanna, saying "This really belongs to her, real talk," and Rihanna thanked him for the opportunity to be on the record.[3](https://www.grammy.com/video/kendrick-lamar-rihanna-loyalty-best-rap-sung-performance/)
The [Recording Industry Association of America](https://www.edgepedia.org/recording-industry-association-of-america) certified the single 2X Platinum on May 25, 2018, in the R&B/Hip Hop genre on TDE/Aftermath/Interscope.[1](https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/RIAA-MAY-2018-AWARDS.pdf)
## Copyright dispute
In August 2020, the musician Terrance Hayes sued Lamar for copyright infringement over "Loyalty" in a California federal court, claiming he had previously recorded his own song called "Loyalty" in 2011 with the musician and producer Josef Leimberg.[12](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/kendrick-lamar-sued-for-copyright-infringement-over-loyalty/) The complaint included a music notation excerpt labeled as the drum track to Lamar's "Loyalty."[13](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/files/2020/08/Kendrick-Lamar.pdf)
## References
1. [RIAA Gold & Platinum Awards, May 2018](https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/RIAA-MAY-2018-AWARDS.pdf)
2. [Here's How Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna's "Loyalty" Came Together, Complex](https://www.complex.com/music/a/cmplxjoshua-espinoza/how-kendrick-lamar-rihanna-loyalty-collaboration-went-down)
3. [Kendrick Lamar & Rihanna Win Best Rap/Sung Performance For "LOYALTY." | GRAMMY Rewind, Recording Academy](https://www.grammy.com/video/kendrick-lamar-rihanna-loyalty-best-rap-sung-performance/)
4. [Rihanna Hangs Off a Skyscraper in Kendrick Lamar's "Loyalty" Video, W Magazine](https://www.wmagazine.com/story/rihanna-kendrick-lamar-loyalty-video)
5. [Kendrick Lamar - LOYALTY. ft. Rihanna, official YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlh-dzB2U4Y)
6. [Producer Terrace Martin Explains How Kendrick Crafted 'Damn,' and Where He's Going Next, Complex](https://www.complex.com/music/a/william-e-ketchum-iii/terrace-martin-damn-loyalty-interview)
7. [The Video for Kendrick Lamar's "Loyalty" Is Here, and It Has Both Rihanna and STREET SHARKS, Slate](https://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/07/28/kendrick_lamar_rihanna_release_loyalty_video.html)
8. [Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar's Fashion in the "Loyalty" Video, Vogue](https://www.vogue.com/article/rihanna-kendrick-lamar-loyalty-video-fashion)
9. [Kendrick Lamar's Video for "Loyalty" Is an Old-School Gangster Throwback, GQ](https://www.gq.com/story/kendrick-lamar-loyalty-video)
10. [The Secret Society: Kendrick Lamar & Rihanna's "LOYALTY." Video is an Event, POW Magazine](https://www.powmag.net/p/kendrick-lamar-rihanna-loyalty)
11. [Kendrick Lamar Makes a Statement With Fiery Grammys Performance, Time](https://time.com/5122373/kendrick-lamar-grammys/)
12. [Kendrick Lamar sued for copyright infringement over Loyalty, Music Business Worldwide](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/kendrick-lamar-sued-for-copyright-infringement-over-loyalty/)
13. [Hayes v Lamar Complaint, Music Business Worldwide](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/files/2020/08/Kendrick-Lamar.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music institutions and events › Music awards › Grammy Awards › Grammy general and genre categories › Grammy R&B and rap categories*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license