Will hip-hop fans ever hear Nas Kendrick Lamar collaboration music? Nas is not ruling out the idea. The Queensbridge rap legend spoke with Complex before appearing at New York Comic Con. He was there to promote Mass Appeal and Marvel’s new Legend Has It comic book. He was asked about working with King Kenny.

“Oh, man. It’s just all about the artist,” Nas answered. “When you get the chance to record and work together, for me it should feel really natural. That would be great, I’d love to work with him.”

He explained the need for perfect timing. “But I feel like it would have to be smooth the way it connects. Anything I do with anybody, especially someone like [Kendrick], I just want to take my time with it. So we’ll see. Hopefully.” Nas then joked: “All you MCs out there, give me a call, man! I got some verses here and there. They’re hit or miss.”

Mutual Respect and Album Nods

Although Nas and Kendrick Lamar have not made music together, they clearly respect each other deeply. Last year, after Kendrick was announced as the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show headliner, Nas saluted him. He wrote on his Instagram Stories: “Congratulations to my brotha. Can’t wait to watch the party die!!!!!”

K. Dot mentioned this post on “Wacced Out Murals,” the first track on his album GNX. He rapped fiercely: “Won the Super Bowl and Nas the only one congratulate me / All these n***as agitated, I’m just glad they showin’ they faces / Quite frankly, plenty artists, but they outdated / Old-ass flows, tryna convince me that you they favorite.” The Compton native also seems to have paid tribute to Nas elsewhere on the album. The beat on his song “Man at the Garden” sounds very much like Nas’ introspective Stillmatic classic, “One Mic.”

More recently, Nas gave high praise to Kendrick in a Rolling Stone interview. He called him hip-hop’s “North Star.” Nas praised his skill at speaking out when the genre needs guidance. He said, “Kendrick is one of the brightest stars we’ve ever seen, and I don’t only mean superstar, I mean like the North Star — I think he’s one of those.” Nas added that artists like Kendrick are needed to speak up when others hurt the future of the art form. This highlights the importance of a potential Nas Kendrick Lamar collaboration for the culture.

You can read the original interview on Complex’s website. For details on the Legend Has It comic book, visit Mass Appeal’s site.