Kanye West slams Kendrick Lamar’s features on Playboi Carti’s album MUSIC

Kanye West has publicly criticized Kendrick Lamar’s involvement in Playboi Carti’s highly anticipated new album, MUSIC, despite producing one of the tracks himself. On March 14, Ye took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice his disapproval, writing in all caps, “I DON’T LIKE KENDRICK LAMARS MUSIC. HE RAPS VERY GOOD BUT I DIDN'T NEED TO HEAR HIM ON CARTI ALBUM.” I don't like KENDRICK Lamar's MUSIC. HE RAPS VERY GOOD BUT I DIDN'T NEED TO HEAR HIM ON CARTI ALBUM — ye (@kanyewest) March 14, 2025 Lamar appears on three tracks—“Good Credit,” “Mojo Jojo,” and “Backdoor,” which was produced by West. His contributions add to a star-studded guest lineup featuring Future, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, and Lil Uzi Vert. 

The comments come just a month after Ye acknowledged Lamar’s lyrical dominance, saying in an interview with Justin LaBoy on The Download that “if you rap against Kendrick, you will lose.” Despite that praise, West now seems displeased with Lamar’s presence on MUSIC. Carti’s album rollout was not without hiccups. Originally slated for a midnight release, the project was delayed until nearly 4 a.m. ET.

The album marks Carti’s return after five years, following 2020’s Whole Lotta Red, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. With MUSIC now out, Playboi Carti is set to perform at Rolling Loud California this weekend before joining The Weeknd on a stadium tour. Neither Carti nor Lamar’s teams have responded to Ye’s remarks.