In this 2017 BigBoyTV interview, Kendrick Lamar talked about his album "DAMN." following its release, discussing his artistic vision to create music for "all arenas" while exploring themes of pride, love, and doubt through methodically titled tracks. The conversation revealed Lamar's personal narratives, including formative experiences in Compton and his relationship with his mother, alongside his development at Top Dawg Entertainment where he formed close bonds with Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith and Schoolboy Q. Lamar reflected on his performance evolution from 300-person venues to festival headlining, his selective approach to collaborations, visits to the Obama White House, and his assessment of "DAMN." as his finest work for combining "the message behind 'To Pimp a Butterfly,' the sonics and beats slapping on 'good kid, m.A.A.d city,' and the rawness of 'Section.80'".
On June 29, 2017, Kendrick Lamar appeared on BigBoyTV for an in-depth conversation following the release of his critically acclaimed album "DAMN." This interview took place during a significant period in Lamar's career, shortly after "DAMN." had made a substantial commercial and critical impact. The conversation provides valuable insights into Lamar's creative process, personal history, relationship with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), and his perspective on fame, family, and artistic growth during this transformative period in hip-hop.
Kendrick Lamar explains his intention with "DAMN.,", he wanted to create music that functioned effectively across multiple environments while maintaining lyrical depth. "We wanted to make it for all arenas," Lamar states, describing how the album was designed to work in cars, clubs, and various listening contexts. The album explores themes of pride, love, self-worth and doubt through a narrative approach.
The album's title emerged from multiple concepts, including what Lamar describes as "damn if I do, damn if I don't," reflecting both the project's emotional intensity and its thematic duality. Lamar reveals that an alternative title considered was "What Happened on Earth Stays on Earth," ultimately rejected for its excessive length.
Each track on "DAMN." features a single-word title, a deliberate stylistic choice Lamar explains was based on identifying words that captured the emotional essence of each song. The inclusion of DJ Kid Capri was an early conceptual decision, intended to give the album "something that was raw and organic" while connecting to hip-hop's historical foundations - demonstrating Lamar's commitment to honoring the genre's legacy while pushing its boundaries forward.
Throughout the BigBoyTV interview, Lamar references formative experiences from his upbringing in Compton, California, including being attacked at the Avalon Swap Meet at age 15 while his mother watched - an incident he later incorporated into lyrics for "ELEMENT." This willingness to transform autobiographical trauma into art represents a consistent thread throughout Lamar's discography.
Lamar discusses his relationship with his mother in significant detail, sharing a text message where she praises "DAMN." as his "best one" while joking about his stressed appearance on the album cover. He expresses particular pride in helping his mother leave Section 8 housing and purchasing her a home, describing it as "the ultimate feeling." Notably, Lamar emphasizes that his mother never made him feel obligated to provide financially, telling him "the only thing I have to do for her is continue to love her."
The interview addresses a social media controversy surrounding Lamar's purchase of a Toyota for his sister's high school graduation, which some critics deemed insufficient for someone of his wealth. Lamar defends this decision as maintaining proper values, explaining his desire for family members to "appreciate something and be able to take baby steps" despite improved circumstances.
Kendrick Lamar provides context about the formation and dynamics of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), discussing his early relationship with Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. Lamar explains that TDE artists trusted Tiffith because of "the genuine love he had for us" and his success in other ventures. The close bond between TDE members forms a central topic, with Lamar refuting rumors of discord between himself and Schoolboy Q by describing their shared struggles: "Me and Q, we slept on the same couch. You know what I'm saying? Shared the same $5 to go get pieces of chicken."
Describing TDE's early aspirations, Lamar recalls conversations where they simply hoped to perform at the Key Club, considering that achievement sufficient: "As long as we get to Key Club, we straight." Lamar specifically mentions J. Rock's collaboration with Lil Wayne on "All My Life" as a breakthrough moment that made success seem possible.
Regarding collaboration strategy, Lamar outlines a selective approach, working only with artists he respects who have quality music. He notes that even if he personally likes someone, he won't collaborate if their music doesn't inspire him.
The interview documents Lamar's development as a performer, from his first 300-person show in downtown Los Angeles following his "Kendrick Lamar EP" mixtape to headlining for audiences approaching 95,000-100,000 people. Despite this trajectory, Lamar expresses preference for intimate venues: "I love the small venues. After being on festivals so long... it's nothing like going to them small holes in the walls and people were just hanging on the ceiling."
Lamar describes his first international performance in London as particularly significant, noting his surprise at overseas audiences' familiarity with his work. The realization that people globally were connecting with "raps that I wrote in the kitchen" represents a pivotal moment in his understanding of his music's reach.
For his "DAMN." tour, Lamar mentions needing to distribute approximately 300 complimentary tickets to family and friends for Los Angeles performances, highlighting the complex relationship between commercial success and community connections.
When asked about being considered the voice of his generation, Lamar frames this responsibility through authentic representation: "All I can do is continue to be an actual human being and to show them that I go through the same emotions and the same feelings that y'all go through."
Lamar expresses particular satisfaction that listeners engage deeply with his lyrics, sometimes analyzing them "better than I can" and finding meanings beyond his original intentions. This acknowledgment of interpretive openness reveals Lamar's understanding of art as collaborative between creator and audience.
The interview touches on Lamar's visits to the Obama White House, describing the surreal experience of accessing spaces that "seemed unreal growing up in the neighborhood." He shares Obama's advice to "continue to stay rooted" in his community, emphasizing change begins locally.
In a particularly notable segment, Lamar ranks his albums, placing "DAMN." at the top of his discography. He justifies this placement by describing "DAMN." as "a hybrid of all these projects," combining "the message behind 'To Pimp a Butterfly,' the sonics and the beats slapping on 'good kid, m.A.A.d city,' and the rawness of just being able to do what I want like I did on 'Section.80.'"
This self-assessment provides critical context for understanding "DAMN." within Lamar's artistic development, positioning it as both culmination and synthesis of his previous creative approaches. Lamar emphasizes that "DAMN." was created without creative restrictions: "I didn't have no rules doing this. I was just in there creating that and fun."
Lamar also mentions a significant technical setback - the loss of a hard drive containing approximately 500 unreleased songs from 2005-2006.
Kendrick Lamar discusses his approach to writing, revealing that he uses multiple methods: writing directly on the microphone, using pen and paper, or working on electronic devices. This flexibility in his creative process demonstrates Lamar's adaptability as a songwriter and his commitment to capturing ideas however they come.
When asked if he believes he's written his best verse yet, Lamar responds with a definitive "nope," emphasizing his continual drive for improvement. He states, "I'm always searching for that," highlighting the artistic restlessness that has characterized his career and pushed his evolution across projects.
The interview reveals that Lamar has "thousands" of unreleased songs, including the aforementioned hard drive containing approximately 500 tracks from his early career. Lamar humorously refers to his early song "Bitch, I'm in the Club" as his "wacky song," acknowledging his artistic growth while recognizing the enthusiasm he once had for his earlier work.
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Kendrick Lamar BigBoyTV DAMN Interview
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Kendrick Lamar on Damn., His Sister's Car & Being The G.O.A.T. | BigBoyTV - YouTube
Kendrick Lamar dropped by the Neighborhood and talked about his album, Damn. Also, conspiracy theories, buying his sister a car, calling himself the GOAT and...