It was clear by the end of the summer that Lady Gaga and rapper Kendrick Lamar were gonna be friends. However, their collaborations in the studio on his stunning “good kid m.A.A.d. city” have never surfaced, until now.
Gaga has “leaked” her own unreleased contribution on his song “B*tch Don’t Kill My Vibe,” a track that ultimately landed on the set but with Lamar himself speak-singing the hook. Her version makes the chorus a much more feminine and purposefully hooky feel, with the subject matter folling right in line with the Gaga we knwo and love: “I am a sinner who’s probably gonna sin again / Lord forgive me, Lord forgive me… I got my drink, I got my music / I would share it but today I’m yelling / Bitch don’t kill my vibe.”
It sounds like a singer trying to “vibe” like a an R&B singer when they’re not used to doing so, which seems a bit affected. But this is Gaga we’re talking about, as affectation is the signature on all songs. Plus, it could be given a better mix, a little too pointy.
Gaga reportedly worked on another song with Lamar, the unreleased “Partynausous,” but that may be supressed in part maybe because Gaga hadn’t time to finish a take she was happy with, or because her vocals may not have been treated to taste, or both. According to a post to a post on her website last month, there were some power factors in play:
I apologize to the fans that this situation with Partynausous is confusing. To it clear it up I must explain this. When I collaborate with an artist i work solely with them, not with their camps or management. Its purely organic and creative. I love Kendrick dearly as a friend, but was not willing to compromise musically to the changes his team was making to my music. This is why I am not his record. I have a very specific vision as a producer and songwriter, and I always have. That song will be released at a different time, for a different project. I love you, and think you should check out his stuff because he is truly great. He’s a good kid, its just sometimes a mad city.
Or a mad business.
The lack of Gaga on Lamar’s record didn’t seem to hurt him too significantly, as the artist’s debut album came out at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 the week after release. Lady Gaga, meanwhile, continues to work on her next album “ARTPOP.”