Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole have yet to release their long-rumored joint project, but the duo teamed up onstage on Wednesday (July 26), during K-Dot’s “The DAMN. Tour” stop at Detroit’s Palace of Auburn Hills.
Cole, who performed at the arena just a day earlier as part of his “4 Your Eyez Only Tour,” rose from the bottom of the stage to “Deja Vu,” a cut off his latest album, 4 Your Eyez Only.
With Kung Fu Kenny beside him, Jermaine ran through a couple more hits, including “A Tale of 2 Citiez” and “No Role Modelz,” two tracks off 2014 Forest Hills Drive.
The rare joint appearance fueled speculation about their much-talked-about collaborative project, which has been rumored for years. In 2012, K-Dot told Rap-Up about it. “Everybody’s asking for that,” he said. “I just finished my album [good kid, m.A.A.d. city]. He’s going in for his second album [Born Sinner] so we should find a time in the medium to really go in and lock in.”
Just last year, Ab-Soul acknowledged that the album was in the works. “I can’t speak on that,” he said. “I wish I could…These guys, they move like the mob. You never know with these guys… I don’t know too much about it. I just hope they use my verse. They just need to use my verse.”
When asked for clarity, he added: “They got it. They got something in the works. They’ve been working on that motherfucker for a while.” However, after the interview, he said it was a “myth.”