--- description: Lamar and Swift have been vocal in their support of each other — and they also genuinely dig each other's tunes title: Here's a Brief History of Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift's Mutual Respect and Adoration image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb4655d8cf693d1c3/69876439f887dcb976e87e43/swift-lamar.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A Brief History of Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift's Mutual Respect and Adoration by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 5, 2014 6:35 PM CUT  Getty Images (2) by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 5, 2014 6:35 PM CUT Last night, Taylor Swift took to Instagram to celebrate her [record album sales ](http://time.com/3557916/taylor-swift-1989-debut-first-week/ "undefined")the best way she knew how: by jamming out to Kendrick Lamar: Tay’s love for Kendrick, of course, is no secret. In a September [interview](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/taylor-swift-1989-cover-story-20140908?page=4 "undefined") with _Rolling Stone_, she said his “Backseat Freestyle” (which is the song she’s lip-synching above) is her “go-to” jam to help her “immediately go from feeling victimized to feeling awesome.” She proudly declared that she knew every word to the three-and-a-half-minute track. Then there was the time Taylor rather enthusiastically[ rocked out](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agOOf8zQkoc "undefined") to Kendrick’s performance at the Grammys while the rest of the crowd sat demurely in their seats. Who would have expected T-Swift to be such a big K.Dot fan? (K.Dot was Kendrick Lamar’s former rap name, in case you were unaware. We’re assuming Tay-Tay already knew that.) Here’s the thing, though: the love is not unrequited. It’s reciprocal and it’s real ([real, real, really really real](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsrTAgmYuko "undefined")). Yup — Kendrick feels the love too. After Taylor’s shout-out in _Rolling Stone_, Kendrick had nothing but gratitude and praise for the country-pop singer. “I appreciate Taylor Swift for supporting not only my music but just the hip-hop culture,” he said in [an interview](http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6251454/kendrick-lamar-says-taylor-swift-remarks-help-himself-hip-hop "undefined") with the Associated Press. “There’s really no gap. It’s music and it feels good.” He added that her comments helped show that hip-hop is something that _can_ and _should_ be enjoyed by everybody. “Some people always try to lock it down and categorize it for one particular listener,” he said. “But it moves all, even people from other genres.” And in a [recent interview](http://www.thefader.com/2014/11/04/kendrick-lamar-interview-halloween-taylor-swift "undefined") with _The Fader,_ Kendrick once again confirmed that he respects Taylor as a fellow musician — and, again, as someone who appreciates and enjoys music that’s wildly different from her own. “Shout out to Taylor Swift,” he said. “You can’t put great music in different genres. I enjoy great music outside of my own music all the time, so I definitely can see where she’s coming from when she says that she listens to the record, and it’s a great thing for her to acknowledge that and put that good energy out into the world like that.” But then, things got even better. When the conversation turned to Taylor’s recent hit “Shake It Off,” Kendrick proved that he doesn’t just respect her as a musician — he also genuinely enjoys her work. “I love that song,” he said, before launching into an impromptu sing-along: “Yeah, I ain’t playin'” he said after. “I say what I mean, I mean what I say.” Soon, a Dallas radio station asked Kendrick to freestyle over the “Shake It Off” beat, since he’s clearly such a big fan of the tune — and of course, he totally goes for it. “K.Dot, you know that he’s hot” he spits. “I can do rhythm, hip-hop, I can do pop.” We can only hope the Kendrick/Taylor love continues to grow into something big and concrete (yet still, of course, platonic) enough for Taylor to one day write a song about it — a song that Kendrick would then cover. ### PHOTOS: See Taylor Swift Over the Years  Taylor Swift arrives at the 2006 CMT Music Awards at the Curb Event Center at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. John Shearer—WireImage/Getty Images  Taylor Swift arrives at the 2007 CMT Music Awards. Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs during the 42nd Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2007. Ethan Miller—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs during the Academy of Country Music New Artists' Party for a Cause show at the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2008. Ethan Miller—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs live on MTV's "TRL" at the MTV Studios in Times Square in New York City in 2008. Gary Gershoff—WireImage/Getty Images  Taylor Swift attends the 42nd Annual CMA Awards at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee in 2008. Ed Rode—WireImage/Getty Images  Singer Taylor Swift arrives at CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California in 2008. Jon Kopaloff—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs on Saturday Night Live in 2009. NBC/Getty Images  Taylor Swift arrives at the Brit Awards 2009 at Earls Court in London, England. Gareth Cattermole—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs during the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards All-Star Jam at the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2009. Ethan Miller—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 2009. Theo Wargo—WireImage/Getty Images  Taylor Swift arrives to the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Stephen Lovekin—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs at the 43rd Annual CMA Awards from the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee in 2009. Katherine Bomboy—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs onstage at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards held at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California in 2010. Michael Caulfield—WireImage/Getty Images  Taylor Swift drops one of her awards during the 52nd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California in 2010. Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee in 2010. Rick Diamond—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs during the Grand Ole Opry 85th birthday bash at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee in 2010. Tony R. Phipps—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs "Back to December" at the 44th Annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee in 2010. Rick Diamond—Getty Images  Taylor Swift attends the 'Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty' Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2011. TIMOTHY A. CLARY—AFP/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Jason LaVeris—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs at the Radio One Teen Awards at Wembley Arena in London, England in 2012. Mike Marsland—WireImage/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs at the Radio One Teen Awards at Wembley Arena in London, England in 2012. Mike Marsland—WireImage/Getty Images  Taylor Swift switches on the Christmas lights and performs for fans and shoppers at Westfield London in London, England in 2012. Mike Marsland—WireImage/Getty Images  Taylor Swift arrives at the 26th Annual ARIA Awards 2012 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia. Don Arnold—WireImage/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs on stage during the 26th Annual ARIA Awards 2012 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia. Brendon Thorne—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs during night 1 of the 2012 KIIS FM Jingle Ball at Nokia Theatre LA Live in Los Angeles, California. C Flanigan—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Taylor Swift in concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts in 2013. Barry Chin—Boston Globe/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs while Candice Swanepoel walks the runway at the 2013 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at the Lexington Avenue Armory in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on May 30, 2014 in Shanghai, China. ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs onstage during the 2014 American Music Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Nov. 23, 2014 in Los Angeles, Ca. Michael Tran—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs at the 2014 American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Nov. 23, 2014 in Los Angeles, Ca. Christopher Polk—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs on The Voice in 2014. NBC/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs during the 2014 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at Earl's Court exhibition centre on Dec. 2, 2014 in London, England. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty Images for Victoria's Secr  Taylor Swift performs onstage during KIIS FM's Jingle Ball 2014 at Staples Center on December 5, 2014 in Los Angeles, Ca. 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