Lecrae and Dee-1 have shared their reactions to being namedropped by Kendrick Lamar on his new song.
The Compton rap star took fans by surprise on Wednesday (September 11) by dropping an untitled track on Instagram without notice following the fervent chatter surrounding his upcoming Super Bowl halftime show.
Referred to by fans as “Watch the Party Die,” the five-minute effort finds Kendrick serving up some pointed social commentary as he laments the state of the rap game and wider music industry (if not modern culture as a whole).
From those who “parade in gluttony without givin’ truth to the youth” and “glorify scamming” to “street n-ggas, corporate guys and rappers” who “report the lies” and “the radio personality pushin’ propaganda for salary,” multiple targets face the wrath of King Kendrick’s silver tongue.
Towards the end of the track, Kendrick namedrops Lecrae and Dee-1, two rappers who are also known for thoughtful rap music that shines a spotlight on the ills of society and attempts to light a path for listeners to make better choices.
“Sometimes I wonder what Lecrae would do / Fuck these n-ggas up or show ’em just what prayer do?” he spits, referencing the veteran Christian MC.
He continues: “I want to be empathetic, my heart like Dee-1 / But I would—,” omitting what sounds like a threat against his enemies.
Reacting to the line on X (formerly Twitter), Lecrae reciprocated the love by writing: “Love you Dot….Always here. [praying hands emoji].”
Dee-1 posted a throwback photo of him and Kendrick along with the caption: “i appreciate the shoutout brother. @kendricklamar [heart emoji] More than you’ll ever know. A shift is happening. The time is now! [praying hands emoji].”
Love you Dot….Always here. 🙏🏾
— Lecrae (@lecrae) September 12, 2024
i appreciate the shoutout brother. @kendricklamar ❤️
More than you’ll ever know.A shift is happening. The time is now! 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/DNBHYM0V39
— Dee-1 (@Dee1music) September 12, 2024
While the namedrops may seem random on the surface, Kendrick Lamar and Lecrae have a longstanding friendship, with the future Pulitzer Prize-winner appearing in the Houston native’s “Church Clothes” music video back in 2012.
In an interview with HipHopDX at the 2024 Grammys, Lecrae spoke about his relationship with K. Dot and revealed he once came to him for spitirual advice.
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“One of the reason why Kendrick is one of my favorites is because early on, he was really transparent and honest and allowed me to be a voice in his life, and I’ll always be grateful to him for that,”said Lecrae, who jokingly called himself “Hip Hop’s chaplain.”
“It’s mutual respect, and I appreciate him for just trying to be a voice. We’re all wrestling in trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. He knows I’m always down for the conversations and open to serving in any way I can.”
Lecrae also once turned down a feature from Kendrick, telling the YTH Nation Podcast: “He made this project before he really blew up and had this song on there called ‘Faith’ and he was wrestling with this faith. I had more Twitter followers than him at the time so I DM’d him and was like, ‘Bro, I heard this song. What are you wrestling with? Beause maybe I could send you some stuff.’
“He was like, ‘I got questions about this, this and this.’ We started going back and forth and then we just developed a relationship. He actually asked to do music with me first and I was like, ‘Nah, let’s chill because I don’t ever want you to feel like I’m only in this for what you have going on.’”
