SZA and Kendrick Lamar Have Created Some of the Most Memorable Songs Together
SZA and Kendrick Lamar's collaborations have earned them many accolades.
Published Jan. 24 2025, 2:01 p.m. ET
We're just weeks away from the Super Bowl LIX, which means Kendrick Lamar's halftime show is almost here! A new trailer for the performance dropped on Thursday, January 23, revealing that SZA will join the hip-hop legend as a special guest.
The two artists have been collaborating for years, and they just recently announced their upcoming "Grand National Tour," set to hit stadiums from April to June 2025.
With both the tour and the Super Bowl performance on the horizon, many fans might be wondering just how long Kendrick Lamar and SZA have been working together. Here's everything you need to know, including all their songs so far!
SZA and Kendrick Lamar have teamed up on several songs over the years.
SZA and Kendrick Lamar's friendship spans years, and their collaborative history runs deep. Their musical journey began with "Babylon," a track from SZA's third EP "Z" that features Kendrick's vocals. This marked the start of what would become a long-running partnership in the music world.
Their next notable collaboration came with Kendrick's 2015 album "To Pimp a Butterfly." While not a full-fledged collab, SZA's background vocals can be heard on the track "U," as well as on another track, "For Sale? (Interlude)."
In August 2015, Jay Rock's "90059" album dropped, featuring the song "Easy Bake," which saw Kendrick and SZA joining forces once again.
Though recorded between 2013 and 2014, Kendrick's "untitled unmastered compilation album, released in March 2016, included unreleased demos from the "To Pimp a Butterfly" sessions. Track No. 4, "Untitled 04 | 08.14.2014," features SZA (and hints that the two recorded it together on Aug. 14, 2014).
Fast forward to June 9, 2017, when SZA released her debut studio album "Ctrl." The album was met with major acclaim and featured "Doves in the Wind," another collaboration with Kendrick.
Their most iconic collaboration came in January 2018, when "All the Stars," the lead single from the Black Panther soundtrack, was released.
The song not only earned them widespread praise but also led to significant recognition, including a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song and an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. They also garnered multiple Grammy nominations, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
A few years later, in November 2024, Kendrick released his highly anticipated sixth studio album "GNX," which received universal acclaim and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The album featured two tracks with SZA, "luther" and "gloria."
A little over a month later, in January 2025, SZA released "Lana," a reissue of her massive second album "SOS." Kendrick Lamar is the sole guest featured on the album, making an appearance on the track "30 for 30."
SZA said she'd "love" to make a joint album with Kendrick.
While promoting her comedy movie One of Them Days on the daytime talk show Sherri, SZA opened up about the possibility of teaming up with Kendrick Lamar for a joint album in the future.
"I would love that," SZA said without hesitation when asked about a collab album. "I think that would be amazing. He's such a genius. And a part of his genius is like him being so elusive and so mysterious and I love it."
SZA went on to share how Kendrick's innovative approach has shaped her own creative process, often pushing her out of her comfort zone.
"He's a huge part of my 'fumbling and finding' era because I'm just trusting all of his expertise and being thrust into these moments and spotlight and saying yes," the singer explained. "He's so good at saying yes and staying grounded, so I'm just like, 'Teach me, sensei, what you know.'"