The Best Kendrick Lamar Guest Verses of the Past Year

Over the last few years Kendrick Lamar has established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the hip hop community. Within the last two years or so, Kendrick has branched out beyond that genre and proved just how versatile his style can be. His core audience already knew how well he could rap over hard-hitting production, but recently he’s shown that his voice works well over funk, jazz, and pop-influenced records as well.

Though it’s been nearly a year since Kendrick gifted us with untitled unmastered.—his compilation of tracks that didn’t make the cut for 2015’s To Pimp A Butterfly—Kendrick stayed quite busy last year with a long list of guest verses. With guest appearances ranging from R&B albums to pop, radio-friendly records, Kendrick was able to expand not only his range of sound but his audience too.

These are our favorite picks from Kendrick’s most recent guest verses, in chronological order.

Release date: January 18, 2016

Years before releasing “No More Parties in LA” on The Life of Pablo, Kanye West recorded the song while in the process of making My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Though it never made the final cut for 2010’s MBDTF, it appears the one thing Kanye felt like he was missing was a verse from Kendrick Lamar.

We couldn’t be more grateful that this record finally saw the light of day. With over six minutes divided between just the two of them, both Kanye and Kendrick have ample time to go off the rails and tell stories about the materialism that becomes second nature after too much time in Los Angeles. Though Kendrick admits that the L.A. lifestyle is “damaging for you,” he can’t help but give into it. His verse digs deeper into “The Recipe” he’s referenced before—the three W’s (women, weed, and weather) make L.A. irresistible to everyone. The tempo of his flow mimics the fast-paced party environment of the city, and shows just how quickly everything can come and go.

Release date: July 22, 2016

DJ Khaled always manages to bring in a massive variety of artists for his albums. For Major Key, Kendrick handles guest duties on the opening track “Holy Key,” alongside Big Sean and soul singer Betty Wright. Big Sean opens up the track by detailing the hard work put into reaching the top while Betty Wright follows up with a chorus praising the journey to success.

Then Kendrick arrives. His verse wastes no time in pondering spirituality and the factors in life that can cause someone’s faith to crumble—"The land of the wicked, the foundation of Lucifer's spirit / Walking zombies and spellcatchers, I pray for forgiveness"—but he’s determined to focus on what matters rather than the materialistic things around him. This internal conflict seems to be an ongoing theme for Kendrick, now more than ever as fame's spotlight burns ever brighter.

With the varying inflections of his voice, it seems like Kendrick is switching between telling his own story and giving advice to his listener. Whether or not it’s his own album or a guest verse never seems to matter for Kendrick, he continues to deliver the same important messages within his music.

Release date: September 2, 2016

When anyone from TDE releases a new album, it's a given that some of their label mates will make an appearance. But it's not always Kendrick—he's noticeably conspicuous from Schoolboy Q's latest album, so hearing an additional verse from Kendrick on Isaiah Rashad’s latest album The Sun’s Tirade felt like a special surprise.

Isaiah Rashad creates a balance by delivering a fast-paced flow over a hazy rhythm that matches the hook, sung by Zacari. The balance works to mirror the subject matter of the track, as Rashad touches on how his former battle with drugs almost ruined his music career. While Kendrick follows the same delivery pattern, his lyrics come across as a response to Rashad—a wake up call to a loved one.

Kendrick begins calmly, asking Rashad a few questions about his life and the blessings pursuing music has brought him. But soon, the calm tone transforms into a frustrating intervention which Kendrick apologies for raising his voice by explaining: “Pardon me, see my alter ego a Gemini.”

Release date: September 2, 2016

Kendrick Lamar and Travis Scott often find themselves on opposite sides of greatness when their respective styles of music come up. Kendrick's dense lyricism clashes against Scott's production and rabid energy, but the two shut naysayers up in 2016. “Goosebumps,” from Scott’s Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight album, is the best of both worlds.

Kendrick Lamar’s Gemini traits show up very often within his music as he constantly transitions between various voices and personas with swiftness. On “Goosebumps,” he uses these unique voice inflections to put further emphasis on a rather unconventional love song. Whether the affection displayed in the single is being aimed towards a person, drugs, or anything else that provides a euphoric feeling is irrelevant. Kendrick uses the varying tones in his voice as a mesmerizing factor to lure listeners deeper into the nearly obsessive sentiments he’s trying to explain.

Release date: November 11, 2016

A year ago, the idea of A Tribe Called Quest and Kendrick Lamar on a track together would have only been part of a fantasy discussion or some strange mash-up created by a fan. Then, a miracle—in November, the legendary Tribe released We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service, their first album in nearly two decades, complete with a Kendrick collab.

The simplest word to describe Kendrick’s guest verse on “Conrad Tokyo” is vivid. The album’s tracklist didn’t officially list any features, so hearing Kendrick’s voice pop up after the late Phife Dawg’s is enough to make any hip-hop fan feel simultaneously shocked and full of joy.

Following Phife’s topic about today’s political climate, Kendrick enters from the perspective of a younger generation who have in many ways just come to terms with devastation. "Devils and demons and Deuteronomy / Fumigate our economy, illuminate broken dreams."

By taking this approach, Kendrick closes the generational gap and proves that many of us are suffering from the same struggles, no matter our age.