Kendrick Lamar Declares This Artist to Be the ‘Hardest Out’

Kendrick Lamar rarely lends his stamp of approval publicly, but K. Dot gave his co-sign to a rapper in his former Top Dawg Entertainment family.

Lamar declared Doechii to be the “hardest out” with an Instagram Story post on Thursday (Oct. 17), which featured the Florida native’s cover art to her acclaimed Alligator Bites Never Heal mixtape.

She returned the favor, reposting the IG Story thanking Dot for giving her the spotlight. “Thank you Dot, you the greatest,” the 26-year-old wrote.

Doechii added in a separate post: “Getting your flowers while you can smell them >>>”

She joined the TDE family in 2022, while Lamar left the label that helped turn him into a rap titan later that year following the release of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Kendrick also shared The Barbershop short film starring Doechii, which was created in collaboration between his pgLang agency and Cash App. Calmatic directed the clip featuring Doechii, serving up some financial literacy in a straight-forward format as she explains interest in its simplest terms.

“I’m at a place now where I’m starting to make a budget and set financial goals for my future,” Doechii said in a statement. “I think it’s so important to be honest with each other when we talk about money, which is why I’m excited to be part of this campaign and share what’s been working for me.”

Lamar doesn’t speak out often when it comes to publicly wrapping his arms around younger artists. In the past, he gave his stamp of approval to XXXTENTACION’s 17 project in 2017. “Listen to this album if you feel anything. raw thoughts,” he tweeted at the time. “5th listen.”

This article was originally published by Billboard U.S.