Anna Wise Compares Kendrick Lamar to Quentin Tarantino

Sole authorship may not be entirely mythical, but its prevalence is exaggerated. Not every rapper has ghostwriters, but the odds are that even the most hallowed names in the genre's history have had aides in the studio with them, tossing out lines, contributing hooks, changing words, generally rearranging things. According to Anna Wise, Kendrick Lamar is not one of those people. The Sonnymoon singer, who was featured on and sang background vocals for both good kid, m.A.A.d. city and To Pimp a Butterfly, told Billboard that Kendrick is "kind of like the director and the screenplay writer of his own movie." She went on to make a more specific, and even more flattering comparison: "He's like a Quentin Tarantino type. I feel like my part in his record is almost like an actor. I'm playing a part, but also inflecting my own personal experience on it."

Wise clarified that every hook she sang on a Kendrick song was written by the Compton rapper. She also detailed how they came to meet--Kendrick came across a song of hers on Youtube, then persuaded Wise and her bandmate to hole up in his studio for "weeks" as they finished up good kid. Furthermore, she expanded on the rotating cast of collaborators--Ali, Thundercat, Flying Lotus and more--who were in and out of the studio during the sessions for Butterfly.

Sonnymoon's new album, The Courage of Present Times, is available today (March 25).

Related: Sounwave Says Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ Went Through Three Phases
Bilal Explains His Role in Making Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’