Short Summary
Kendrick Lamar talks about a lot of stuff including his upbringing, how he makes songs, daily practices, etc.
Brief Summary
When he was younger he would listen to Tupac, Biggie, Jay-Z. Right now he listens to Marvin Gaye and The Isley Brothers, so in general more R&B than hip hop. He says that he's confident enough to do a non rap album.He took great inspiration from Eminem especially the Marshall Mathers LP.He meditates for 30 minutes a day or at least every other day, he does this so he can take his mind away from music since that's all he thinks about, also while on tour and in the studio time flies by so he wants this time to just think. While on tour he misses a lot like people's birthdays and family, this is what he dislikes most about being an artist.He won't ever retract statements he made in prior music because he was just expressing himself at the time, and he believes in telling your truth in songs because listeners can tell whether or not you're faking your personality and stories.
Long Summary
Creative Process and Musical Beginnings
In this in-depth conversation between
Kendrick Lamar and legendary producer Rick Rubin, Lamar provides significant insights into his creative process as one of hip-hop's most acclaimed artists. Lamar explains that his songwriting process typically begins with "premeditated thoughts" that develop over time. When he enters the studio with his team, they often start with a simple drum loop. What distinguishes Lamar's approach is his method of collecting inspiration: "a lot of my inspiration come from meeting people or going outside of the country or going around the corner to my old neighborhood talking to a 5-year-old little boy," he explains. He meticulously documents these encounters, making notes of the emotions and inspirations, which he revisits months later when creating music. He describes how he uses "key little words" that help him recapture the exact emotions that initially sparked his creative ideas.Lamar vividly recalls his earliest musical memories, which include watching Eazy-E "busting out of jail on stage" on television when he was approximately four years old, followed by Snoop Dogg's "Nuthin' But a G Thang." He describes being "heavy into music videos" during the era of "The Box," a music video channel where viewers could request videos. Lamar would sit for hours watching videos repeatedly, absorbing everything about the performances. His parents, whom he describes as "fairly young" while raising him in Compton, played a crucial role in his musical exposure. They regularly hosted parties and introduced him to a diverse range of artists spanning from East Coast rappers like Big Daddy Kane to West Coast icons like Easy-E, Bay Area legends Too Short and E-40, and soul artists like Marvin Gaye and the Isley Brothers. This eclectic musical foundation significantly shaped his artistic development and breadth of influences.
Musical Influences and Technical Development
Lamar credits Eminem as a transformative influence on his technical approach to lyricism. He recalls the profound impact of hearing "The Marshall Mathers LP" and being captivated by Eminem's technical abilities: "How does that work? What is he doing? How is he putting his words together like that? What is the track under it?" This curiosity drove him to analyze Eminem's techniques deeply. Lamar was particularly impressed by Eminem's timing, noting that "his time is impeccable, you know, just when he wants to fall off the beat is impeccable," a skill that Lamar worked to master himself through dedicated practice and experimentation.A pivotal revelation in Lamar's artistic journey came through his collaboration with musician Terrace Martin, who recognized jazz influences in Lamar's musical preferences. Martin observed that "a lot of the chords that you pick are jazz influence" and told Lamar, "you're a jazz musician by default." Martin explained that Lamar's cadence when rapping over certain types of drums and snares mirrored the approach of saxophone and horn players. This insight opened Lamar to jazz legends like Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, helping him understand why he had always been drawn to particular sounds. This revelation significantly influenced the direction of his second album,
"To Pimp a Butterfly", which represented a radical stylistic evolution from his debut album.Lamar also discusses being heavily influenced by Prince through his father, who was an avid fan. What fascinated Lamar about Prince was his chameleonic vocal ability: "I could never tell when it was Prince...he had a falsetto...he had this baritone...he just gave you so many different emotions." Lamar studied Prince's versatility and incorporated this approach into his own music, explaining his tendency to inhabit different characters and vocal personas across his work. Other significant influences include Jay-Z, Tupac, and Biggie, artists who Lamar says complemented his innate tendency to explore the duality of human experience: "the yin and yang, the good versus the evil" in his music. He attributes this perspective to his upbringing, with his father being "a complete realist just in the streets" while his mother was "a dreamer," creating an internal tension that manifests in his artistic expression.
Creative Philosophy and Self-Criticism
Throughout the conversation, Lamar repeatedly emphasizes his relentless pursuit of growth and his aversion to artistic stagnation. Describing himself as his "worst critic," he explains that his primary motivation in music comes from continuously challenging himself: "my excitement in doing music is me feeling like I'm never stagnant, me feeling like I didn't get comfortable in my own skin of what I think is good or what someone else thinks is good." This drive to step outside his comfort zone and master new approaches keeps his "hunger for more going."Lamar reveals an evolution in his approach to audience consideration. While he used to heavily consider the listener when creating, he's now reached a point where his primary focus is his own inspiration: "if I'm not inspired, I can't really do the music." He believes this authentic approach ultimately creates a more genuine connection with listeners: "whether you like it or not, you're going to know it comes from a real place." Lamar maintains an "unapologetic" stance toward his creative choices, stating that once he puts something on record, he never retracts his statements, as they represent his authentic self-expression at that moment.When discussing his writing process, Lamar describes highly variable timeframes—sometimes writing "four songs, three verses each, 24 bars, 16 bars...within an hour," while other concepts might take "six months." Despite this variation, he always begins with a clear message he wants to convey, though the final product often evolves in unexpected ways. When Rubin asks how he knows when a song is complete or successful, Lamar responds with elegant simplicity: "It's just a feeling, man. You can feel it. It's just a feeling."
Production Involvement and Live Performance
Lamar reveals the extent of his involvement in the production process, describing himself as intensely hands-on with all aspects of his music: "I don't sleep, and my team, they can't sleep." He explains that while he trusts his team implicitly, he feels compelled to participate in every detail, "from the snare to the hi-hat," including minute adjustments like "we got to gain up this two more dBs, we got to snatch this out and let this part of the section breathe." This meticulous attention extends to his approach to recording with musicians, where he takes an active role in conducting and arranging, ensuring the sessions don't devolve into "just a bunch of crazy sounds with no arrangement."Intriguingly, Lamar shares that he occasionally writes lyrics before having a musical track, almost like poetry, and then has to "find the actual instrumentation to match it." He finds this approach particularly enjoyable because "it gives the producer the freedom to build around the lyrics," with certain words suggesting specific sounds or cadences. Lamar also reveals that he regularly modifies tracks after writing to them, sometimes building on elements that "sound better than the actual bottom" or pulling elements back to "let the thing breathe."Lamar approaches his stage performances with the same meticulous attention to detail as his studio work. He tells Rubin, "I approach the stage, my stage performance, the same way I approach the studio" and explains that he carefully considers "how my mannerisms are, you know, how I'm moving," along with the musical arrangements, "from the hits and the licks on how we rearrange the idea just to give the fans a new experience." This perfectionist approach extends to extensive rehearsals, which he approaches with the same intensity as mixing and mastering sessions.
Creation of "Alright" and Its Cultural Impact
When discussing
"Alright", which became an anthem for the Black Lives Matter movement, Lamar shares the fascinating genesis of the track. He reveals that he had the beat from producer Pharrell Williams for about six months before recording it. Williams and Sam Taylor recognized the beat's potential before Lamar did, repeatedly asking him, "When you going to do it? When you going to do it?" Lamar sensed that within the seemingly "fun" beat, there was "something else inside of them chords that Pharrell put down that feels like it can be more of a statement rather than a certain tune."This persistent encouragement "put the pressure on me to challenge myself," Lamar explains, pushing him to create something that could be "a staple in hip-hop." His approach was to craft something "more uplifting but aggressive," not portraying victimhood but instead affirming strength: "we strong." The hook featuring the phrase "we gonna be alright" came from Pharrell, which sparked Lamar's lyrical direction. Lamar describes the finished product as having "executed exactly how my approach was the moment I put that pen to the paper," achieving precisely the balance and message he had intended.
Personal Growth, Meditation, and Balance
In a particularly reflective portion of the conversation, Lamar discusses how meditation has become essential to his well-being. He shares that he tries to dedicate "at least 30 minutes to myself" every day or every other day to "sit back, close my eyes, and absorb what's going on." This practice emerged from his recognition that time seems to accelerate in the music industry: "The years are always cut in half because we always have something to do...next thing you know five years done went by and you're 29 years old." Meditation helps him process his experiences and maintain perspective in this accelerated environment.Lamar explains that meditation provides a crucial reset from his all-consuming focus on music: "I know that I have to give it some time and space every now and then, and that 30 minutes helps...where I can totally zone out and not think about my next lyric." This practice gives him "a restart, a jump start, and a refresh" and helps him reconnect with his fundamental purpose as an artist.When discussing personal challenges, Lamar candidly acknowledges the difficulty of balancing his music career with family relationships. He describes "finding the balance between family and music" as his greatest disappointment, explaining that "when you're doing this, it comes with a lot of sacrifice. You're going to miss a lot of birthdays, you're going to miss a lot of moments." He reflects on the emotional toll this takes, noting that sometimes he gets "lost in the music so far you may forget how much you mean to the people that you came up with or your family or your mother or your father."
Artistic Evolution, Reception, and Future Direction
Lamar offers thoughtful reflections on his evolution from his debut album
"good kid, m.A.A.d city" to the jazz-influenced "To Pimp a Butterfly." When asked if the jazz-influenced direction of his second album indicates his future trajectory, Lamar explains that the sound represented where he was at that specific time: "that was me then." He describes himself as "like a chameleon," constantly growing and changing, which he considers both "a gift and a curse"—limiting in some ways but ultimately freeing him from being placed "in the box."Lamar shares a revealing anecdote about the surprising reception to his first album. As a new artist familiar with industry expectations, he had created what he believed would be successful radio singles. However, he was surprised to discover that
"m.A.A.d city", where he was "just rapping for maybe 40 bars or 30 bars," became "the song with the biggest connection" on the album. This experience taught him that audience connection doesn't always follow predictable formulas and reinforced his belief in following his artistic instincts rather than commercial calculations.Regarding his future direction, while Lamar doesn't outline specific plans, he mentions having ideas and wanting to "put all the paint on the wall and see where that goes." He also reveals having numerous unreleased musical fragments—"so many floating around, 24 bars, 16 bars, hooks"—particularly "concepts of hooks and references" intended for other vocalists. When asked if he could imagine making an album without rapping, Lamar, while identifying primarily as a rapper, confidently states, "I got the confidence for it" and believes with the right approach and sufficient time, he "can pull it off."Throughout the conversation, Lamar's profound dedication to artistic growth, his meticulous attention to craft, and his philosophical approach to music-making reveal why he has become one of the most respected and influential artists of his generation. His unwavering commitment to authenticity and personal expression, combined with his technical mastery and willingness to continuously evolve, establish him as not just a remarkable rapper but a visionary artist transcending conventional boundaries.*There may be errors on this page.