Cash In The Mirror

Schoolboy Q featuring Kendrick Lamar “Collard Greens”

Sometimes I wonder what it’s like to be a rapper who doesn’t produce their own tracks, and how they’re kinda at the mercy of whatever other people come up with, because it’s not as if every producer is tailoring their beats specifically for your technical skills. Beats get shopped around, you know? But this track is such a great showcase for both Schoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar – you get this mellow but sorta creeping dub bass line, a subtly shifting rhythm, and this keyboard part that’s just slightly menacing. It pushes Schoolboy to really lean up against the beat and shift along with it, while Kendrick reacts against it more, taking it as an occasion to switch up his flow – and even his language – a few times over in just one guest verse. This song is a pleasure on a surface level, but I’m really impressed by it in terms of craft.

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