How I got in the studio was all just curiosity. The clarity, I got my clarity just studying Eminem when I was a kid. So it's interesting to hear the sort of clarity and depth that you go into lyrically. And it sometimes sounds like even the MC doesn't know what he's saying on a lot of today's records. So much of hip-hop today is about vibe and swag and personality, and less about words. It's almost like you're a throwback to when lyrics mattered. It's really interesting now, with what's going on in hip-hop. If I can master the idea and make the time to approach it the right way, I think I can push it out. Not playing the victim, but still having that We strong, you know?”-Kendrick Lamarĭo you consider yourself first and foremost a rapper? Yeah, definitely.Ĭould you imagine making an album in the future where you're not rapping? Yeah, I think I got the confidence for it. “I wanted to approach ‘Alright’ as more uplifting-but aggressive. And when you like a sound or an instrumental, you want to approach it the right way. 'Cause sometimes, as a writer, you can have that writer's block. So I'm glad that they put that pressure on me to challenge myself. They probably knew it before I even had a clue. So you had the beat for six months, but you didn't have any words? I didn't have any words. Not playing the victim, but still having that We strong, you know? And I wanted to approach it as more uplifting-but aggressive. You know, it was a lot going on, and still, to this day, it's a lot going on. To actually think and focus on something that could be a staple in hip-hop. So with Pharrell and Sam asking me- Am I gonna rock on it? When I'm gonna rock on it?-it put the pressure on me to challenge myself. I mean, the beat sounds fun, but there's something else inside of them chords that Pharrell put down that feels like-it can be more of a statement rather than a tune. And between my guy Sam Taylor and Pharrell, they would always be like, Did you do it? When you gonna do it? I knew it was a great record-I just was trying to find the space to approach it. You know what? I was sitting on that record for about six months. When you wrote it, did you have that in mind? Did you think of it as a protest song? No.
It has become our generation's protest song. Or saying the most brutal, harsh things on a record, where, you know, society may not want to hear it. Talking to a little kid and making that feel like something. Where a listener can either feel like you or feel like they understand you. Being able to talk about anything and make it connect to a listener. I shoulda went deeper.Ĭontent-wise, do you feel like you could talk about anything? I could talk about anything. And do you ever look back on anything and feel like you'd like to change any of the things that you've written? It would be me saying, I want to go deeper. And I can't contradict that at all.īeautiful. Because it's my self-expression, and you can have your opinions on it, you can feel a certain type of way, but it's how I feel. I always said to myself, if I said it on a record, I never retract my statements. When you say unapologetic, has there ever been anything that comes up that you feel like, I don't want to say that on a record? That's a great question. And my ability to express and still make the connection wherever I go, that is my high point. But more so a gift, because it never puts me in a box. You know? That is a gift and a curse for me. It'll always have some type of DNA in my music.
Not to say that it wouldn't be continuous. My best thoughts… The best answer I can give you, um… That was me then. It may not even be possible to answer, but tell me your best thoughts. Do you feel like that's more indicative of where things will be in the future? Or is it more like, based on the difference between the first album and the second album, we should continue to expect it to change? That's a great question. But do you feel like Butterfly-what do you refer to it as? Butterfly, To Pimp a Butterfly. This is kind of a funny thing, because I'm going to ask you to project into the future here. But if I'm challenging myself in the studio, I want to challenge you as well. I knew from the jump that it was gonna be a challenge for my listeners' ear. Like, nobody was expecting you to make that. So when was that moment? About three months into my second LP, To Pimp a Butterfly.Īfter hearing the first album, when the second album came, it was completely unexpected. And I can’t contradict that at all.”-Kendrick Lamar Because it’s my self-expression, and you can have your opinions on it, you can feel a certain type of way, but it’s how I feel. “I always said to myself, if I said it on a record, I never retract my statements.
0 kommentar(er)
