What’s on Kendrick Lamar’s mind? A rare Interview with Zane Lowe

By Calvin Byrd on April 22, 2017 • ( )

Kendrick Lamar sits down with Zane Lowe for a post-DAMN interview. He discusses his creating process and how he wants people to receive his music. Kendrick explains everything from his music relating to conspiracies to his impact on hip hop. This very dense and impactful interview gives more insight on the Compton rapper’s mental state and motivation for music.

On people’s reaction to the record as a body of work:

“As soon as I hit mastering, I just turn that thing in and try not to listen to it or even see the actual response for a while. I’ve been attached to this piece of art for the last year and some change, I’ve indulged so much I don’t even want to hear it. I just want to give it to the people and let them take it and live with it and breathe it. Then when I come back on that stage, that’s when I want to feel it. That’s when I want to see it, that’s when I want to see your reaction. I can’t get that same reaction on internet, through some comments. When I go out there and I see people just really taking these songs to heart, that’s the reaction.”

People in Kendrick’s camp keeping him in the loop of what the internet is saying:

“You have people who want to send it to you, I got to curve everything. The internet is a tricky place and the way our minds work in a psychological matter, we’re only going to see the good things anyway. We’re going to block out the negative things. Everybody’s not going appreciate and I know how it works. I don’t even want to gravitate towards it. I want to go out there and see if you’re sitting out in the crowd looking at me with the mummy face or are you enjoying yourself?

On being the greatest rapper alive:

“I’m so passionate about hip-hop. I don’t know what era everybody else comes from but I listened. We play house parties, bro, every night. I love it to a point that I can’t even describe it. When I heard these artists say they’re the best, coming up, I’m not doing it to have a good song or one good wrap or good hook or good bridge. I want to keep doing it every time, period. And to do it every time, you have to challenge yourself and you have to confirm to yourself, not anybody else, confirm to yourself that you’re the best, period. No one can take that away from me, period. That’s my drive and that’s my hunger, I will always have. At this point right now, the years and the time and the effort and the knowledge and history I’ve done on the culture and the game I’ve gotten from those before me and the respect I have for them, I want to hold myself high on that same pedestal 10, 15 years from now.”