I probably spent more time listening to albums than writing songs. But I think that gave me all the tricks in terms of wordplay, from how I pronounced my words to the actual delivery.
I can’t help the way you was born if you was gay.
My lyrics say I have morals, I have confidence, I have weaknesses, I have strong points, that I am a human being.
I don’t really believe in the type of pressure that people are wanting to put on the type of music that I make.
I think my vice would be outdoing myself.
I’ve got an extra-specific story about Dr. Dre. I saw him when I was 9 years old in Compton – him and Tupac. They were shooting the second ‘California Love’ video. My pops had seen him and ran back to the house and got me, put me on his neck, and we stood there watching Dre and Pac in a Bentley.
The worst part of success is, to me, adapting to it. It’s scary.
Being able to tell one from start to finish, and making that puzzle come together at the end. That’s the art for me.
Eventually you get to this point where you understand what you want to do and get across and sound like.
My folks ain’t graduated from high school or nothing like that, so we always had to struggle in the family – and I come from a big family.
Hip-hop is not the problem, our reality is the problem.
I like to let things breathe.
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.
It’s a great, great experience to finally get the reception that you know you rightfully deserve.
Hip-hop and being a pro athlete go hand in hand. When they come together, it’s a win, not just for your business brand but also for culture.
Brother Kendrick Lamar: he’s not a rapper, he’s a writer, he’s an author. And if you read between the lines, we’ll learn how to love one another. But you can’t do that, I said you can’t do that, without loving yourself first.
The ultimate thing I want to do in making music is to be able to inspire somebody else.
You don’t hear no artists from Compton showing vulnerability.
I don’t vote. I don’t do no voting.
A lot of incredible rap albums over the past couple of decades have deserved Album of the Year. To Pimp a Butterfly is an extension of those albums.