If I'm gonna tell a real story, I'm gonna start with my name.
Kendrick Lamar
I'm Machiavelli's offspring, I'm the king of New York, king of the coast, one hand, I juggle them both.
My whole thing is to inspire, to better people, to better myself forever in this thing that we call rap, this thing that we call hip hop.
I learned, when I look in the mirror and tell my story, that I should be myself and not peep whatever everybody is doing.
Since day one, since the first time I touched the pen, I wanted to be the best at what I do.
I'm only as good as my last word, my last hook, my last bridge.
I'm sticking to the script, I'm putting that organic feeling back in the game.
It's easy to forget who you are.
People have to go through trials and tribulations to get where they at. Do your thing - continue to rock it - because obviously, God wants you here.
My moms always told me, 'How long you gonna play the victim?' I can say I'm mad and I hate everything, but nothing really changes until I change myself.
I've been called a recluse. There's definitely truth in that. I like to spend time alone.
The worst part of success is, to me, adapting to it. It's scary.
The hardest thing for - not only an artist but for anybody to do is look themselves in the mirror and acknowledge, you know, their own flaws and fears and imperfections and put them out there in the open for people to relate to it.
Me, as a person, I grow. I'm like a chameleon. You know? That is a gift and a curse for me. But more so a gift, because it never puts me in a box.
I like to let things breathe.
I think my worst problem is actually living in the moment and understanding everything that's going on. I feel like I'm in my own bubble.
The best thing is to always keep honest people around, because when you have a bunch of yes men around that know that you're making a mistake but let you go on with it, that's when it ruins your mind state as an artist.
Black and brown pride have been taught in my household for a long time.
I look at where I'm at today and realize that most of my success is owed to the mentors that was in my life.
Being acknowledged for your work is always a great accomplishment, whether it's people in my city, kids in the street, all the way up to the Grammys.
If my edge is dull, my sword is dull, and I don't want to fight another guy whose sword is dull. If you've got two steel swords going back and forth hitting each other, what's gonna happen? Both of them are going to get sharper. Everybody that's in the industry has lost their edge.
When you go on your Twitter or look down your Timeline and it's all great positivity - I love that. But at the same time, it can really divert you from what your purpose is or what you're trying to do. And I've seen artists get caught up in that.
My word will never be as strong as God's word. All I am is just a vessel, doing His work.
I got a greater purpose. God put something in my heart to get across, and that's what I'm going to focus on, using my voice as an instrument and doing what needs to be done.
My mom's one of 13 siblings, and they all got six kids, and till I was 13 everybody was in Compton.
We're all put on this earth to walk in His image, the Master.
I think my vice would be outdoing myself.
When I went back to my old high school, all these kids looking at me like I'm the real big homie, the same way I look at Jay Z, Nas, or Dr. Dre. You would've thought Michael Jackson walked through that joint off the excitement that they had.
Groups break up because they never got across what they wanted to do personally, and they have creative differences, and egos start to clash.
I don't want to be something that just comes and goes.
From the moment I started writing raps, I was always aware of the pressure. I always wanted to live up to how huge Snoop got, how huge Dre got, how huge Pac got. I was always aware.
My pops and my mom started playing Marvin Gaye and the Isley Brothers and all these people, but at the same time, they always had Snoop on right behind it in the same mix.
Eventually you get to this point where you understand what you want to do and get across and sound like.
Before finding music, I didn't have too many aspirations. I wanted to hang out, make a little money from whatever I had to do.
At first, I was scared to show fear because you can never be sure how people will perceive you. But I dared myself to do that, to stand out. Now I'll talk about being beaten up or robbed or making a stupid decision because of a girl or whatever.
I used to consider the listener. But now I'm in a space where, if I'm not inspired, I can't really do the music. I can't feel it.
As long as my music is real, it's no limit to how many ears I can grab.
I always thought money was something just to make me happy. But I've learned that I feel better being able to help my folks, 'cause we never had nothing. So just to see them excited about my career is more of a blessing than me actually having it for myself.
Temptation is just the feeling that you're the most independent person on planet Earth. That you know everything. That's something that we all go through as a kid. Now, this lifestyle that I'm in, the same thing exists! But it's 10 times worse, because everything is at my disposal. When you're in the limelight, you can get anything you want.
When everybody looks at our generation of kids, they always call us the misfits - you know, like we just don't give a damn.
It's a great, great experience to finally get the reception that you know you rightfully deserve.
I can't help the way you was born if you was gay.
The majority of my interactions with police were not good. There were a few good ones who were actually protecting the community. But then you have ones from the Valley. They never met me in their life, but since I'm a kid in basketball shorts and a white T-shirt, they wanna slam me on the hood of the car. Sixteen years old.
People gonna be they own individuals and have they own worlds and I can't knock it.
I always felt like there was a certain standard of music that I had to do from the beginning, even when I didn't have the recognition that I have now.
I had to come from something, come from a place that was negative and positive but the majority of it is a negative place.
Sometimes you have the trends that's not that cool. You may have certain artists portraying these trends and don't really have that lifestyle, and then it gives off the wrong thing. And it becomes kinda corny after awhile. It's really about keeping hip-hop original and pushing away the corniness in it.
I don't vote. I don't do no voting.
Sonnymoon and Quadrants are a couple of bands that really inspire me in terms of the melodics of things and certain tones and just what feels good. It takes me back to the type of music that I grew up on in my household. We played a lot of gangsta rap, but we also played a lot of oldies, and I think that mix is part of what inspires my sound.
I knew I was blessed with a gift of having both parents.
