Kendrick Lamar Joins YG For Gritty ‘Really Be (Smokin N Drinkin)’
Rising Compton rapper YG will release his debut album My Krazy Life on March 18th, and New York DJ Funkmaster Flex recently premiered the album’s latest cut, the gritty “Really Be (Smokin N Drinkin)” featuring fellow SoCal rapper Kendrick Lamar.
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Propelled at first by a sparse, bubbling bass line and exhausted exhales, the beat grows into a hypnotic banger, though neither YG nor Kendrick stoop to partying platitudes. Instead, YG rhymes about using intoxicants as a coping mechanism for the harsh realities of life, while Lamar delivers a breathless, croaking verse that jumps between his rising star reality and the lingering sorrows of the past.
In a recent chat with Rolling Stone, YG spoke about his debut and bringing his music to the world: “I want motherfuckers to respect me on some artist shit. I write about the lifestyle, the culture, where I’m from. If you ain’t too familiar you probably won’t get half the shit I rap about. It just probably sound like some other shit, but I’m really talking about the culture the whole time. I just want people to respect that… I bring the lifestyle, the L.A. lifestyle. The Bompton, all that.”
Along with Lamar, My Krazy Life features a slew of guests including Drake, Jeezy, Schoolboy Q, Ty Dolla $ign, Rich Homie Quan and Jay Rock.