Have You Heard? Kendrick Lamar x SZA - All The Stars

It shows both artists as being as versatile as they come.

4th January 2018

Kendrick Lamar and SZA were probably the two biggest stars of 2017. Naturally, then, they begin this year by coming together on the massive ‘All The Stars’. The collaboration from the Top Dawg companions is the first taster of the Kendrick-curated soundtrack for the new Black Panther film, and shows both artists as being as versatile as they come.

It’s clear by now that Kendrick can excel over any single beat placed in front of him, and ‘All The Stars’ shows this more clearly than ever. SZA’s soaring chorus vocal is backed up by a smooth, laid back vocal that sounds a lot less angry than its lyrics would suggest.

Based around a silky, pitch-shifted vocal, ‘All The Stars’ is much more understated than it could’ve been, given the sum of its parts, but its restraint is its greatest strength, and makes it the first great song of 2018.