Short Summary
On October 4, 2012,
Kendrick Lamar participated in Apple's "Meet the Musician" series, providing crucial insights into his creative process weeks before releasing his major-label debut "
good kid, m.A.A.d city" (GKMC). During this conversation moderated by AllHipHop.com CEO Chuck Creekmur, Lamar revealed his intention to reframe Compton narratives, explained his deliberate album cover choice featuring family photographs, acknowledged influences ranging from Tupac and Jay-Z to jazz and soul music that shaped his distinctive sound, discussed his evolution from mimicking street narratives to developing socially conscious themes, highlighted the formative impact of a seventh-grade teacher who expanded his worldview, detailed his organic approach to album construction limiting features to maintain artistic coherence, and emphasized his spontaneous recording method for emotional authenticity.
Long Summary
Kendrick Lamar Discusses "good kid, m.A.A.d city" Before Its Historic Release
On October 4, 2012,
Kendrick Lamar participated in Apple's "Meet the Musician" series, engaging in a revealing conversation moderated by AllHipHop.com CEO Chuck Creekmur. This session took place mere weeks before the October 22nd release of "
good kid, m.A.A.d city" (GKMC), Lamar's major label debut under Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records. The Q&A provided unprecedented insights into Lamar's creative process, Compton upbringing, and artistic vision at what would prove to be a transformative moment in contemporary hip-hop.
Compton Narratives: Kendrick Lamar Reframes Urban Storytelling
Lamar explicitly positioned "good kid, m.A.A.d city" as a counternarrative to mainstream portrayals of Compton. "It's really just a reflection on the people I grew up around," Lamar explained, emphasizing his intention to humanize individuals often labeled as "delinquents" in his city. He expressed his desire to "put them ills out there" and "really explain a certain situation in the city," challenging the consistently negative light shed on Compton. This nuanced approach to urban storytelling would become a hallmark of Lamar's work throughout his career.
Visual Storytelling: Kendrick Lamar's Deliberate Album Cover Choice
The now-iconic Polaroid family photograph featuring Lamar's uncles and grandfather that would grace GKMC's cover represented a conscious artistic decision. "I always had this premeditated that it was going to be my album cover for years," Lamar revealed, rejecting flashier imagery common in rap visuals. "I could have went super flashy, had a bunch of jewelry on and stuff like that, but it really didn't make sense for me to do that," he explained, noting the photo "represents so much...not only the household I grew up in but just a lot of people's lives that just came up in the ghetto in urban neighborhoods." His grandfather, whom he referred to as "granddaddy had the golden flash," appears in the photo along with his uncles.
Kendrick Lamar's Musical Influences: Bicoastal Hip-Hop Education
Lamar offered significant insights into his musical lineage during the Q&A. "I grew up listening to Pac, DMX, Jay-Z, Nas," he explained, before acknowledging a regional lag in exposure: "The West Coast was late on Jay-Z, West Coast was late on Big." This delayed discovery prompted him to study these artists later: "I went back and I was like, 'Man, I studied all them cats.'" This bicoastal appreciation informed his distinctive approach to storytelling, flow, and production choices, allowing him to synthesize diverse influences into his unique sound.
Kendrick Lamar and TDE: The Black Hippy Collective
When discussing his crew Black Hippy—comprising Lamar, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, and ScHoolboy Q—Lamar emphasized their significance beyond music: "It's way bigger than that...it's a lifestyle that we live for a new generation." He described their mission as providing alternative role models within their community "rather than just going to the easy way out with the streets." When asked if they would ever add another member, Lamar surprisingly mentioned Detroit rapper Danny Brown as the only artist he could envision joining, praising his unique style.
Jazz and Soul: The Musical Foundations of Kendrick Lamar's Sound
When asked about the jazz influences evident in his "
Section.80" project, Lamar traced these elements to his childhood environment: "My parents play nothing but oldies and gangsta rap." He specifically mentioned how Dr. Dre's sampling of "some of the coldest oldies" and his parents playing Marvin Gaye and The Isley Brothers heavily influenced his sound. "That's why you hear a lot of soul and a lot of jazz influence references in my music," Lamar explained, confirming listeners would hear "that same influence on this album [GKMC]."
Kendrick Lamar's Early Career Struggles and Industry Challenges
Lamar provided candid glimpses into his pre-fame struggles, describing "how we sat in the 12-passenger van with 14 cats and follow Game's tour bus all the way from LA to Rhode Island for two months." He spoke of making financial sacrifices for studio time and facing demoralizing label meetings that threatened his artistic integrity: "jeopardizing your dignity to make this certain type of record." These experiences contextualized his emotional reaction to
Snoop Dogg passing the torch, which he described as representing "all them emotions coming out...from the hurt and the struggle that my family been through."
Lyrical Evolution: Kendrick Lamar's Growth as a Writer
When asked about his lyrical development since beginning to rap at age 13, Lamar candidly acknowledged his starting point: "I was just rapping about killing people...I probably killed probably a hundred people in one verse, probably sold so many narcotics in one verse because that's all we've seen." This evolution from mimicking surrounding influences to developing a distinctive voice mirrors GKMC's coming-of-age narrative. "As I matured, I found out there's so much more I can speak on," Lamar explained, reflecting his growing understanding of his platform's potential impact.
Educational Influence: The Teacher Who Shaped Kendrick Lamar's Worldview
A seventh-grade teacher emerged as a pivotal influence on Lamar's worldview. Lamar recounted how this teacher challenged his reluctance to interact with people outside his race, telling him: "The day you stop being scared to touch people and talk to people, that's the day your mind will open up to so many things." This teacher also encouraged him to read more, advice Lamar credits with fundamentally changing his perspective: "I try to imply what I learned in seventh grade even to this day as far as opening up books and reading more because it put me in a mind state where I can make a record called 'Section.80' and 'good kid, m.A.A.d city' where people can understand it."
Kendrick Lamar's Fan Relationship and Digital-Era Success
The session concluded with Lamar expressing genuine gratitude for fans who propelled the album to #1 on iTunes through pre-orders: "This album is not even out and y'all making it hit number one on iTunes just because y'all believe that much—that's real love."
The Mystery of "m.A.A.d": Kendrick Lamar's Artistic Depth
When directly questioned about the specific meaning behind the album title's acronym "m.A.A.d" with its distinctive capitalization of two "A"s, Lamar strategically declined to explain: "They'd be mad if I just told you and had them waiting all this time." He noted fans would catch the meaning within the album: "You'll catch it in the album. It's a particular song you'll catch it in. It's very subtle though." This intentional ambiguity exemplified Lamar's approach to creating multilayered art that rewards careful attention.
Album Construction: Kendrick Lamar's Artistic Process
Lamar revealed insights into his album construction process, noting he "kept everything real sweet" regarding features, wanting to maintain the project's personal nature. "I don't like to force records and features," he explained, emphasizing that collaborations needed to feel "organic." He mentioned having Jay Rock on GKMC but not Ab-Soul or ScHoolboy Q (who appeared on "Section.80"), illustrating his commitment to artistic coherence: "I'm super cohesive when it comes to putting a project together—everything just has to feel right." Lamar also noted his preference for a concise album: "My standard album is 12 tracks. It's 12 tracks of my life."
Kendrick Lamar's Creative Method: From Recording Booth to Classic Album
When discussing his recording process for tracks like "
The Heart Pt.2," Lamar revealed his preference for spontaneous creation over written verses for emotionally charged content: "I don't really want to write it down because I'm confined to looking at the lines on the paper rather than just getting it out." This approach involved "going in the booth and just rapping," "thinking of vibes and thinking of flows," and "pulling from that energy until I can't go no more."*There may be errors on this page.