Yesterday (January 4th), a surprise track featuring both Kendrick Lamar and SZA of Top Dawg Entertainment was released entitled, “All the Stars”. Both artists have had remarkably good years with Kendrick dropping his most mainstream release and SZA releasing her debut studio album. With both projects seeing critical acclaim and general popularity, it is no surprise they have collaborated for the second time on this single, the first time being SZA’s song, Doves in the Wind.
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7262957/kendrick-lamar-billboard-artist-100
“All the Stars:” is familiar, yet surprising at the same time. Its extremely atmospheric and visceral production is a new avenue for both artists.The vibrant electronic beat, featuring bouncy bass and punchy drums makes the listener feel like they are levitating. The orchestral strings only add to the intensity and emotion and lead the climax of the song. On the other hand, Kendrick delivers his usual flow and SZA provides stand out vocals as she proves to be one of the most impactful singers on the scene right now. In all honesty, I was not the biggest fan of this song at first, but after multiple listens, it definitely clicked. While it is not one of my favorite tracks from either artist, the production is admittedly a great contrast from SZA’s latest project and I would be interested to see her explore this creative avenue on future projects.
SZA is definitely the champion of this song, laying down a captivating, intense chorus alongside her own verse. While Kendrick is a decent addition and provides a solid rap verse that contributes to the overall theme, I’m not entirely sure he was necessary. This track definitely fits SZA’s vibe more and would have benefited from Kendrick being a small feature rather than the other way around. Overall, the song is solid with amazing production as well as yet another fantastic performance from SZA.
Listen to, “All the Stars” below!
