Kendrick Lamar & ScHoolboy Q Put Pressure On The Game On "Michael Jordan"

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Kendrick Lamar & ScHoolboy Q had the unapologetic swag of Michael Jordan on their collaboration on "Overly Dedicated."

Before there was a good kid m.A.A.d city. Before there was a TPAB. Hell, even before there was a Section.80, Kendrick Lamar planted the seed for his career with his fourth mixtape, Overly Dedicated. It's been a full decade since that mixtape release and what an impact has he and the rest of the TDE camp had. They've dominated the rap game as one of the most prominent labels but those glimpses of Kendrick's genius was scattered across his early work. 

Though the project is more jazz-driven, Overly Dedicated delivered the classic banger "Michael Jordan" ft. ScHoolboy Q. A grimey trap production backing them, the pair deliver braggadocious bars declaring themselves "2 much for these n***as/ 3 much for these hoes," playing off the number of Jordan's jersey. Sure, many have used Jordan's 23 in their songs but none quite like Kendrick and Q. Their voices were still raw and unrefined as they would be later on in the years but they channeled the sh*t talking of Jordan's reign on wax. 

It's evident that even before he was on, he knew that he was the chosen one for this generation. "Walkin' out Fred Segal, put my girl on it/ Ass so fat, probably sit the world on it," he raps. Meanwhile, Q's volatile flow twists and turns with crude fantasies with vivid imagery of what he'd do to your girlfriend if he had the chance. Needless to say, don't leave your girl with Q.

At a time when he was just starting to gain a buzz, this, too, was an exemplary showcase of the type of damage TDE can do as a unit.

Quotable Lyrics
Leaning off the Actavis, passing blunts round and round
Told me Mary was a go so we passed her round and round
Your bitch texted me, wants it now so I had to knock her down
Hurt her bouncing off my balls, slinging dick up from the mouth
You let it slide, I hit home-runs, clean her dugout till I’m done
I can be her number two and you can be her number one


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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