Thundercat says that the best studio session he participated in was for Kendrick Lamar's "These Walls." Thundercat recalled working on the To Pimp A Butterfly track during a recent interview with HipHopDX at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. For the song, Thundercat also teamed up with Bilal and Anna Wise. The song eventually won Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 2016 Grammy Awards. The project as a whole also won Best Rap Album that year.
“My favorite studio session that I was in, gotta be honest: it was probably singing ‘These Walls,'” Thundercat told the outlet. “And a lot of my friends at the time didn’t realize that I sang. And so, my friends were just staring in my face like, ‘What is he doing right now?’ And I was like, ‘Can you guys leave the room so I can… I don’t wanna be looking in my friends’ eyes singing about these walls.’"
Thundercat Performing In 2019
“It’s just looking at Terrace [Martin] in the eyes, singing in my highest Michael McDonald voice,” Thundercat recounted. “Terrace is smiling like, ‘What about these walls, Steven?’ And I’m like, ‘Stop it!’ I couldn’t pause because the track is gonna keep going, so I gotta keep singing. There is no pause, it’s just continually me singing these walls and harmonies.” He continued: “And my friends looking down my throat. Don’t look at me like that,” he added laughing. “I’m a grown man, I pay taxes; I’ve been to jail. Don’t do that!”
Thundercat also recently admitted that he wishes he had more time to collaborate with Lamar than he has. Ahead of the release of Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Thundercat discussed his appreciation for the former TDE rapper with Japanese fashion brand Neet Tokyo. He admitted: “I wish I could spend more time around him creating just because he gives off such energy and he knows what he wants a lot of time. Some of my favorite moments of recording are with Kendrick.”
Kendrick Lamar's "These Walls"
[Via]