Who is Kamasi Washington? All about Kendrick Lamar's collaborator as the rapper seemingly starts off 'Not Like Us' MV with new music teaser

2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival - Weekend 1 - Day 3
Details explored as fans speculate another collaboration of Kendrick Lamar with Kamasi Washington. (Image via Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Kendrick Lamar released the music video for his song, Not Like Us, on July 4, 2024, and in the first 20 seconds of the video, he also teased his new song. As the track started, Lamar dropped in the visuals of an unreleased track. This had fans speculating that Kendrick was collaborating with popular saxophonist Kamasi Washington yet another time.

The rumor stemmed after Kendrick included Kamasi’s name at the start of the rap, as he sang:

"I am reincarnated, I was stargazing. Life goes on, I need all my babies. Woke up looking for the broccoli. Hot key, keep a horn on me, that kamasi. IP ownership, the blue print is by me. Mister get-off, I get off at my feet."

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The jazz saxophonist is known to have worked with Lamar multiple times, and his work on Kendrick’s 2015 album, To P*mp a Butterfly, was much appreciated. Kendrick Lamar and Kamasi Washington also worked on a few other songs, and Lamar has included tunes from the latter in his song, Damn, released in 2017.

Born in 1981, Kamasi Washington is the founding member of the collective West Coast Get Down. He is best known for his studio albums, Young Jazz Giants, Live at 5th Street D*ck’s, The Proclamation, Light of the World, The Epic, Heaven and Earth, and even Fearless Movement.


Kendrick Lamar partnered with award-winning saxophonist Kamasi Washington several times

Kamasi Washington has worked on many of Kendrick Lamar's songs and both the musicians' fans have loved the collaborations. When Kendrick released the music video for the diss track he had written for Drake, he also added Kamasi's name to the credits of the video. He also added a short clip of his new track, which had fans wondering if they were going to be collaborating again.

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Kamasi Washington has been passionate about jazz and music ever since he was a teenager. He was a student at UCLA, where he studied ethnomusicology. He then started working on his debut album, Young Jazz Giants, which was released in 2004. Kamasi then joined the Gerald Wilson Orchestra in 2005, which helped him release many other albums.

Having worked with the rapper on his album, To Pimp A Butterfly, Washington rose to instant fame He then released several of his other tracks and EPs, like Harmony of Difference, The Choice, Dinner Party, and many more.

For his work in music, he has received many awards, including the American Music Prize, NAACP Image Awards, and the Libera Awards in 2016. He also won the UK Music Awards in 2018 and the Brit Awards and the UK Music Video Awards in 2019. The saxophonist has also been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Awards and Grammy Awards for his contribution to music.

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As netizens pour in their speculation about Kendrick and Kamasi working yet again, neither Kendrick Lamar nor Kamasi Washington have reacted to the rumor. On the other hand, Kendrick’s music video continues to remain a hit amongst the masses, as it has garnered close to 7,000,000 views in just a few hours.

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Edited by Madhur Dave
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