"When I wrote Thuggin'," Glasses Malone remembers, "it was my take on current society." In a brand-new behind-the-scenes video, the Los Angeles native speaks about his collaboration with Kendrick Lamar. While the latter has more star power on a national level, it's the young Compton MC who was star-struck when the two started working together. "It was just an honor, really, just to sit right there and watch," Kendrick said. He added that the Watts rapper was friends with one of his late cousins, which made their relationship closer. "The same respect he got from the streets for putting in the work, the same respect he gets in music, putting in the work."

Lamar is presumably basking in the success of his second major-label album, To Pimp a Butterfly. It's a sprawling, political record that attempts to mesh elements of jazz, funk and soul. Light on hits, Lamar has nevertheless enjoyed some radio play off the strength of "King Kunta"; the album is now the standard bearer for Spotify, setting the streaming service's record for most listens in a single day. He first rose to prominence off the strength of 2009's Kendrick Lamar EP and the following year's O.D. (Overly Dedicated). Glasses Malone released his debut album, Beach Cruiser, in 2011. That same year, he dropped a collaboration album with the legendary Mack 10.

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