The hype for Kendrick Lamar's upcoming sophomore effort couldn't be higher. His fans are hanging on every word he says, mining for details and song leaks. Lamar has repeatedly told the media that he doesn't fear the pressure of following up his critically acclaimed major label debut good kid m.A.A.d city and that fame doesn't interest him. He reiterates this claim in a new interview with Billboard and also speaks on his spending habits, the untitled song he played on The Colbert Report, his girlfriend Whitney Alford, police brutality, Iggy Azalea's place in hip-hop, the Grammys, and more. Here's what we learned.
On how he spends his money:
"I could afford a lot of things. I wouldn't know what to do with myself in a mansion."
On why performed his untitled track on The Colbert Report though it might not make the album:
"I just like the energy. I didn't go out there to sell a single. I just did what I felt."
On rapping vs. storytelling:
"I pride myself on writing now rather than rapping. My passion is bringing storylines around and constructing a full body of work, rather than just a 16-bar verse."
On his girlfriend, Whitney Alford:
"I wouldn't even call her my girl. That's my best friend. I don't even like the term that society has put in the world as far as being a companion. She's somebody I can tell my fears to."
On police brutality:
"I wish somebody would look in our neighborhood knowing that it's already a situation, mentally, where it's f---ked up. What happened to [Michael Brown] should've never happened. Never. But when we don't have respect for ourselves, how do we expect them to respect us? It starts from within. Don't start with just a rally, don't start from looting -- it starts from within."
On what he learned from The Autobiography of Malcom X:
"What do you want your legacy to be at the end of the day? Going abcj and looking at all the great leaders, I tend to put that in my music the same way Martin Luther King did."
On why he doesn't drink much or smoke marijuana:
"Teenagers don't get it -- we selfish. Go drink, go smoke, go get f---ed up. Why did I do these things? Because I was brought up around it? It damn sure was in the household. I said, 'I know what happens to my family and certain friends when they get drunk and they smoke. They get out of their minds, they get violent. And that's in my blood.' I have little sips on special occasions, but getting all the way out of my mind may not be a good idea."
On his childhood aspirations:
"Before finding music, I didn't have too many aspirations. I wanted to hang out, make a little money from whatever I had to do. Because that's all you see in the four-block radius. I wanted to go back to the neighborhood [after I started rapping] and say, 'I got signed.' F--- putting an album out, f--- selling records, f--- being on TV. All I wanted to do is put my name on the dotted line."
On Iggy Azalea and her place in hip-hop:
"Let her. People have to go through trials and tribulations to get where they at. Do your thing, continue to rock it, because obviously God wants you here."
On winning a Grammy:
"That's not my overall goal. I appreciate them recognizing me. It's best to just go and enjoy the festivities."
On the release of his upcoming album:
"My enjoyment is creating the music. Once it gets pressed up, with bar codes on it, then it's not really fun anymore."
Read the full interview here, and let us know what you think in the comments section!
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