Never Catch Me

The song features "buoyantly" jazzy, occasionally Zappa-esque production.{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-flying-lotus-and-kendrick-lamars-jazzy-song-never-catch-me-20140903 | title=Hear Flying Lotus and Kendrick Lamar's Jazzy Song 'Never Catch Me' | magazine=Rolling Stone | date=September 3, 2014 | access-date=December 8, 2015 | author=Grow, Kory}} Kendrick Lamar raps over warp-speed psychedelic soul-jazz beat. According to music critics, the track shows influences from jazz-tinged drum and bass artist Roni Size, the "gleeful" mania of OutKast’s "B.O.B", and early '90s jazz rap. The track's instrumental samples Eric McDaniels and TLC Cathedral Choirs ONE MORE CHANCE, notably the bassline provided by Reggie Young.

Music critics favorably reviewed "Never Catch Me". Named Best New Track by Pitchfork Media, editor Jayson Greene praised Lamar's performance, writing "his hyper-vaulting flow and embedded rhyme patterns within rhyme patterns".{{cite web | url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/17077-flying-lotus-never-catch-me-ft-kendrick-lamar/ | title=Flying Lotus "Never Catch Me" [ft. Kendrick Lamar] | work=Pitchfork | access-date=December 8, 2015 | author=Greene, Jayson}} For its year-end list of "The 100 Best Tracks of 2014", Pitchfork ranked the song at number 23.{{cite web | url=http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/9555-the-100-best-tracks-of-2014/8/ | title=The 100 Best Tracks of 2014 | work=Pitchfork Media | date=December 23, 2014 | access-date=December 27, 2015 | author=Pitchfork Staff}} Also commenting on Lamar, Billboard's Chris Payne wrote, "There aren't many A-list rappers who could handle a beat like this, but Kendrick is clearly one of them."{{cite magazine | url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6236673/kendrick-lamar-flying-lotus-never-catch-me-youre-dead | title=Hear Kendrick Lamar & Flying Lotus Team Up on Spastic 'Never Catch Me' | publisher=Prometheus Global Media | magazine=Billboard | access-date=December 8, 2015 | author=Payne, Chris}} Rolling Stone editor Jon Dolan gave the song three-and-a-half out of five stars, commenting "Over offhandedly lovely, warp-speed psychedelic soul-jazz, Lamar unleashes a word-mad waterfall with a worried emotional core ("analyze my demise I say I'm super-anxious", he raps)."{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/songreviews/flying-lotus-feat-kendrick-lamar-never-catch-me-20140926 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140927042944/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/songreviews/flying-lotus-feat-kendrick-lamar-never-catch-me-20140926 | url-status=dead | archive-date=September 27, 2014 | title="Never Catch Me" review | magazine=Rolling Stone | date=September 26, 2014 | access-date=December 8, 2015 | author=Dolan, Jon}} Consequence of Sound editor Nina Corcoran wrote: "when combined with one of Lamar’s hottest verses to date (before To Pimp a Butterfly), the song explodes. But it doesn’t stop there. FlyLo shows off his talent by shifting gears post-Kendrick verse the only way you can: insane keys, double-time bass drum, and unrelenting hand claps. Eventually, it’s all swallowed up in massive swelling synth and choral hums, fading to a beautiful, passionate outro."{{cite web | url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2016/02/grammys-2016-who-should-win-who-will-win/2/ | title=Grammys 2016: Who Should Win, Who Will Win | work=Consequence of Sound | date=February 8, 2016 | access-date=February 8, 2016 | author=Corcoran, Nina}}

Directed by Hiro Murai,{{cite web | url=http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/flying-lotus-feat-kendrick-lamar-never-catch-me-video-new-video.31153.html | title=Flying Lotus Feat. Kendrick Lamar "Never Catch Me" Video | work=hotnewhiphop | date=October 1, 2014 | access-date=December 8, 2015}} the video begins at a funeral (including attendees Flying Lotus and Thundercat in cameo roles). Seemingly a sad video, it turns instantly joyful when the two late children—a boy and a girl—bound out of their caskets at the front of the church and dance gleefully down the aisle. The mourners can't see the children as they dance right out of the church and out onto a blacktop, but a group of other kids chases after them as they hop in a hearse and drive away.{{cite magazine | url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6266831/flying-lotus-never-catch-me-video-kendrick-lamar | title=Watch Flying Lotus' Video for 'Never Catch Me' Featuring Kendrick Lamar | publisher=Prometheus Global Media | magazine=Billboard | date=October 10, 2015 | access-date=December 8, 2015 | author=Atkinson, Katie}}

The clip was featured by several publications on their year-end list of best videos, including Pitchfork,{{cite web | url=http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/9557-the-20-best-music-videos-of-2014/1/ | title=The 20 Best Videos of 2014 | work=Pitchfork Media | date=December 8, 2014 | access-date=December 27, 2015 | author=Pitchfork Staff}} Spin,{{cite web | url=http://www.spin.com/2014/12/25-best-music-videos-2014/2/ | title=The 25 Best Music Videos of 2014 | work=Spin magazine | date=December 30, 2014 | access-date=December 27, 2015 | author=Spin Staff}} and Stereogum—with the latter listing it at number one.{{cite web | url=http://www.stereogum.com/1724770/the-40-best-music-videos-of-2014/franchises/2014-in-review/ | title=The 40 Best Music Videos Of 2014 | work=Stereogum | date=December 19, 2014 | access-date=December 27, 2015 | author=Breihan, Tom}} The video received two nominations at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards: Best Choreography and Best Cinematography,{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/events/vma/6634773/2015-mtv-vma-nominees|title=2015 MTV Video Music Awards Nominees Revealed: Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Ed Sheeran & More|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|access-date=July 21, 2015}} ultimately winning the latter.

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• {{YouTube|2lXD0vv-ds8|"Never Catch Me" Music video}}

{{Flying Lotus}}

{{Kendrick Lamar songs}}

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Category:Songs written by Kendrick Lamar

Category:Kendrick Lamar songs

Category:2014 singles

Category:2014 songs

Category:Flying Lotus songs

Category:Jazz rap songs

Category:Songs written by Flying Lotus