Kendrick Lamar is back. Today (October 29), Busta Rhymes released a new track titled “Look Over Your Shoulder,” which prominently features Kendrick in the first verse. The song also samples “I’ll Be There” by the Jackson 5. “Look Over Your Shoulder” appears on Busta Rhymes’ upcoming album Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God, which arrives Friday (October 30). Listen to “Look Over Your Shoulder” below.
Back in 2017, prior to announcing his last studio album DAMN., Kendrick Lamar shared the single “The Heart Part 4.” Kendrick’s last single as the lead artist was 2018’s Black Panther the Album. The soundtrack and its singles earned Kendrick seven Grammy nominations; he won one. He also got nominated for the 2019 Academy Award for Best Original Song for “All the Stars.”
In 2019, Kendrick Lamar featured on SiR’s “Hair Down,” Raphael Saadiq’s “Rearview,” the Lion King song “NILE,” Dreamville’s “Under the Sun,” and 2 Chainz’s “Momma I Hit a Lick.”
Although he made guest appearances on other people’s songs, Kendrick didn’t attend either the Grammys or the Oscars during 2019’s award season. This year, he launched a new “at service company” called pgLang with longtime collaborator Dave Free. He quietly joined protests over the police murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others; his song “Alright” saw a boost in streaming due in part to its prominence at protests.
DAMN.—which got an alternate release with the tracklist in reverse order—was Pitchfork’s No. 1 Album of 2017. Watch its episode of “Instant Classic” below. Read “With Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer Win, The World May Finally Be Catching Up to Rap” on the Pitch.
Busta Rhymes’ most recent full-length release was 2016’s The Return of the Dragon (The Abstract Went on Vacation). Three years prior he teamed up with Q-Tip for The Abstract And The Dragon.