Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolboy Q’s top five collaborations
Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolboy Q are two of the biggest success stories to come out of Top Dawg Entertainment. Long before the likes of SZA and Doechii entered the public eye, the Black Hippy members carried the torch for the label alongside Jay Rock and Ab-Soul, helping TDE became the conglomerate it is today.
The same age with birthdays just months apart, K.Dot and Q have shared a similar career path in terms of going from acclaimed mixtapes to chart-topping albums. Naturally, the two Los Angeles rappers have collaborated countless times of the years, ranging from hit singles to lesser-known tracks that helped sharpen their skills as artists.
Q has claimed Kendrick “saved his life” and credits him with keeping on TDE at a time when CEO Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith and president Terrence “Punch” Henderson held interventions with him and were close to ending his record deal.
Below, we take a look at the top five collaborations to come from Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolboy Q.
The five best Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolboy Q collaborations:
‘Blessed’ (2012)
ScHoolboy Q gets vulnerable on ‘Blessed’, a song from his Habits & Contradictions album that finds him rapping about street life and the appreciation he has for his daughter, Joyce “Joy” Hanley, following the death of his friend’s son.
Q raps on the song, “Now how the fuck I’m ‘posed to say this? You see my n-gga just lost his son/ While I’m here hugging on my daughter, I grip her harder/ Kiss her on the head as I cry for a bit/ Thinking of some bullshit to tell him/ Like ‘It’ll be okay, you’ll be straight, it’ll be aight.'”
In the third verse, Kendrick Lamar continues the narrative with lyrics about the dangers of growing up in his hometown of Compton.
‘Far from Here’ (2009)
One of Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolboy Q’s earliest collaborations appeared on Kendrick’s self-titled EP in 2009. A far cry from his success of today, K.Dot raps about the stresses of being unemployed and feeling like people don’t understand him on ‘Far from Here’, soundtracked by silky smooth production from Jake One.
At the end of Q’s verse, he foresees the pair’s future success, rapping, “So how you feel? My n-gga, I keep it real/ A schoolboy soon to be a star, Mr. Lamar.”
‘Birds & The Beez’ (2011)
‘Birds & tHe Beez’ is a song that details the daily occurrences in the hood, rapping about cocaine, prison, heroin, dope dealers and running from the police. At the end of each verse, they play it off like it’s just a normal day for them, putting it down to being the birds and the bees.
In the chorus, Q states his intent to leave the drug game behind and pursue a successful career in music. He raps, “Get these n-ggas right up out my lane/ I just wanna do this fucking music, boy and leave this dope alone and count my change.”
‘The Spiteful Chant’ (2011)
Kendrick Lamar’s ‘The Spiteful Chant’ is a triumphant anthem that says “fuck you” to the people who talk about him behind his back. Carried by horns, the track sees Kendrick rapping about keeping himself to himself and not wanting to be fake with anyone. In Q’s verse, he reflects on how far he’s come, questioning the actions of those who weren’t there for him when he needed it most.
The song hasn’t been available on streaming platforms for at least five years, likely due to sample clearance issues. It was produced by Sounwave and Dave Free, and includes a sample of Woodkid’s ‘Iron’.
‘Collard Greens’ (2013)
Last but not least, ‘Collard Greens’ is by far the most commercially successful song to come from ScHoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar, peaking at number 92 on the Hot 100. Although the track appears to be about weed, Q revealed the subject matter is actually money.
K.Dot impressively spits a bilingual verse, put his Spanish language skills on display. “Hold up, biatch! This yo’ favorite song/ Translation: Ven aquí, mami, ese culo Tú quieres coger mis huevos, y papi me desespero Chuparse puto pendejo, el pinche cabrón,” he raps.