This text message from Kendrick Lamar is when Hit-Boy really knew that the Drake battle was "light work" for the Compton lyricist.
We all probably remember where we were when Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" came out, as even Hit-Boy recalls the moment as larger than life. He recently appeared on The Breakfast Club and answered a question - among many others - that led to this reflection. It was about whether or not there's more material with Kendrick "tucked away."
While they only have one official collaboration as a duo in "Backseat Freestyle," Hit also provided production on A$AP Rocky's "1Train" posse cut, Jay Rock's "Wow Freestyle," and a few other K.Dot guest verses. He said that he's always "chopping it with bro" and told a story about one interaction they had, which was centered around the King's Disease beatsmith's son.
"My son, he five years old now. But for his fourth birthday, he made a song," Hit-Boy recalled. "He made his first song. He was in most of the sessions with me and Nas, just sitting in the back, didn't realize he was taking this all in. I asked him [if he wanted] to make a song for his birthday. Put him on the mic, he literally freestyled with context. I was laughing, it was crazy.
"But I put the song out with a video. And I think it was the day 'Not Like Us' dropped," he continued. "And this is how I knew Kendrick, like, this was light work for him, like, this whole s**t. He texted me about my son's video. Like, 'Go ahead, nephew!' You know what I mean? In the middle of all that. He crazy, he really crazy. He cool, though."
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Of course, these days, Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" isn't as light. That's because the defamation lawsuit against UMG from Drake has extended the fallout from the battle in a way that might yield more important developments and changes for hip-hop and media law if whatever it results in prompts institutional reform and conversations... But that's a big "if."
Elsewhere, Hit-Boy's dropping more West Coast bangers of his own, and the Compton lyricist is still on his victory lap. Hopefully he gives Hit's son a feature one day...