"Loyalty" (stylized as "LOYALTY.") is a song by American rapper
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his Progressive rap, progressive musical styles and Social consciousness, socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most infl ...
featuring Barbadian singer
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...
from the former's fourth studio album ''
Damn
Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment and torment in an afterlife for actions that were committed, or in some cases, not committed on Earth.
In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, citizens would recite th ...
'', released on April 14, 2017. The song was later sent to urban and rhythmic radio June 20, 2017, as the second single from the album.
The sixth track on the album (ninth on the ''Collector's Edition'' of ''Damn''
), The song was written by the artists alongside producers
DJ Dahi
Dacoury Dahi Natche (born March 10, 1983), professionally known as DJ Dahi, is an American DJ, songwriter, record producer and singer from Inglewood, California. Dahi is perhaps best known for producing " Money Trees" by American rapper Kendri ...
,
Sounwave
Mark Anthony Spears, known professionally as Sounwave, is an American hip-hop producer and songwriter from Compton, California, and an original member of the Californian hip-hop label Top Dawg Entertainment. Sounwave has worked on every Kendric ...
,
Terrace Martin
Terrace Jamahl Martin (born December 28, 1978) is an American musician, rapper, singer, and record producer. He is perhaps best known for producing records for several prominent artists in the music industry, including Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dog ...
, and Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith.
The song won the
Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...
.
Composition
The song contains samples of "
24K Magic" produced by Shampoo Press & Curl and
The Stereotypes
The Stereotypes are a production team created in 2003, comprising Jonathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves and Ray Charles McCullough II. In June 2010, they were listed among the "Top 10 Songwriters and Producers to Watch" in ''Billboard'' magazi ...
, and performed by American singer
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical s ...
.
Critical reception
''
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' calls it a "standout track" and one of ''Damn''s most "radio-friendly cuts".
''
The Fader
''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes.
It is o ...
'' writer Jason Parham calls "Loyalty", "anxious, berserk, and beautifully intransigent in
tsown right" and "equal parts pop, funk, and brooding rap hymnal". Frank Guan of ''Vulture'' enjoyed the song, especially Rihanna's part, saying "though only eight bars, Rihanna's sung rap is as fluent as it is brief, a swift and casual tour of her accomplishments." ''
Rap-Up
''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the ...
'' called the song a "standout track that allows Kung Fu Kenny and Bad Gal RiRi to address allegiance from a variety of angles."
Awards and nominations
Music video
The music video for the song was released to Lamar's
Vevo
Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...
channel on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
on July 28, 2017. It was directed by
Dave Meyers and The Little Homies and includes an appearance from featured artist Rihanna. Jordan Darville of ''
The Fader
''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes.
It is o ...
'' gave the music video a positive review, praising the visuals and called Lamar and Rihanna's adventure together "carefully crafted
ndsuitably amorous."
Live performances
Lamar has performed "Loyalty" on
the Damn tour
The Damn Tour (stylized as The DAMN. Tour) was a concert tour by American rapper and songwriter Kendrick Lamar, in support of his fourth studio album, '' Damn'' (2017). The tour's North American leg began on July 12, 2017, in Glendale, Arizona ...
.
Credits and personnel
*Kendrick Duckworth – songwriter
*
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...
– vocals, songwriter
*
Dacoury Natche – songwriter, producer, additional vocals
*Byron "Mr. Talkbox" Chambers – additional vocals
*
Mark Spears – songwriter, producer
*
Terrace Martin
Terrace Jamahl Martin (born December 28, 1978) is an American musician, rapper, singer, and record producer. He is perhaps best known for producing records for several prominent artists in the music industry, including Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dog ...
– songwriter, producer
*Anthony "Topdawg" Tiffith – songwriter, producer
*
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical s ...
– songwriter
*
Philip Lawrence – songwriter
*
Christopher Brody Brown – songwriter
*
Ol' Dirty Bastard
Russell Tyrone Jones (November 15, 1968 – November 13, 2004), better known by his stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard (often abbreviated as ODB), was an American rapper. He was one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan, a rap group primarily fr ...
– songwriter
*
RZA – songwriter
*
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
– songwriter
*
Memphis Bleek
Malik Deshawn Cox (born June 23, 1978), known by his stage name Memphis Bleek, is an American rapper who was a protégé of fellow New York rapper Jay-Z. Cox started his own labels: Get Low Records in 1998, and #Warehouse Music Group, Warehouse M ...
– songwriter
*
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
– songwriter
*
Rick Rock
Ricardo Thomas, also known as Rick Rock, is an American record producer originally from Montgomery, Alabama and based in Fairfield, California. He is a founding member of the former rap group Cosmic Slop Shop and the Federation with fellow ra ...
– songwriter
*Bēkon – additional production and vocals
*
Kid Capri
David Anthony Love Jr. (born February 7, 1967) is an American DJ and rapper better known by his stage name Kid Capri.
Early life
Kid Capri's humble roots can be traced back to his parents' home in the Bronx, where ten year old David Antho ...
– additional vocals
*Derek Ali –
mixing
*Tyler Page – mix assistant
*Jamal Owens - Master mixer
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{authority control
2017 songs
Kendrick Lamar songs
Rihanna songs
Songs written by Kendrick Lamar
Songs written by Terrace Martin
Music videos directed by Dave Meyers (director)
2017 singles
Songs written by DJ Dahi
Songs written by Sounwave
Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Interscope Records singles
Songs about loyalty