Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar: A Complete Friendship Timeline

She’s the poet of a generation. He’s a Pulitzer winner. Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar are both legends in their respective corners of the music industry, and when they get together it’s nothing short of amazing. While the two are more like colleagues than besties, it’s clear they have a mutual respect and friendship between them.

Here’s a complete Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar friendship timline.

February, 2025: At the Grammys—where 1989, a decade prior, controversially beat To Pimp A Butterfly for AOTY—Lamar’s “Not Like Us” wins record of the year, best rap song, and best music video. Every time Lamar takes the stage, Swift is up and applauding, or offering a toast to her favorite rapper.

October, 2023: With the release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) comes a new recording of “Bad Blood,” which Lamar went back to the studio to contribute to. “The reality that Kendrick would go back in and re-record ‘Bad Blood’ so that I could reclaim and own this work I’m so proud of is surreal and bewildering to me,” Swift gushes on Instagram, sharing a picture from the first time they collabed.