Exclusive: Kendrick Lamar Reveals He Wanted Nas On 'Sing About Me'

Kendrick Lamar's rolodex is impressive for a first-year rookie: Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige and most recently Jay-Z.

But even if his highly praised debut good kid, m.A.A.d city, released in October of last year, pushed over 240,000 units in its first week out, there was still one thing missing.

"The idea was to have Nas on 'Sing About Me,'” Lamar tells VIBE exclusively.

The 12-minute track - titled "Sing About Me, I'm Dying Of Thirst" - that depicts the Compton native juggling various personalities is one of the LP's highest notes. In trying to finalize the track list, K-Dot says he never got to issue the request for the Queens MC.

"I never really got a chance to reach out to him," explains Lamar. "I was so wrapped up in getting the music done, samples cleared and mastered - there was so much going on."

The 25-year-old spitter also wanted the collaboration to be as organic as possible, instead of a rushed slipshod of bars. "I didn’t really wanna rush the process. I actually wanted to sit in the studio and vibe with him. [It was] the only thing that I had a vision for but in due time, God willing, for sure."

Lamar adds that he would've given Nas full creative control over his contribution. "I just wanted to play him the record. Whatever inspiration he drew from it, I’d just have him there and he would go," says Lamar. "He’s a genius. The record is self-explanatory but he may hear something a little different that might take it to the next level.

"That’s what makes a great feature for me - somebody that could take the song to the next level from where it was at. He would have did just that," he continues before predicting with confidence, "It’s a great record now but to have his expertise on it would have been crazy."