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Kendrick Lamar has quickly become one of the greatest rappers of this generation. And although K. Dot has been rapping for decades, it was one particular album that catapulted him to superstardom. That project is his 2015 studio album To Pimp a Butterfly.
Punch Reveals Jay-Z’s Advice to Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick’s third studio album featured smash hits such as “The Blacker the Berry,” “Alright,” and “You Ain’t Gotta Lie.” But during a recent interview, TDE president Punch revealed that there were initial concerns about the project. Particularly, how it would be received by Kendrick’s fanbase. But Punch said it was Jay-Z’s advice that pushed them to move forward with the project. Which ultimately changed the trajectory of K.Dot’s career.
“While we were working on To Pimp a Butterfly, and SZA would go to Beyoncé’s sessions — [SZA] was writing for her. JAY-Z was there every night, so I had a chance to talk to him and I told him, ‘Yo, we’re about to drop this album that’s gonna piss off the whole fanbase,’” Punch said during a recent sit-down with Elise Not Elise.
“His response was, ‘Good, do it now so they can’t ever put you in a box.’ That stuck with me, for sure. It gave me more confidence, like, Yeah, we’re on the right track, for sure … There are rules that are set, but geniuses know when to break those rules.”
Nas Teases Future Collab With K. Dot
Jay would eventually go on to collaborate with Kendrick on the remix to Don’t Kill My Vibe. And he could have another legendary collaboration coming in the future.
Nas sat down for an interview with Complex on Wednesday (October 15). And one of the topics that came up was a potential collaboration with him and K. Dot. And while Nas says that the opportunity to work with Kendrick would be “great,” he also noted that the timing also has to be right.
“Oh man, you know, it’s just all about the artist. When you get the chance to record and work together, it, to me, should feel like really natural and, you know, that would be great,” Nas said about a potential Kendrick Lamar collab.
“I’d love to work with him, but I feel like it just has to be smooth the way it connects, you know, ‘cuz it just got to be fire,” he added. “Anything I do with anybody, especially someone like him, I just want to take my time with.”
