Kendrick Lamar Reflects on Eazy-E's Career, Calls the N.W.A. Rapper a Major Influence

In recent years, Kendrick Lamar has been dubbed the poster child of all things Compton, but before him, N.W.A. was the hottest thing coming out of the city. In Paper magazine’s “Nowstalgia” issue, K. Dot reflected on the the impact of the group’s frontman, Eazy-E, and called the late rapper a major influence.

While discussing the “We Want Eazy” rapper, Lamar praised him for being a trailblazer and inspiring others with his bold rhymes.

“He’ll always live forever, not only 50 years from now but a thousand years from now," he told the publication. "His name will always be in people’s hearts because he gave people the opportunity and the voice to say what they want and how they feel.”

As depicted in the film Straight Outta Compton, Eazy and the surviving members of N.W.A. used their music to report on the harsh realities of the inner cities including racial tension, poverty and police brutality. One standout scene from the film is a portrayal of the group's infamous performance of "F*ck the Police" during a show in Detroit.

Elsewhere during Lamar's reflection on Eazy-E, he revealed how the rapper has impacted his career and the things he raps about in his songs.

"I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Eazy and I wouldn’t be able to say the things that I say, talk about my community the way I talk about it, for good or for bad. He’s 100 percent influenced me in terms of really being not only honest with myself, but honest about where I come from and being proud of where I come from."

Back in August, Lamar was afforded the opportunity to interview Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren and DJ Yella for Billboard.

His latest album, To Pimp A Butterfly, featured a track titled "Mortal Man," which includes an interview between the TDE rapper and another one of his musical influences, the late Tupac Shakur. The exchange between the two artists was reportedly created using quotes from a 1994 interview between Shakur and Swedish music journalist, Mats Nileskär.

Check out Kendrick Lamar's Paper feature in its entirety here.

Tags

Kendrick Lamar, Eazy-E, N.W.A.