Kendrick Lamar: The Breakfast Club
Kendrick Lamar: Hot 97
On a surprise for those who bought the physical CD:
"Yeah, definitely. [There]'s actually a sketch of braille that's added to the title hidden inside the [CD] booklet that I don't think nobody has caught yet. You can actually feel the bump lines. But if you can see it, which is the irony of it, you can break down the actual full title of the album."
On what he meant by "to pimp" in the album title:
"You take this raw talent and put a price on it, and you're not rewarded as much as you should be rewarded. This is a God-given talent. The reward should be infinite [for] our ability to think of what we think of, and even more so, how we make people happy. Ain't no feeling better than that."
On the American dream and his reference to it when he announced his album title:
"Everybody wanna feel like they're in control of their success. We're puppets in so many different places [in our lives]. To pimp out something from a negative place and take it to a positive place, that's what everybody wanna do. Everybody have their own story. I have mine with good kid, m.A.A.d city. You have yours. And to come out of these harsh realities and do something positive, you're pimping the butterfly. You're coming out this cocoon of this caterpillar and you're making the best out of it. Everybody wanna do that."
On why he is able to influence the younger generation:
"A lot of people that tell the story they already old and they really can't talk to the youth because the youth don't respect them. I got the power in my hands where the youth respect me. Not only as an artist but as a person. It's only right for me to put that energy out there, and let 'em know what's goin' on in the world."
On why he opened the album with "Every N***er Is A Star":
"It represents how I felt when I first got signed. That's the first initial state-you get money, you feel like this. But overall, in general it represents those without money of my color that's rich in spirit. You don't need dollars to feel like you have a place in the world."
On the criticism he received over his Billboard comments:
"When I say these things it's a reflection of me first, and coping with the idea or trying my best to respect this guy because he's a black man rather than not respecting him because he's got on a different color than mines. Y'know? And if you can't understand or respect that, then I don't know what all you have been through in life. You probably haven't been through nothin' [for you to take my comments and] break it down in a negative context. Because I got scars and stripes. Whoever want to question [what I said], all you got to do is come down to the community centers and these detention centers, and see what we doin' with these convicts and these kids out here. See the time that I have invested, and show your face, and then we can debate about it, rather than you just talking randomly."
On what he means by people bettering themselves:
"My new meaning for 'keepin' it gangsta' is totally different from the usual. It's really about takin' care of your family, handlin' your business, and puttin' positive energy out there where everybody can benefit from it, not just yourself."
On whether TPAB is a "black" album:
"When you really break down the album, it's not only for blacks. I have just as equal people outside of my culture understanding the album. This album is more about deciding what you're gonna do with your fame and your fortune. [Is it] for negative or for positive reasons? When you look at the first half of the album, it's really me trying to figure it out, y'know? [I'm being] flamboyant, boastin', being vengeful in certain places. Then going down that line of saying, 'OK, I can do something better with it.' So I don't think it only resonates with blacks, but with people all around the world, man, that can respect the idea of going through a journey or a rebellion, and figuring it out."
On what he thinks about the future of his generation:
"I think the future of my generation is entrepreneurs times a hundred. We'll probably be one of the most prosperous generations in history. Not only do we have the belief, but we have the work ethic to go out there and get it. We are very independent. We are very confident in our own identity, which is a great thing. Because what this [generation] has is more people starting their own business and not being confined to what [an existing] company has to offer [them]. But, on the other hand, our belief system is gonna play a major part in it. Our belief system is not the way how my parents were, how my grandparents were, and the more and more time goes on, we lose that thought or idea of God and energy. So what happens is we stop caring for people and we stop honoring and respecting people, you feel me? So I think once we grab that aspect back into my generation we're gonna be alright."
Check out the full interview here, and let us know what you think in the comments section!
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