Kendrick Lamar’s performance at the just concluded ‘Move Africa’ show that was held in Kigali on Wednesday December 7, is a win for Rwanda’s music industry, and might be a game changer for the young local rappers who met the hip hop Icon ahead of the mega show.
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"There is one individual today that came to the meet and greet whom we share the same experiences with. He told me how my music inspired him, and I told him how DMX inspired me,” Kendrick Lamar said before performing the last song at the show that took place at BK Arena.
The Compton-born rapper was talking about a chat he had with local rapper Kenny Kshot, who named himself after Kendrick’s childhood stage name KDOT, and was among a selected team of Rwandan musicians that met Kendrick at his hotel before the actual show.
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Another young rapper, known as the dice kid, was filmed rapping and free-styling his favorite lines to Kendrick, and The New Times understands that the footage might appear on the rappers’ upcoming documentary of Mr Morale and The Big Steppers tour.
This, among many other valid factors, shows possible signs that local musicians are good candidates to collabo or appear on Kendrick’s future projects, despite how expensive collaborating with him on a track can be.
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According to various reports, Kendrick charges as much as $400,000 for his heavy bars to be featured on a song, and most Rwandan artistes especially rappers cannot afford to pay such amount for just a feature.
Among Rwandan musicians whose talents fit to collabo with Kendrick Lamar include MaestroBoomin, Sema Sole, Kenny Kshot, Ish Kevin, Mike Kayihura, Angel Mutoni and TheDiceKid among others.
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The rapper has also had record breaking collabos and The New Times highlights some of his best collabos that made him one of the greatest rappers of all time.
Goosebumps
Consistently working with fellow rappers, Kendrick Lamar partnered with Travis Scott in 2016, for the third single from his ‘Birds In the Trap Sing McKnight’ album, Goosebumps. The pair met at the MTV Music Video Awards when Lamar reportedly approached Scott. Scott jumped at the chance, and the resulting track broke into the US Top 40.
The Greatest
Kendrick Lamar teamed up with quirky pop sensation Sia on The Greatest, taken from the deluxe release of her This Is Acting album. The song is a direct reaction to the Orlando Pulse nightclub shootings, giving it an incredible poignancy.
Don’t Wanna Know
Delving into the pop world again back in 2016, Kendrick Lamar contributed to the continued reinvention of Maroon 5. The song hit the top ten in fifteen countries, and launched Maroon 5’s 2017 album Red Pill Blues. Although the official video for the track doesn’t feature Lamar, it’s definitely worth a watch.
King’s Dead
Another track lifted from the Black Panther OST, King’s Dead sees Jay Rock listed as the lead artist, joined by Lamar, fellow internationally renowned rapper Future, and soon-to-be touring partner James Blake. As with his Danny Brown collaboration, it’s a massive rap showcase.
All the Stars
The first piece of new music to appear by both rising superstar-in-the-making SZA and by Kendrick Lamar is All the Stars. At the time of release it marked the first track to appear from the Black Panther OST, for which Lamar acted as the producer.
Bad Blood
Originally appearing on Taylor Swift’s 2014 release 1989, Bad Blood celebrated an overhaul for the single release, inviting Kendrick Lamar into the fold. The song reached No.1 in the United States, as well as other countries across the globe, in part thanks to a hugely cinematic video featuring the rapper himself.