Photo by Mike Windle

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Kendrick Lamar's label, Top Dawg Entertainment, apparently wanted the rapper in the studio not on tour with Kanye West.

According to an interview with New York Times Magazine, president Terrence "Punch" Henderson said, "Believe it or not, we were actually trying not to do the tour. We wanted Kendrick to be recording that whole time," noting that he had already been touring for two years.

Of course, West's team "wasn't taking no for an answer," according to Henderson. And they solved the recording problem by getting Lamar a studio bus and promising him a lead role in the tour.

“It’s a different kind of thrill when an actual artist asks you, when Kanye asks you,” said Lamar, adding: "It was dope to have the actual headliner of the show want my show to be just as good as his."

Lamar is currently still working on his new album, which is expected in the fall.