If you ask anyone even remotely related to hip-hop, who the biggest player in the game is at the moment, the answer is going to be unanimous: Kendrick Lamar. His politically charged lyrics and mind-blowing accompanying videos are something that makes him the King Kunta of this generation. The rapper, who prefers sitting down and talking sense to behaving like his contemporaries do, gave a rare interview with Rolling Stone. Here’s just a gist into his brilliant mind –
The first topic that Rolling Stone asks Kendrick Lamar, is on his favorite subject: Politics. What does “the greatest rapper alive” think about Donald Trump? “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 get to a point where you’re tired talking about it… So, on and off the album, I took it upon myself to take action in my own community… Speak on self; reflection of self first. That’s where the initial change will start from.
There were a number of accusations against Kendrick Lamar, with people saying he has a ghostwriter for his lyrics. Is it true? Or is all that brilliance just his? “I called myself the best rapper. I cannot call myself the best rapper if I have a ghostwriter… Make great music. But the title, it won’t be there.”
And the rapper’s latest album, DAMN. is set for assured nominations in the upcoming awards season. HUMBLE. is probably one of the greatest tracks we’ve heard from the community in a long time. “It was the beat first, actually. Mike Will [Mike.Will.Made.It] sent the beat over. All I could think of was The Symphony [Marley Marl] and the earliest moments of hip-hop, where it’s complex simplicity, but it’s also somebody making moves. That beat feels like my generation, right now. The first thing that came to my head was, ‘be humble’.”
Image Credit: Instagram
