Kendrick Lamar’s manager Dave Free has shared some behind the scenes information with The Big Hit Show about the meeting between Prince and K Dot for To Pimp A Butterfly. “He [Kendrick] became obsessed with Prince. We were trying to get Prince on TPAB and we went out to Paisley Park. He told me to never touch his ping pong paddle – I’ll tell you that.” Dave said further: “Prince don’t care man. He was doin’ him. That’s what we learned from him. Do you – do it with poise, respect and intention, but do you!”

Kendrick originally wanted Prince to appear on the track “Complexion (A Zulu Love)” and he told NME: “Prince heard the song and he loved it and the concept, so we started talking. We got to a point where we were in the studio talking and not recording and we ran out of time. We just ran out of time, it’s as simple as that”.

Prince told Medium in 2015 that he loved To Pimp A Butterfly. “He just has something to say. It’s pure, and with Thundercat on the album? Come on. You’re not taking 'Alright' off my playlist.” Prince and Kendrick performed “What’s My Name” live at Paisley Park in 2014.

Prince, though not a fan of Rap music originally, did incorporate it into his music eventually. He collaborated with Chuck D, Doug E. Fresh and Common throughout his career. You can check out Prince and Kendrick's 2014 performance below.