YG Hootie reunites with Kendrick Lamar for their Compton anthem “The City.”
Produced by EarDrummers’ DJ FU, the thumping production allows Hootie and K-Dot to show love for their hometown and their longtime bond. “Me and my ni**a Hootie, we gon’ make a movie,” raps King Kendrick. “I got moves to make, officer, don’t shoot me.”
While K-Dot boasts about keeping “it underground,” Hootie shows love to his Compton comrade. “Me and Kendrick about to run shit,” he rhymes. “We don’t say we did shit ’cause we done shit.”
The cover art features a photo of George W. Bush that was taken back when the 43rd president of the United States was living in Compton as a kid. “Compton gets a lot of bad press which shapes the perception of our city, but most never know George Bush and his family once resided here,” Hootie told Complex. “They even went as far to suppress the fact, but you gotta give it up for ‘The City.’”
K-Dot and Hootie go way back. In 2013, the duo collaborated on “Two Presidents,” which showcased them as the Compton equivalent to Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King. “Kendrick, Martin, Hootie, Malcolm,” rapped Lamar. “I’m screaming out peace, but his chopper piece, a bad outcome.” They also collaborated on “So Slow,” which was part of 2011’s The Vault: Volume 4 mixtape.
“The City” also follows recent K-Dot collaborations with Rich the Kid (“New Freezer”), Rapsody (“Power”), and Vince Staples (“Yeah Right”).
