Compton-rapparen Kendrick Lamar sålde nyligen ut spelningen i Stockholm på kort tid och besöker Europa i februari/mars 2018. Albumet “DAMN.” har kontinuerligt slagit nya rekord och dessutom prisats på ett antal olika galor sedan dess release i våras. I en en av få nya intervjuer med i-D avslöjar Kendrick Lamar exempelvis att texten till “FEAR.” är den bästa han någonsin skrivit:
“It’s completely honest. The first verse is everything that I feared from the time that I was seven years old. The second verse I was 17, in the third it’s everything I feared when I was 27. These verses are completely honest.”
Teamet kring TDE (Top Dawg Ent) har även hjälpt honom att vässa pennan ytterligare genom årens lopp:
“Everything you write is not dope. Even if you’re a great writer, a bunch of the stuff you write is wack. But most people don’t have somebody around to be like, ‘That’s wack.'”
Inspirationskällorna var under uppväxten på Rosecrans Ave i Compton tydliga, då han lyssnade på Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, 2Pac, Public Enemy, KRS-One, Rakim, Jay-Z, Kanye West men även Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Prince, Marvin Gaye, the Isley Brothers och Luther Vandross. Kendrick menar dock att boken “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” var den som fick hans skapande att ta en tydlig riktning:
“His ideas rooted my approach to music. That was the first idea that inspired how I was going to approach my music. From the simple idea of wanting to better myself by being in this mind-state, [the] same way Malcolm was.”
Trots att Kendrick Lamar är en av världens mest framgångsrika artister så är det viktigt med reflektion och eftertanke. Han säger vidare i intervjun:
“I love that word [discipline], because it shows who you really are. There are so many vices in the world, especially being in the entertainment business. You’re exposed to so much at any given time. Whatever you need is right there in your face. But how much discipline do you have when the camera’s off, when the light’s off? That inspires me. How to restrain that. And that shows who you really are. To control yourself, that is the ultimate power.”
“I’m a human being, I’m a person, I have family, I have my own personal problems. But I have to give to the world. That’s my responsibility. It’s not just a job or entertainment for me; this is what I have to offer to the world.”
