It’s no surprise that Eminem has a healthy dose of respect for Kendrick Lamar . Like Em, K. Dot is a meticulous and potent lyricist, who places a premium on the power of words and the value of song concepts — not to mention that he’s signed to Dr. Dre.
But we didn’t know that the Slim Shady felt this strongly about the 27-year-old.
“We’ve been in Compton before,” Em told The New York Times as part of the paper’s recent feature on the T.D.E. rapper. “But the way that Kendrick did it was so different…The album is crafted from front to back, the way each song ties into each other — to me that’s genius.”
The Rap God also sees a trait in Kendrick that’s been evident in his own work for years.
“There’s a certain hunger that you can sense about Kendrick,” Em said. “He raps to be the best rapper in the world.
He competitive- raps. That’s one of the things that’s going to drive his career. He’s going to be around for a long time.”
So far, musically, the mutual admiration has manifested in just one song: “Love Game,” from November’s The Marshall Mathers LP 2 .
Em touched on his thoughts on the young rapper and how the collaboration came to life in an interview with MTV News last year .
“The fact of what Kendrick is doing, even before the ‘Control’ verse,” he said.
“Justabout what he did on his album and the way he put it together…I admire that sh–.”
So, what do you say you guys get back in thestudio together?
