When Kendrick Lamar talks, you have no choice but to listen. It’s much like his rapping. He was recently nominated 11 times in nine Grammy categories. “To Pimp a Butterfly” was nominated for Album of the Year along with ‘Alright’ being nominated for Song of the Year. His album has sold more than 750,000 copies and has been streamed around 375 million times. His track ‘Alright’ became the unified “Black Lives Matter” track for the entire community. Mr. Lamar holds strong emotions for the album. “This album did what I wanted it to do. That’s not necessarily to sell tons of records — though it didn’t do bad at that either — but to actually have an impact on the people and on the culture of music.”
Kendrick Lamar feels proud that he managed to make a difference
In a candid discussion, Kendrick Lamar talked about the nominations, how the past year treated him and how he feels about President Obama being a fan. On being asked how does he feel about the Grammy nominations, Kendrick Lamar said, “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. I wasn’t surprised. The Grammys have taste. They’ve had taste for a long time. I’m just more excited that they recognize the time and effort put into the project — gathering all these musicians in one place for six months to a year at a time. It is truly appreciated that they can hear the different influences inside the record. That’s the biggest accomplishment as far as the nominations: that people recognize it as an album. It’s not just a collection [of songs]. We pride ourselves on that. I wanted it to be that body of work again the same way I did with my first record. This time around, I wanted to make sure that not only were the lyrics appreciated or the beats, but the musicianship, as far as my writing skills, my arrangements. That’s me challenging myself.”
Closer to the legend, but he wants to plan it bigger ahead
One thing that is worth noticing is that Lamar’s tally of 11 is just one short of Michael Jackson’s record of 12. He is more than overwhelmed by the fact but doesn’t want to be compared to the legend. He wants Hip-Hop to be noticed and make its mark. Kendrick Lamar had deep thoughts about the fact that ‘Alright’ has become an anthem for Black Lives Matter. Here is what he said, “When I’d go in certain parts of the world, and they were singing it in the streets. When it’s outside of the concerts, then you know it’s a little bit more deep-rooted than just a song. It’s more than just a piece of a record. It’s something that people live by — your words. Simple phrase: We gon’ be alright. It’s a chant of hope and feeling. I credit that to Pharrell, for being able to present an arrangement and to inspire me to do a record like that. Immediately, I knew the potential.”
Kendrick Lamar right now has future plans that are yet to be made concrete. He is focusing on writing right now. He says that he has no idea when the music might come but as ling he does not feel it within, he won’t fire it up. Till then, he does not plan to take a break from the pen. He can always relish in the present glory until future plans kick in.
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