Pull Up A Seat: Kendrick Lamar (Interview)

I got the chance to sit down with Grammy Award-Winning Rapper, Kendrick Lamar. Be aware that this interview is pretty lengthy, but it does go into great depth in terms of his work. Enjoy.

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He's a Grammy Award winning American Rapper. Born in Compton, California, his music reflects on what he has experienced living within the rough streets of South Central LA, plagued with violence and discrimination. As a child, he had an interest for writing stories, and so he did. As he grew, writing stories became writing poems, and poems then became penning his own lyrics. He expressed his thoughts and laid his heart and soul on each and every track, and thus his path to super stardom was born. Who would've known the quiet kid making good grades in school would become one of the world's biggest rap stars? Coming off the success of his latest studio album, To Pimp A Butterfly, here on the show with us tonight is that kid himself, Kendrick Lamar.

Kendrick: Thank you, thanks for having me on the show.

Me: No doubt. Let me start off by saying that I'm a huge fan of all your work.

Kendrick: I really appreciate that.

Me: All right. It’s clear from all your albums that your songs are based on your own personal experiences. Having grown up on the known rough streets of Compton, tell us what it was like for you to live through all of that.

Kendrick: Man, it was tough. But that's just how it was. I grew up during that whole crack wave of America where it seemed like everyone was smoking crack. It was popular within the young fellas too, so having a couple of crack-heads at your high school wasn't a rare sight. Luckily, I wasn't affected by any of that. My mom always kept me away from that. My parents always tried to keep me away from the life on the streets. My dad was a member of the Gangster Disciples back in Chicago but my parents moved out to Compton to escape the gang violence back there.

Me: Through your music, we can tell that although your parents tried to keep you away from the violence, you were still a victim or rather affected by it. Your song, Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst, reflects on this am I right?

Kendrick: Yeah yeah. I don't regard that song as a song, I see it more of a narrative; you know what I'm saying? It’s a twelve-minute narrative about what I experienced personally. It hits home.

Kendrick Lamar's second album, good Kid, m.A.A.d City.

Me: I hear that. So, that song is off your second studio album; good Kid, m.A.A.d City. Can you explain what happened to you exactly?

Kendrick: The first verse. The first verse is probably one of my favorite verses off the album. It’s from the perspective of one of my closest friends. It all started at this huge house party. It was crazy; music was bumping, drinks were popping, everyone was drunk or high out of their minds. A couple nights before that, I got jumped right outside this girl’s house by a group of guys. The plan was that night was to take revenge on the dudes that bashed on me. I didn’t want any part of that so I stayed. Outside, my homies spotted the guys and the guns started popping. I heard Dave yell. Then I heard the tires of a car driving off. I ran outside, and Dave was on the ground. I held him in my arms and I heard him take his last breath. He died right there in my arms. The song is sung from the perspective of Dave’s brother, who called me to say how thankful he was of me for being there when Dave was killed. That’s love, I just wish I could’ve done something.

Me: That’s crazy. Nothing’s more important than sticking together through times like that.

Kendrick: Of course, during times like that, the homies are all you’ve got.

Me: Would you say your friend’s death pushed you deeper into the street mentality, or did it fuel your passion for music as a way to escape the street violence?

Kendrick: I would definitely say that his death was the turning point of my life. It was either find the guys that killed him and do his brother a favor or keep my composure and get through his death on my own. It was difficult. We were like brothers, you know? All I wanted to do was bang on those dudes. But I knew that would just give me more problems. So I turned to my love for music.

Me: I respect that. That’s tough. But you pushed through it and everything you say in your music is dedicated to him.

Kendrick: No doubt, it all goes out to him.

Me: Now you’re here. Your third and latest studio album, To Pimp A Butterflyis a huge success, definitely a great build-off from good kid, m.A.A.d City. One problem a lot of people have with your new album is that it sounds nothing like your other albums. Section .80 and good kid, m.A.A.d City were definitely trendier. They had the beats and the sound that fit clubs and parties, something people can vibe to. To Pimp A Butterfly is nothing like that. Looking at the producer list of the album, I can’t recognize any of them. The tracks sound noticeably darker, nothing like the songs you would hear at the club. Why did you choose to make the album in this way?

Kendrick: I felt that people weren’t listening to the whole story of the album. Good kid, m.A.A.d Citywas a big example of that to me. I released a number of singles before the album came out and I think that’s where I made a mistake. The club songs are the ones that usually outshine the message of the album, you know? So with To Pimp A Butterfly I wanted to make sure that this album was different so the only way to fully enjoy the work was to listen to the whole album beginning to end. Its like only having the best clip of your favourite movie; its great to have, and the replay value is enormous, but without the whole film to watch what’s the point?

Me: I totally agree, that’s a great point. But in order for you to do that, you obviously faced the fact that this record may not sell as many copies as your last album. Was that a difficult decision for you to make?

Kendrick: Definitely. In the music industry today, its all about going platinum and that was the biggest challenge for me. It was either go platinum or get the message I had in mind across, and the overall message I wanted to express won me over.

Me: Right, right. Much respect to you for being able to swallow that and follow what you felt right, not what industry wanted. Now that we’ve talked a little bit about your new album, can you tell me what exactly is the message of To Pimp A Butterfly?

Kendrick: Its about racism within our society today. The discrimination I and hundreds of other black men and women have experienced throughout the years, all our feelings condensed into one disc. But its not only that. I’m tired of seeing so much violence. The amount of black-on-black crimes around the world is ridiculous, I just thought it was my turn to speak up against it.

Me: Alright. It’s great to see someone of your celebrity status stepping out to say something against it. Hopefully more people will turn their heads to this rapid growing problem.

Kendrick: We can hope.

Me: The song Institutionalized, is obviously about… Well, institutionalization. Who exactly is being institutionalized in this track?

Kendrick: The young ones. The young adults of our cities being raised on the streets. That’s who’s being institutionalized. Once you’re in the battlefield we call the hood, its hard to escape. The street gang life charges straight at you and next thing you know, you’re off selling drugs to make a quick buck instead of getting a job like your mom had been telling you for so many months. You get pulled into this mindset and it takes over who you are. I lived through it, and I am sure the young children of Compton will go through similar experiences.

Me: Before or after certain songs you read a few lines of a poem which is then carried on throughout the album which finally comes to a complete end on the last track of the work. Why did you choose to write this poem and what does it mean?

Kendrick: The songs are a connected to build one beautiful piece of art. The poem represents a way to interlock the songs and introduce whatever comes next. The poem reflects on racism and black-on-black crime.The message is all about respecting those around you no matter how they make you feel , even if they are wearing different gang colors.

Me: I felt the song, “u” was the most powerful. Can you tell me what’s going on in the song?

Kendrick: “u” is a very depressing song. Its about me revealing all my insecurities, regrets, and letdowns. It’s me being angry at myself for letting all these things happen. It’s dark but really helps spread the message of the album.

Me: I see. The song, “i”, I absolutely loved. Well… I loved the studio version, the only single you released off the album. I was really excited to hear it off the album but when I did, I realized you put the live version of “i” on the album instead of the studio. I’m going to be honest, I hated it. I didn’t understand why you put the live version instead of the studio. The first time listening to it I kind of felt like I was enduring it more than enjoying it. That is, until the end of the song. That’s when I finally understood. When you performed a freestyle to the crowd you were singing where you gave them your perspective on the true meaning of the n-word. Can you tell me what you think the n-word really means?

Kendrick: “Negus”. Not nigger, not nigga: it’s true meaning comes from the word “negus”. The word comes straight from Ethiopia. It means black royalty, or king, ruler. The word nigga we hear so often today is a twisted derogatory version of this meaning.

Me: That’s amazing. Okay, one last question. On the last song “Mortal Man” you have your own interview with the late Tupac Shakur, but it sounds like a real conversation as if he was in the studio with you.How were you able to create that?

Kendrick: A lot of people think his voice on the album is the work of technology, like how Snoop and Dr. Dre had the Tupac hologram at the 2012 Coachella. But it isn’t. His voice comes from a really old, rare interview tape of him before he died. I just wrote my own questions and had him answer them using clips of the interview, carrying it out like an actual conversation. But there’s a part at the end where he doesn’t respond back and I’m like, “Pac? Pac? Pac?!” And it’s a reminder to the listener that even though it sounds so real, he’s still gone.

Me: That’s great, Tupac is one of your biggest inspirations and its great to see you put this together in memory of him.

Kendrick: I appreciate that.

Me: Alright, thanks for being with us today. It was great. Much love to you and good luck trying to top this album.

Kendrick: Haha, no doubt. Thanks for having me here. I’d love to be back here, just call me up again. Easy.