As promised, Flying Lotus took time last night during his current residency with BBC Radio 1 to interview his frequent collaborator Kendrick Lamar about his latest album, To Pimp A Butterfly, for which FlyLo produced the opening track "Wesley's Theory," which he called "a future classic" during their conversation. In the interview, Lamar spoke about the ideas and influences that went into making the album a success and gave advice to his fans, urging them "put your heart over a number or a dollar sign." He also talked about recurring dreams he has. Here's what he had to say:
On what he dreams about:
"The things I dream about are usually from my childhood, whether it's me waking up in the morning, looking at cartoons, going outside playing basketball, doing backflips, it's always stemming from me being six, seven, eight years old. That's usually a recurring dream, going back to birthdays, my moms and pops playing music inside the house parties or what not. This is a constant dream throughout the days, every other month maybe; I don't know. A dream that stayed with me was this dream when I actually got my first time going on the airplane. I used to be frightened just by the concept of it. It was actually some nightmare sh*t. I got on this airplane and just never came down. I just stayed, elevating higher and higher and higher until I woke up, which was a trip. That dream always shook me up. It may mean something now, today, whether I know it or not. Who knows?"
On the ideas and influences behind To Pimp A Butterfly:
"The ideas and influences from this album was me collecting every little bit of music that I have learned to live with and love since the day I was born, and my father's influences from oldies to gangsta rap. That was it for me. And not being in fear to show these influences. A lot of artists get to a point where we like to stay redundant, we like to stay compromising what we really want to do. I said I wasn't going to do that on this album. I give that advice to anyone artists out there. Do what your heart tell you to do because the rewards is even that much more better."
On his advice to his fans:
"I encourage you, the listener, to always put your heart over a number or a dollar sign because your heart is going to lead you in the right places. I could've went in any direction with this album as far as a mainstream sound or chasing the hit record, but my heart told me to do something different, do something that had a little more of a connection to it. Even if you don't do music, follow your heart because it leads you into directions that you may not believe is possible, but when the opportunity presents itself, it will you you into a place you could never imagine."
Listen to the full show here.
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