The one rapper Kendrick Lamar wanted on ‘Sing About Me’
One of the most lyrically intimate, emotionally ambitious tracks by the Pulitzer Prize winning artist – if not even across 21st century hip hop – there’s not much anyone could fathom is missing from Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst’.
And yet, despite the accolades racked up by both ‘Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst’ and its album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, there is one thing about the track that did not go to plan.
Speaking of his original vision for the song, Kendrick told Vibe magazine that “that idea was to have Nas on ‘Sing About Me’.”
“I never really got a chance to reach out to him,” he continued. “I was so wrapped up in getting the music done, samples cleared and mastered – there was so much going on.”
Of course, as fans will know, being too busy focusing on the track to get in touch with Nas personally to contribute to the song is not particularly surprising. Not only does ‘Sing About Me’ famously come in at twelve minutes, but is broken into two parts, features two skits, and also the famed poet Maya Angelou, alongside samples from Grant Green’s ‘Maybe Tomorrow’, Bill Withers’ ‘Use Me’ and the Singers Unlimited’s cover of ‘My Romance’. The tune is a mosaic of different stories of different, assumedly fictional, individuals, all united through their experiences of loss and regret. One verse discusses the perspective of a man who has had a friend killed; another, a sex worker. Finally, Kendrick comes in as himself, grappling with these stories of his community.
Kendrick further expanded on why he couldn’t just rush through a Nas collaboration on this song. “I didn’t really wanna rush the process,” he said. “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 continued. Concluding with a testimony to both his production prowess, but also the legacy of Nas, “It’s a great record now but to have his expertise on it would have been crazy.”
‘Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst’ remains as acclaimed by critics and fans alike as it was when it was released alongside the album, in which it appears as the tenth track. In a stunning catalogue of some of music’s most soulful contributions, it is a remarkable achievement that ‘Sing About Me’ stands out as much as it does. Its power is its narrative lyricism, in which Kendrick reflects on death, and the duty of those living to keep their voices alive.