12 Rappers With Posthumous Collabs Before Kendrick Lamar
Greats like 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G. aren’t the only artists to pop up on a posthumous collaboration. As ‘Pac’s surprising guest appearance (“Mortal Man”) on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly illustrates, we’ll always be interested in hearing bars from some MCs long after they’re gone.
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An enterprising artist can capitalize on that interest as well as their own by opening up the budget if the occasion calls for it. These 12 rappers hooked up posthumous collabs before Kendrick realized the opportunity and took advantage.
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Photo: WENN
Photo: WENN
Wu-Tang Clan – “Ruckus In B Minor”
While that hologram thing at “Rock The Bells” didn’t quite work out, the Clan paid homage to ODB by splicing some archived audio into their lead single from A Better Tomorrow.
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Eminem – “Dead Wrong”
Before he was the king of New York, Biggie was down right grimy. And when “Dead Wrong” dropped, few could channel the shock value of young B.I.G. better than a potty-mouthed Eminem.
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Nas – “Thugz Mansion”
In real life, 2Pac took some very overt shots at Nas before their reconciliation. Nas found a way to eternally patch things up on wax by posthumously appearing with ‘Pac on the song “Thugz Mansion.”
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Erick Sermon – “So Sweet”
Given his love of a good Parliament Funkadelic or Roger Troutman sample, it’s not a stretch to see Erick Sermon as an N.W.A fan. Through the magic of technology, E-Double got to collaborate with Eazy-E on the single “So Sweet” from his 2000 album, Def Squad Presents Erick Onasis.
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Nas – “The Don”
Apparently the overweight lover really wanted Nas to have this track. Unfortunately, the collaboration didn’t happen while Heavy D was still alive, but the important thing is we got “The Don.”
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Fat Joe and Remy Martin – “You Was Wrong”
The overwhelming majority of Big Pun’s 2000 album, Yeeeah Baby was completed after Big Pun’s death. So it stands to reason that Joe and Remy’s “You Was Wrong” got doctored up a bit for public consumption.
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Bun B and Trey Songz – “Right Now”
Bun B and Trey Songz were the only living members to appear on the 2010 posse cut “Right Now,” as earlier vocals from 2Pac and Pimp C were used to give this song four powerful verses.
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Juvenile – “Slow Motion”
Things weren’t always peaceful between Cash Money and No Limit, but Juvie and Soulja Slim had a history beyond music. The result was 2003’s “Slow Motion,” which arguably gave Slim a bigger mainstream platform than he ever enjoyed while alive.
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Common – “E=MC2”
By the time The Shining was released in August of 2006, J. Dilla had already passed. But the album stood as an incredible bookmark on the furious but brief run of mainstream recognition Dilla got after his Slum Village/Soulquarian days.
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Warren G and Game – “Party We Will Throw Now”
We may never truly know how many unreleased vocals Warren G has of Nate Dogg, but 2012 brought us a glimpse with the pleasantly surprising single “Party We Will Throw Now.”
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Mistah F.A.B. – “Since 84, 94, 04”
Before Drake was talking about “The Motto,” Mistah F.A.B. was giving it up to his mentor, Bay Area legend Mac Dre.
