Kendrick Lamar

Part 1

0:21I'm going to say that to the hotel. Let's go in there and speak with Kendra Lamar. You can doctor Dre thinks he's going to be the Bob's deck superstar. Kendra Lamar, coming up. Baby. Baby. Now I and grew around some people living their life in bottles. Grandaddy had the golden flash. Text broke every day in Chicago. Some people like to wave. Good to see you. I'm excited for Good Kid Man City. I've been waiting for a while, not a while. I mean, seems like you're dropping a record every year. Yeah, we had a guy too. That's the day you're telling us. Man, people want to hear more from you, especially with all this hype going on. Yeah, exactly. I told her second. I told her second. I told her second. That's good Kid Man City. We're here. We're here to hold the whole structure and the breakdown and see what songs made us. Oh, the two songs we know, the recipe and swimming pool going on there? Yeah, more than like them.

1:07Well, let's talk about swimming pool then, because that's the newest one. And it kind of, it's nice because it brings you back to section 80, a little bit in the fact that you talk about drinking. It's fun. It's good. But it's also talking about the bad stuff too. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So then, I actually sprinkled on there in section 80, but this is my debut. I really want to tell a lot of other stories now. And that's one of the stories, one of the pieces to the puzzle, being the kid and being the house parties and seeing the eventually they have the impact on me as I became the adult. I reflect on that between the first verse and the second verse. I really want to make it make sense to still have fun and still have that charisma about it and putting that metal for and with the swimming pool and playing out words. So, I guess it's all around records, one of my favorite records.

1:54Since we're introducing you to a larger audience, I guess with this being the first one out there for the world to hear, I hear your beginnings of hip hop is driving back from the hospital. Like Big Daddy Kane is playing in the car. That's the story of my mom's always telling me, you know, me being born in Compton, it's how I still call it the biggest, the biggest hospital in the car. I'm going to put me in the car, I'm going to process playing Big Daddy Kane, driving back and shooting the screen and the young mother and cutting it up. He coldly ain't crying, you know. Eventually, I probably started out with the music that day, just being the kid, being the infant and not crying out there. You know, you're kind of cool with the leg like I own that. So, when did it start for you? When did you start rapping?

2:39I started rapping. I probably started rapping my whole life. I might start saying it now, just off the fact that I was reciting a whole lot of Dr. Dr. J, a whole lot of snoop. When I was a kid watching videos and nothing but a jeep thing, New York, New York, Snoop Dogg, Davey Single. I was learning all that as a kid, so I was rapping then. I started writing my own raps at 13. I was writing, throwing away papers, hiding them. How are you writing about girls back then? Yeah, I was writing about all the time and that's the year. You know what I mean? Yeah, 13. I got into studio at 16. I knew for me I wanted to do it because it was a high first time I heard my voice play back. I wanted to keep him up and play back. So, you're on the road with Wiz right now?

3:41Yeah. You were just kind of saying you want to band? You want to do a band thing? Yeah. So, what kind of musician, what would you bring into a band? What do you need? I started with Oscar. Oscar, Oscar. You know how I said once I do a band, I want to, you know, hairline my first major, major tour. That's the BET tour that's coming up, you know, September. It's gonna be 23 City so it's a big deal for me. And I said it's the perfect time, you know, to take the show to the next level. I just wanted to really show people that I can hold my own on the show without any, you know, supporting the cast. And I did just that, I've done it now. Now I'm gonna take the next level and put that extra on the phone. Do you play anything? Or do you just? Uh-uh. I just navigate. I know I'm here. This is the way it should sound, right? Do you do that with Drake? Or do you just do what you do because you're amazing?

4:30No, I put my input on that. I'm not scared of that because he want me to be that. He want me to be OP to say the reason why, you know, he'd rather just work my music anyway because I was OP. And I'm once scared to go places that, you know, how did she heard from the West Coast? You know, there was something different. Is that difficult for you being a hero to you? You're saying? Yeah. So to be in that same creative space, how did you get to that point? Um, just out of fact, it's just not being scared, you know, to speak my opinion. You know, you come from a place where you're just a fan, but then eventually you have to come into this space where, you know, you're artist now. You're artist now. You made it now. You got to have your vision before you see it because a lot of people can distract you from your vision if they're not understanding it.

5:19So I want to let him understand it and let everybody else around me understand it, you know, so we can all be together in the court. You know, and that's being as vocal as possible without this. Are you getting used to life on the road? I mean, this is your life now, I guess. Yeah, man. I hated it at first. Yeah? How come? Just being a wiggle man? I like the fact that I see different places. I'm a studio head when I don't have that studio, you know, like go to it, like immediately, not run around so crazy. So I gotta get the studio buzzed down. Alright. Follow me behind you. Yeah, that's what I'm about to do. I'm always recording. I got so much stuff. Yeah. Great. So we do something called five questions, five quick questions, one more answer. And I think I need to be into the first one. Roader studio. Studio. I'm a normal cartney.

6:04Lenny. Parker Biggie. Pop. When you hear a song that usually hits you first, lyrics melody to rhythm. Melody. Song you've written your most proud of. Down to thirds. And one word, Kendrick Lamar. County. Thank you, man. I want you to appreciate it. Thank you. Lick the granny down, then lift the groove. Put the liquor on my top and fix the groove. Oh, it's shot. Shank. Sit down. Shank. Stand up. Shank. Pass out. Shank. Wake up. Shank. Fading. Shank.

Part 2

0:05Yo, what's going on? I'm Kendrick Lamar right now. You're watching MS in exclusive For doing this again man, I appreciate it. Oh man. No problem good kid. Matt City's been out for like a almost a year now Almost a year. So what's the what's the year been like since the record came out because last time we talked the record hadn't been out yet It's been a tremendous year man a lot of accolades a lot of people enjoy the album I'm been touring all around the world, you know from his album and just seeing people responsible how they relate to it So it's been a very very productive year productive how productive of you enjoying life on the road or just starting to get a little burnt out

0:56I'm enjoying it. I'm enjoying it. It's one big blur to it sometimes like a year went past that fast because when you're constantly doing something every day You don't really get to like you know Living a moment, you know so to speak and sometimes I really just sit back and really You know we what I saw I'm sure you look back in a lot of these interviews people probably mentioned things you're like Oh, yeah, I did that that's right. Yeah, right? So speak speak enough interviews we talked last summer about you getting a band and wanting a band You didn't have a band at the time. Yeah, and now you have so how has that changed the songs bringing a band onto these tracks? I'm just playing bring the songs like the 3d. Yeah, I like to call it 3d You know my album sounds like a short little sinner, you know, so with the band behind it they can do the little Little bit bigger

1:42Accentery, you know broad sounds just to put the ideas in your face that much more so really dope Do you want to try and record with the band? Like do a roots kind of thing I haven't thought about that. That might be a good idea. So I'm here for him here to just give you The short film there I hear there's another short film I know you titled the record a short film, but now you're actually working on one is that true? I've been writing ideas for actual actual movie visual for it about what? Based on the album a little bit, but I want I want to give it up too much. All right fine I'll move to some notes California love because we didn't talk about this last time and I thought so you were on the set of the video and you were like 8 how did you get on the set? They were shooting in my neighborhood in Compton like right across street from

2:29It was on Rosecrantz, you know, that's yeah, no neighborhood. I mean Long strip, you know, that's in Compton My father seen the first then just grabbed me down the street I was like two blocks away and he brought me out there. So the parking dryer on the street and there's no like security blocking them around Oh, yeah, it was a lot of security. Yeah, you're way through. Yeah, but the time I got out there the crowd was like a big huge crowd You know back then train pot look at them is you know, Mecca, you know, so it was a crazy moment I was reading an interview you did with Erica, but do interviewing you that's one a highlight amazing Yes, though, and she asked you about Here what she asked you exactly, but you were talking about getting on the negative and turning into a positive. Yeah So what was that moment? How did you get it? Decide that you know what I'm not this is not for me. This is the path I want to go down

3:14I think probably the first time I heard my voice play back through them speakers. That was that was a positive thing. I caught 16 17 and I Wasn't that positive, you know, but it sparked the idea of this might be something I want to do, you know So by the time I was I was about 20 I Really really locked in and I Said you know, this is it, you know, I'm 26 now and I put in a lot of years, but that moment That moment right there is here my voice play back. It sparked the idea Did you like hearing your voice first? A lot of people hear their voice on tape and they're like, oh, that's not what I said I was like damn I sound like that. That's crazy, but I like it though When I hear it again, does the beat influence the rhyme or the rhyme influence the beat vice versa

4:02Sometimes sometimes the beat might influence it sometimes I might have an idea and come across a beat that you know Has a perfect marriage with it, you know, so however it comes really what was a beat on this record that you said I need to figure out what to say on top of this Sing about me. Well, I actually didn't really take too long when I heard, you know the beat already knew What I want to talk about because it had so much pain and emotion in that record man I just really wanted to dig deep to a real-life story of mine that you know had that perfect marriage with the you know drums and The little guitar plucks that's in there. It's crazy. That's what you told me last time was the song you've written you most proud of Yeah, yeah, yeah still still still well. I got a few you got a few new ones feel my notepad

4:49That's kind of crazy. Okay. All right. Speaking of new tunes one with Robin thick coming out We got him on the show next week. Yeah, so tell me about this song so I can bring it up with him. Yeah give it to you He reached out man. I always been a fan Robin thick, you know, so when you reached out and do the record I heard the record first off I want to do it. He was because he loved it. You know and then I heard the record I was like, yeah, this is crazy a little bit some little bit out of my element So I can challenge myself on and I just thought flowing to the beat, you know flowing to the beat and he liked it Yeah, so just the freestyle Um Somewhat. Yeah, okay majority of it Like records like that is really want to have fun on you know don't want to think too hard on it You know, so I just vowed out to it

5:36Do you go and when you're doing other stuff like with Jay Cole for example? Do you go in thinking about what they might want what they or as far as like if they know in terms of what you're talking about Like do you do you go with what like even when JC comes on a track like yours? Maybe I'll go with that one. So when Jay does it does a verse for you Do you then go back and say I got a step in my game now? I gotta bring I gotta bring it to this level I need to maybe talk what he's talking about or switch things up well with somebody like Jay in particularly you definitely got a step Yeah, you came up and that's exactly what what happened on that record. I just felt like He inspired me, you know by the extra verse another verse on there and That's exactly what happened, you know, and um Most of the time you always got to bring your a game on any type of feature because you know When Georgia times are just working with they're gonna bring that a game if they respect you, you know, like you respect them

6:28Is there any no I'm not gonna ask you is there anyone that hasn't respected you What I want to tell you what your first concert was watch the throne is that true? Yeah, it's like three years ago It was very true. It wasn't that long ago. How long was it? It was like a year two years ago? Why is the throne why you don't like two years ago in Atlanta? That was my first concert. I actually like bought tickets and like went out to see so Why did take you so long to go see a show? Being a musician we had a money Growing up as a kid. I we had a money go out to concerts and see shows so And then by the time I started, you know doing music I was So much moving around and you know and doge to my own stuff never really got the chance to sit back and enjoy Jay Z Concer is my first time ever seeing Jay Z on stage and

7:15It was bittersweet. It was bittersweet because that was like the best show I ever seen Without even seeing somebody else show so anytime I go to somebody else shows like damn I would never be able to get that same feeling that Jank kind they put on a crazy ass show Well, it was huge right with the wolves and everything so how does a Kendrick Lamar show try and try and step up to that? Um, it gradually has to step up to that, you know, I don't I don't I don't want to force nothing I don't want to force it. It looks like, you know, Jay Z and Kanye It's all about going through trial and error, you know, it's my first time I would have been We're doing great. That's fine. I nooks. That's fine. I got points. Let's find our bad points It's built on that first. Let's build on the content and then probably the next year

8:02So it'll be on Close, you know, at least close to that level. What it's all about developing not trying to rush into things right? Five quick questions one word answers. We just lost you, but I've kind of switched some of them since then cool road or studio Studio, Leonard or McCartney Linen Parker biggie When you hear a song it usually hits you first lyrics melody or rhythm melody if someone's never heard Kendrick Lamar What song do they start with the harp or three in one word Kendrick Lamar? Life. Life. Last time you said Compton. Yeah, this is a little broader. I like that brother. That's dope That's actually super dope because if last time I say Compton and I say life this time that means I've grown

8:52Yeah, exactly. That's dope. Thanks man. I appreciate it. Yeah