Taylor Swift Is Not on New Kendrick Lamar Album After Rumors

Despite fans’ hopes and widespread rumors, Kendrick Lamar’s latest album doesn’t feature a duet with Taylor Swift.

Lamar, 37, surprised his fans on Friday, November 22, after he dropped a new LP, titled GNX. The surprise record features  12 songs with titles such as “Wacced Out Murals,” “Squabble Up,” “Luther,” “Man at the Garden,” “Dodger Blue” and more.

None of Lamar’s collaborators are listed on the soundtrack, which was primarily produced by Sounwave and Jack Antonoff, both of whom frequently work with 34-year-old Swift.

It had been heavily rumored that Lamar and Swift would drop another collaboration after 2014’s “Bad Blood” and 2023’s rerecorded version. When the Taylor’s Version of 1989 dropped, the remixed “Bad Blood” — including Lamar’s verse — was featured on the lineup.

“Watching @kendricklamar create and record his verses on the ‘Bad Blood’ remix was one of the most inspiring experiences of my life,” Swift gushed via Instagram in October 2023. “I still look back on this collaboration with so much pride and gratitude, for the ways Kendrick elevated the song and the way he treats everyone around him.”

She added, “Every time the crowds on The Eras Tour would chant his line ‘You forgive, you forget, but you never let it… go!’ I smiled. 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. I’m overjoyed to say that the ‘Bad Blood Remix (featuring Kendrick Lamar)’ is available everywhere on the 1989 Deluxe Edition.”

Neither Swift nor Lamar have publicly confirmed whether they have another joint project in the works.

Swift’s fans were shocked that their carefully crafted theories — aided by pictures of the pair and Antonoff, 40, in the recording studio together — remain unconfirmed.

“Kendrick heard that Taylor Swift rumor and said enough is enough,” one social media user wrote via X on Friday.

Others, however, think another surprise release with said alleged duet could still be in the works.

“Kendrick is definitely dropping another album before the Super Bowl and Tay will be on it,” one fan wrote, with another adding, “Feel like Kendrick has another album or two ready to go.”

Lamar was recently announced as the headliner for the Apple Music halftime show at the 2025 Super Bowl next February.

“Kendrick Lamar is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and performer. His deep love for hip-hop and culture informs his artistic vision,” Jay-Z, who produces the show under his Roc Nation, said in a statement. “He has an unparalleled ability to define and influence culture globally. Kendrick’s work transcends music, and his impact will be felt for years to come.”

The Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show airs live on Fox Sunday, February 9, 2025, from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.