With the release of To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar returned to much of the Funk- and Jazz-infused sonic landscape set forth in Section .80, his 2011 studio debut. The two releases are punctuated in between with 2012’s good kid, m.A.A.d city, a louder, more widely heard album with the booming production that only Aftermath could have provided. Early fans of his were much less surprised when first hearing T.P.A.B, but there were many for whom the album’s heavy Jazz influences seemed antithetical to the oevure established with G.K.M.C.

However, one thing is certain: K-Dot is not at all afraid of exploring with sounds and genres, a fact perhaps most clearly embodied by his recent collaboration with Taylor Swift. Now, he’s back at it again, this time dropping serious bars over Jidenna’s “Classic Man,” a DJ Mustard-produced R&B joint that reads more New Orleans Bounce than straightforward boom-bap. Kendrick Lamar references his most recently album, MC Hammer, and cashing the biggest checks of his life in the opening moment. Signed to Janelle Monae’s Wondaland Records, Jidenna is featured prominently on the collective’s collaborative EP, The Eephus, particularly on the Ms. Monae-assisted single “Yoga.” Check out the remix to “Classic Man,” which shouldn’t have worked but which, well, does.