Rap purists be damned - Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift today released their first song together, a remix of "Bad Blood." The fourth single from Swift's multi-platinum 1989 now features two verses from hip-hop's most critically-acclaimed lyricist.
Taylor Swift last night debuted the Sin City-inspired video at the Billboard Music Awards, where she earned eight awards including Top Artist, Top Female Artist, and Top Billboard 200 Album. A star-studded cinematic extravaganza, the action-packed clip features actresses Lena Dunham, Hailee Steinfeld, Jessica Alba and Ellen Pompeo; singers Selena Gomez, Ellie Goulding, Hayley Williams and Zendaya; and models Cindy Crawford, Gigi Hadid, Cara Delevigne, Karlie Kloss and Lily Aldridge.
It is a visual departure for Swift, who plays a leather-clad assassin rather than the heroine of prior lens flare-soaked videos. By spoofing a powerful action hero, Swift's new role is more true to life than the lovelorn songstress shtick she has long adopted.
At 25, Swift has earned an estimated $266 million to date before taxes and fees, including $64 million last year alone. In 2014, she broke with industry norm by pulling her music from Spotify the week after 1989 was released over disappointment with how little the streaming service pays out. Fans were forced to buy the album - it has sold over 4.6 million copies to date.
"[People] can still listen to my music if they get it on iTunes," Swift told Time. "I’m always up for trying something. And I tried it and I didn’t like the way it felt. I think there should be an inherent value placed on art."
A regular feature on our Celebrity 100 ranking since 2010, Swift has proved that she is an astute businesswoman whose decisions shape the industry. Yet in her transition from country sweetheart to pop juggernaut, Swift has carefully curated her image. She has polished a relatable-yet-aspirational combo of girl-next-door sweetness for her 57.6 million
Swift's collaboration with Lamar was an inevitable event between pop's most powerful star and hip-hop's moral compass. In a 2014 Rolling Stone story, Swift revealed her fandom for Lamar, calling his 2012 Hit-Boy produced "Backseat Freestyle" a "go-to" that transports her from "feeling victimized to feeling awesome." She claimed to "know every word" and proved it when she rapped the same verse in an Instagram video to celebrate the 1.287 million copies 1989 sold in its first week.
The appreciation appears to be mutual. "You can't put music in different genres," Lamar said of Swift during an interview with the Fader. "I enjoy great music outside of my own music all the time, so I definitely can see where she's coming from when she says that she listens to the record, and it's a great thing for her to acknowledge that and put that good energy out into the world like that." For his part, Lamar proceeded to sing his version of "Shake It Off," later telling Billboard he would collaborate with her.
"I appreciate Taylor Swift for supporting not only my music but just the hip-hop culture," Lamar said to Billboard. "There's really no gap. It's music and it feels good."
Lamar, who shot to fame with his 2012 album Good Kid, M.A.A.d City, has appeared on our Hip-Hop Cash Kings list twice earning $9 million a year in 2013 and 2014. While his combined $18 million check is far smaller than Swift's, Lamar's 2015 record To Pimp A Butterfly moved 363,000 copies in its first week and cemented his place as rap's auteur.
Lamar is capable of producing challenging, beautiful music but also needs mainstream access to succeed - Swift is that portal. As pop and hip-hop nudge each other for space on charts and dancefloors, Swift understands aligning with Lamar is the most credible choice. The collaboration opens both Swift and Lamar to new audiences, suggesting they can be stronger - and richer - together. While "Bad Blood" marks the first Swift/Lamar artist credit, you can guess it won't be the last.
KENDRICK PUT HIS ALBUM OUT EARLY.
NO ONE TOUCH ME.
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) March 16, 2015
