Hip-hop fans received a rare treat this week as J. Cole played two long-lost collaborations with Kendrick Lamar during an episode of his newly launched podcast, Inevitable. The tracks, titled “Temptations” and “Shock The World,” were recorded in 2010, marking one of the earliest collaborations between the two legendary artists, according to NME. During the podcast, J. Cole opened up about offering the tracks to Lamar in their early days.

“I played him ‘Temptations’ with my verse on it,” Cole said. “When I played them for him, I was like, ‘Bro, you can have these if you want.’”

“He [Lamar] said, ‘N**a, are you sure you want to give me these?!’ It struck me because it was actually the stone cold truth of my reality at that time. I was so focused on getting this unicorn hit for my album that I was actually sleeping on the shit that I did well.”

This marks the first time the longer versions of these tracks will have been heard publicly. Though snippets of “Temptations” were leaked during a fan meet-and-greet with Lamar in 2014, the full version remained private—until now.

The collaboration and previews also further reignited fans’ interest in the long-rumored joint album between Cole and Lamar, being teased since 2010. And while the two eventually collaborated in 2013 with the track “Forbidden Fruit,” an entire album never materialized. 

Despite the missed opportunity, both artists have continued to dominate the hip-hop landscape. Last year, J. Cole hinted that their joint album was once a real possibility, while the tensions between them cooled after Cole addressed the competitive rap feud involving Lamar and Drake in recent years.

As fans digest the newly surfaced tracks, speculation is rife about what this means for future collaborations between the two icons. Kendrick Lamar, fresh off the release of his critically acclaimed album GNX, and J. Cole, who continues to explore his artistic evolution through his podcast, is keeping listeners eager for what’s next.

Photo credit: Mehreen Rizvi