Kendrick Lamar Talks About The State Of Hip Hop and To Pimp A Butterfly
Sumary
In a 2015 talk with MistaJam after releasing "To Pimp A Butterfly," Kendrick Lamar shared his thoughts on making music with meaning. Lamar said he doesn't like to look back at his old songs because they make him uncomfortable - he prefers to think about what's next instead of past work. He chose to make deeper music rather than simple radio hits, even though this was risky for his second big album. Surprisingly, "King Kunta" became very popular on UK radio anyway, showing that his honest approach still connected with listeners.
Lamar talked about how "To Pimp A Butterfly" has many layers, with a poem that keeps coming back throughout the album as both a personal reminder and a message for young people. He was amazed at how strongly the album affected fans, saying he was just sharing his own problems but somehow it touched others deeply. Lamar also mentioned how he kept many beats from producer Flying Lotus during Kanye West's tour, some of which never made it onto the album but remained his favorites.
When choosing who to work with, Lamar values real connection over fame. He worked with big stars like Taylor Swift (calling her "gangsta") but also with unknown artists from his Compton neighborhood. He showed interest in UK music, noting he hadn't visited in three years, and praised British rapper Little Simz as "the illest doing it right now." MistaJam suggested they should make music together, which Lamar agreed would be great.
The interview ended with Lamar mentioning he received rare, unreleased Tupac Shakur material from a German interviewer. This later became important as Tupac's voice appears at the end of "To Pimp A Butterfly" on the song "Mortal Man." Throughout their talk, Lamar showed he cares more about honest expression than making hit songs, while staying open to all kinds of musical influences based on real artistic connection rather than status.
Event Date: June 9, 2015
