tried drake first
then kendrick
after they werent available went with cole?

https://www.complex.com/music/2019/11/dj-premier-interview-gang-starr-one-of-the-best-yet
The first song I recorded was "Bless The Mic." The second song was "Bad Name," and that one really grabbed me right away. Then I did "Family and Loyalty." Once I did that, I was like, "This needs a guest. Who do I get?" My manager's bringing up Drake, because I had just done "Sandra's Rose." I reached out to Drake. 40 told me he was getting ready to do the Scorpion tour, so it was going to be really hectic unless I could wait until after the tour was over. I was like, "Nah, I don't want to wait that long." So I thought about Kendrick Lamar. I reached out to them, they said the same thing—he's really starting this new album and in that zone, so doing anything outside that right now might be a little hectic.

Then I texted J. Cole and said, "Hey man, I want to send you something. It's a secret Gang Starr album." I texted him the song, and he hit me back within five minutes and said, "Bro, I got the chills right now." He said, "Oh my God, I've got to be on this. I just need a little time to have some family stuff. I'm about to have another child." He kept his word. After his second son was born, he sent me the vocals over.