Kendrick Lamar is hard at work on his sophomore album right now. In a recent interview with Complex, he revealed that he’s already recorded about 40 songs for the project. But he’s also far from wrapping things up.
The album is still taking shape and it’ll take some time before Kendrick has enough material to put it all together. So we’ll have to be patient while Kendrick continues to work. That’s not necessarily the worst thing in the world. The fact that he’s still working on the album—and seemingly working pretty damn hard on it—means that Kendrick is taking his time and doing whatever it takes to make it every bit as good as good kid, m.A.A.d city.
It also means that there is still plenty of time for him to get into the studio with some of his fellow artists in the near future to record. With that in mind, we came up with a list of 10 collaborators we think Kendrick Lamar should work with on his sophomore album. Hopefully a few of them will make the cut.
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The Artist: Nas
Why He Needs To Be On Kendrick’s Second Album: Over the last year, Kendrick Lamar’s debut album has been compared time and time again—at least in terms of cultural significance—to Nas’ debut, Illmatic. There have also been a lot of comparisons made between the two artists themselves. So at some point, they have to collaborate, right? Why not now?Photo Credit: Getty Images
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The Artist: Jay Z
Why He Needs To Be On Kendrick’s Second Album: The “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” remix that these two put together last year almost broke Twitter. It got a really favorable response and most people were happy to hear Kendrick hanging with Hov on the track. So can you imagine what a second song together would do to the world? It has to happen.Photo Credit: Getty Images
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The Artist: Eminem
Why He Needs To Be On Kendrick’s Second Album: These two have expressed their fandom for one another on a handful of different occasions over the last two years. But when they actually worked together on a song called “Love Game” for Em’s last album, we were left feeling a little bit underwhelmed. What better way to make up for that misstep than by having Em return the favor by recording a verse for Kendrick’s new album? He owes him.Photo Credit: Getty Images
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The Artist: Big Sean
Why He Needs To Be On Kendrick’s Second Album: Inadvertently, Big Sean brought out the best in Kendrick last year when he asked him to record a verse for his song called “Control.” We don’t know what it was about working with Sean that brought out the best in Kendrick. But lightning might strike twice if these two record another song together.Photo Credit: Getty Images
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The Artist: J. Cole
Why He Needs To Be On Kendrick’s Second Album: These two have reportedly recorded a bunch of songs together already. Early last year, they were even thinking about releasing an EP. We won’t hold our breath with regards to that. But we will encourage them to get into the studio and record something fresh for Kendrick’s project.Photo Credit: Getty Images
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The Artist: Drake
Why He Needs To Be On Kendrick’s Second Album: Is there still any tension between these two? There seemed to be something there earlier this year. But Drake was caught rapping along to Kendrick’s “Cut You Off” last month, and Kendrick seems to have moved past whatever beef may have existed between the rapers. So that would make now a good time for them to work together and put the past beyond them.Photo Credit: Getty Images
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The Artist: Nicki Minaj
Why He Needs To Be On Kendrick’s Second Album: Kendrick left Nicki off his “Control” verse, because…well, we don’t know why he did it. But he did—and she wasn’t thrilled about it. This would give the two a chance to connect and, we’re guessing, would result in a fiery track full of lots of energy with both artists bringing their best material.Photo Credit: Getty Images
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The Artist: Snoop Dogg
Why He Needs To Be On Kendrick’s Second Album: Snoop can definitely relate to what Kendrick is going through right now. Once upon a time, he put out a classic debut and was then forced to try and top it. So he could definitely add something to the project. A Kendrick/Snoop song would also help to bridge the gap between two generations of Cali-based rap fans.Photo Credit: Getty Images
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The Artist: Kanye West
Why He Needs To Be On Kendrick’s Second Album: It’s weird that these two haven’t really worked together yet. Kendrick was the opening act on Kanye’s “Yeezus” tour and he has talked a lot about the influence that Kanye has had on him in the past. It’s a little bit unclear whether or not they’re on good terms right now, but at some point, they have to work together. As two of the biggest rappers on the planet right now, it’s a crime that they haven’t done it already.Photo Credit: Getty Images
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The Artist: Macklemore
Why He Needs To Be On Kendrick’s Second Album: Are we just trolling here? Maybe a little. But given the history that these two have together, a song featuring both artists would probably turn out to be one of the most anticipated songs on Kendrick’s album. We also think that, depending on how Kendrick approaches this project, he could probably work Macklemore into the mix without it seeming forced or awkward. And if he was able to do that, it would prove just how great of an artist he truly is. So maybe this isn’t such a terrible idea after all.Photo Credit: Getty Images