Kendrick Lamar’s five worst collaborations
Even Kendrick Lamar has had a creative misstep here and there.
His discography is an eclectic mix of conceptual rap odysseys, guest spots on radio stations, etc. and while the majority of the work has been bold and visionary, others have come close to missing the mark. Sometimes it was a matter of scale, sometimes it was a matter of style, and sometimes it was the simple truth that not even a lyrical giant could redeem a bad pop song. In collaborations such as these, artistic chemistry cannot be produced.
Part of Kendrick’s power has always been his adaptability. He can effortlessly switch between jazz rap, trap and R&B, but versatility can only take him so far. The more his profile expanded, the more he was in demand, being invited into spaces where star power was considered over substance. In such cases, the result was usually curious and embarrassing, and Lamar made a welcome sacrifice of his depth in songs that did not merit it.
There is nothing wrong with experimentation, but these are the tracks where the experiment went wrong. Whether it was ill-devised pop crossovers or genre hybrids that fell flat, these five collaborations are the weakest link in an otherwise stellar career. Here are five worst collaborations featuring Kendrick Lamar, ranked.
Kendrick Lamar’s five worst collaborations:
5. Alicia Keys – ‘It’s On Again’ (2014)
Even a super-hero could not save this track. The collaboration for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was intended to combine the soulful genius of Alicia Keys and the cutting-edge sound of Kendrick Lamar, but the result was confusing and messy. The track’s erratic gear changes between his assaultive opener and her soaring chorus make it sound more like a jingle for a commercial than a song. Critics said it was bombastic and outdated, with Lamar’s opening sounding forced and like a poor imitation of Eminem’s ‘Lose You’.
Kendrick contributes little; his hard-edged, suspect cinematic delivery clashing against Keys’ pop polish. It is the sound of two artists finding each other in the middle and finding absolutely no chemistry. For Kendrick, this is one of the few occasions when his intensity seems out of place.
4. Robin Thicke – ‘Give It 2 U’ (2013)
Following the success of ‘Blurred Lines’, Robin Thicke enlisted the aid of Kendrick Lamar and 2 Chainz for a polish club single that proved to be a creative dead end. Lamar’s artistry was barely able to stretch in the song’s plastic-sounding production and shallow sexual theme. He attempts to add wit and imagery to the verse, but his stylish voice only emphasises how immature the song is.
Lamar never sounded like a collaborator, just an awkward guest, shoehorned into a song written for nothing more than radio. The incongruity of Thicke’s pop polish and Kendrick’s thoughtful delivery makes this one of the forgettable outings in his catalogue.
3. Maroon 5 – ‘Don’t Wanna Know’ (2016)
At the apex of tropical-house fever, Maroon 5 called on Kendrick to provide a verse that would lend the song some credence. Instead, they made him dance to one of their most dead singles. The beat is overwrought to the point of blandness, and Lamar’s verse is disjointed from the song’s breakup subject matter. His lyrics are clumsy; they fall somewhere between comedy and half-hearted lust, even the infamous line containing the word “poona” has been criticized by some critics for being one of his worst lines.
The song was a radio hit, but for Kendrick it was a creative embarrassment. Instead of lifting the track, his presence marked how empty and following the trend it was. Critics still point to it as his worst pop guest spot.
2. AWOLNATION – ‘Sail (TDE Remix)’ (2013)
The concept of Kendrick Lamar and Ab-Soul rapping over a moody AWOLNATION rock smash hit was weird from the outset. The remix repeats the same melancholic tempo and inserts verses which are completely out of context to the original song. Lamar is desperately trying to make metaphors out of taxis and oxygen, and Ab-Soul is babbling about real estate and the balance of the universe. Nothing fits.
Rather than creating a fusion of genres, the remix makes the fusion awkward. The production is muddy, the flow unnatural, and the emotion unnatural. It is what defines a failed experiment – grandiose on paper, excruciating in execution.
1. Imagine Dragons – Radioactive (Remix) (2014)
Meant to be a cultural crossover moment, this turned into a cautionary tale. Kendrick dropped by Imagine Dragons’ smash-hit rock anthem for the remix and Grammy live performance, but it was already ubiquitous. While the performance itself was meant to be a high-energy piece, the studio version is an awkward marriage of styles. These two traits, Lamar’s accuracy and aggression, cannot be reconciled with the song’s crushing apocalyptic imagery.
The result is that it sounds like two genres talking over each other. Some criticised it as a publicity stunt, saying that Kendrick was seeking attention rather than expression. In retrospect, ‘Radioactive (Remix)’ is his most egregious lapse – a case in which a visionary artist momentarily lost his way in the blaze of a commercial light show.