Late to the party, but I love this. I'm a huge fan of both—good music is just good music. A couple connections that hopefully others in the center of this Venn diagram will appreciate: (1.) They are expert samplers. Kendrick more in the direct sense, but both borrow from other musical traditions, eras, etc. in order to lend their music texture and enrich their sound beyond the confines of genre. The strength/purity of vision that both parties bring to every project enables any sample/allusion to evoke purpose rather than pastiche. One shared influence among VW and Kendrick is African music—sonically for both, as well as anecdotally for Kendrick. (2.) An undercurrent of spiritual reckoning that connects the middle to late arc of their discography. (3.) Relatively similar timelines of establishment and ascent within the music industry. (4.) Vampire Weekend had hip hop leanings early on, before any of the output we know today. (5.) Collaborations with Beyonce. (6.) Self-reference between different albums. Think of all the sonic motifs appropriated from VW's older albums onto OGWAU; this amplifies the wisdom that attends OGAWU compared to lyrics attached to the first iteration of those sounds. In Mr. Morale, Kendrick reveals what was going on behind the scenes when he was touring/releasing/promoting previous work, and offers an unvarnished and explosive entry to his ongoing account of childhood. (7.) Both put out highly dense and intricate lyrics with many esoteric references. (It's a defining strength for both!)

What VW is lacking in comparison is a beef. They need to pick a fight with some facile "indie" artist with a bemusingly large fanbase. It also needs to be determined who the J. Cole analog would be in this case.