Overly Dedicated, Section.80, Good Kid, m.A.A.d City, To Pimp a Butterfly, Untilted Unmastered, and DAMN. Quite the impressive resume of a discography for Kendrick Lamar. The Compton native is highly regarded by many as the best rapper alive which is more than warranted. Outside of Jay-Z of course. Okay, that was biased but there can be an argument made on K-Dot’s behalf. His best work to date for many, ‘DAMN.’ is a strong contender for Album of the Year. Housing hit single after hit single or supporting outstanding visuals, Mr. Duckworth can’t do any wrong right now.
Taking the time out to sit down with Rolling Stone in Georgia for one of his sold out shows several topics for his latest interview were touched on. Hitting on topics from maturity, his lyrical content that is inspired by real life situations, sense of humor, working with Bono, Future, his album DAMN. (focused on several standout tracks), wack artist and ghostwriting, there is a lot that was discussed to digest. He even gave his thoughts on President Donald Trump and why he hasn’t spoken much on him. Nothing was left uncovered in this interview. Kendrick reflected on his trip to Africa and visiting the jail Nelson Mandela was held, working with Taylor Swift, writing for Dr. Dre, his being a fan of Jay Z who influenced him.
You can head on over to Rolling Stone to read the interview in its entirety, below are just a few exerts pulled from the interview
Other than a few lyrics, you’ve been quiet about Donald Trump. Why?
I mean, it’s like beating a dead horse. We already know what it is. Are we gonna keep talking about it or are we gonna take action? You just get to a point where you’re tired of talking about it. It weighs you down and it drains your energy when you’re speaking about something or someone that’s completely ridiculous. So, on and off the album, I took it upon myself to take action in my own community. On the record, I made an action to not speak about what’s going on in the world or the places they put us in. Speak on self; reflection of self first. That’s where the initial change will start from.Is it ever OK for a rapper to have a ghostwriter? You’ve obviously written verses for Dr.Dre yourself.
It depends on what arena you’re putting yourself in. I called myself the best rapper. I cannot call myself the best rapper if I have a ghostwriter. If you’re saying you’re a different type of artist and you don’t really care about the art form of being the best rapper, then so be it. Make great music. But the title, it won’t be there.
If it turned out that you somehow had a ghostwriter, people would really want to meet that guy.
[Laughs] You’re right.Your own trip to Africa, you said, was a really big deal for you. Why?
It just felt like a place where I belonged. It was as simple as that. You hear about the land and you hear untold truths about it, and now you’re old enough to witness it yourself. It just gave me a whole other perspective on where I’m from. What we’re doing in the city of Compton and how the world is just so much bigger than the city of Compton. It just followed me back to the studio. It felt weird when we had to leave and get back on that flight. We all said the same thing, like, “Damn, we gonna go back to the city. This is home, for real.”In South Africa, you went to the prison where Nelson Mandela was jailed, right?
We sat inside the actual cell. We saw the stones that they had to dig up day to day. That was crazy. You could feel their spirits there, basically saying, “Take a piece of the story back to your community.” That’s exactly what I did. To Pimp a Butterfly, which is me talking to my homeboys with the knowledge and the wisdom that I gained.
What went through your head sitting in Mandela’s cell?
How strong this man was. If you could see this cell, man. And they’re laying on the floor, a cold floor. To still be able to carry out a message and socially move your people from inside that cell, you just gotta be a strong individual.
