TDE & Swiffer Wet-Jet Present: Kendrick Lamar & Ron Isley - "i" (non-album single)

Kendrick Lamar's latest non-album single, "i" has a seemingly unlikely sample source, The Isley Brother's 1973 Soul-Funk hit, "[Who's] That Lady," which many of you may recognize from Swiffer's hilarious long-standing "Who's That Lady" campaign. Right off the bat, "i" itself is more blatantly "commercial" than the combined the whole of it's predecessor good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012), but in the best way humanly possible. It's almost reminiscent of OutKast or even Native Tongues' 90's era brand of light-heated "conscious rap." Kendrick Lamar has supposedly recorded about 30 tracks for his as-yet-untitled second album, including "a bunch of tracks" with Dr. Dre. "Lamar says to expect "aggression and emotion" from the album, as well as some straight-up freestyling" laments a recent Rolling Stone profile; "if I can say anything about this record... is that it will connect again," Lamar vaguely continues. It was revealed just this morning in a brief Power 106 radio interview that not only did Ronald Isley approve of producer Rahki's clever "[Who's] That Lady" sample flip, but he even went as far as to record new ad-libs for "i," which are randomly scattered amongst Kendrick Lamar's repeated self-empowering "I love myself" refrains. While Kendrick Lamar's forthcoming album currently lacks a firm release or title, but he coyly brushed off "United States of A.L.A.R.M.," I'd imagine TDE issuing a lead single is a fairly good sign; even though Lamar divulged Rolling Stone that he's "not sure at all" if the album will even be out this year.