(Photo: VIBE Magazine)

Miguel and Kendrick Lamar are pegged as leaders of music's new school on the latest issue of Vibe magazine. Lamar and Miguel cover the publication's "Best of Both Worlds" issue, which pairs them for the digital version but features them separately in print.

Both hailing from the L.A. area, Miguel and K. Dot have lots in common. Although they never met prior to the Vibe shoot, each dedicated themselves to their crafts at a young age and both are credited by the magazine for ushering in "New Age Hip Hop and R&B."

The interview finds the two showering each other with praise. "I gotta say that 'Section .80' [mixtape] was it," Miguel said of Lamar. "What I liked most is the perspective."

As for the TDE rapper, he's partial to "Adorn" and highlighted Miguel's Grammy-winning single as an example of musical genius. "When you listen to 'Adorn,' it feel like he's not even trying to structure a radio joint. He just felt the music, felt the instrumentation and wrote the track."

Although they haven't always stayed true to their artistic character (both reminisce about trying to copy the music they heard on the radio), taking chances has more than paid off for the singer and rapper. Building on the momentum of introductory hits like "All I Want Is You" and "Sure Thing," Miguel's second album, Kaleidoscope Dream, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 charts and has sold more than 300,000 copies to date.

Meanwhile, Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city debut snatched up various critical accolades and is inches away from going platinum.

"Making good kid, m.A.A.d city was a risk in itself," said the Compton native. "The idea of a concept record has been lost for a long time — will that translate to 16-year-old kids in high school rather than the super energetic joint on the radio? I definitely had that in the back of my mind when I was creating this album. But, having that thought process gave me confidence in knowing that ain't nothin' new under the sun."

The interview also looks at the less friendly side of the music game. Of course, rap beef is nothing new, but Miguel detailed how things work in the R&B world. "What's f---ed up about R&B is that that camaraderie doesn't exist. I don't really know why."

Using A$AP Rocky's "F---in' Problems" as an example, the 26-year-old called for unity among his fellow crooners. "You could have a 2 Chainz, Kendrick Lamar, Drake and A$AP Rocky record; they're all different, but they're dope new and dope. I hope we can do that."

Lamar and Miguel's Vibe issue is on stands now.