While rapper Kendrick Lamar has spoken often on his relationship with fellow rapper Snoop Dogg and producer Dr. Dre, in a recent interview with The Goodie Bag TV he revealed that he also turns to the two artists for advice on life in general.
“My relationship with Snoop and Dr. Dre, other than them being legends, is basically just mentors. I mean as far as the music business and life in general,” Lamar explained. “Off the record they sit me down and tell me stuff they made wrong. And things to do and what not to do. Not only in this business, but just when you’re living. And as a 23-year-old kid tryna make something out yourself.”
The Compton rapper addressed individuality in music and the fact that even though more people are being themselves with their music there’s still those who try and confine artists to what’s popular.
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“I like the fact that everybody’s they own individual now. I see people less being confined to what the next man is doing and actually trying to [establish] themselves as their own entity as an artist,” said Lamar. “As far as the politics, I still don’t like it. It’s still people out there that’s trying to maneuver certain artists to be this type of artist when they’re not. Just because they throw a dollar in their face real fast. That’s the part I hate. And if more artists get confined to that it’ll be more artists following behind them. Especially if they see success from ‘em.”
Lamar also spoke on the negative stigma attached to his generation and how both his generation and older generations can go about seeing eye to eye.
“My argument is we’re not born that way. You know what I’m saying? It’s just our surroundings that be,” the rapper explained. “And the people that’s tryna preach the good to us they’re not setting the best example because they have to come to a medium where it doesn’t sound like they’re riding us all the time. It gotta come to a point where ‘Okay, I understand what you’re going through.’”
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