Kendrick Lamar Discusses Drake Relationship Following "Control" Leak

Kendrick Lamar’s GQ cover story features Lamar discussing his relationship with Drake following the release of Lamar’s “Control” verse. 

“On the night of the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, just as the heat over ‘Control’ was peaking, I tailed Kendrick through the backstage maze at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center,” GQ’s Steve Marsh writes. “At one point, he ran into Drake, and they wrapped each other up in a big hug. It was their first encounter since Kendrick called him out on ‘Control,’ and of all the slaps in that verse, this one felt the most personal, because Drake had helped break Kendrick, handing the kid not just a verse but an entire song on his second album. After Drake’s VMA performance of ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home,’ Kendrick made his way back to the greenroom, crooning the hook: I got my eyes on you…. He caught mine and smiled. ‘You watch,’ he joked, ‘I’m going to be singing by my fifth album.’..I asked if this meant things were cool between him and Drake. He paused. ‘Pretty cool.’ Shrugs. ‘And I mean, I would be okay if we weren’t.'”

The article also discusses Lamar’s take regarding Drake’s perception of “Control.”

“I got Kendrick on the phone after the BET taping, and he admitted to being surprised by Drizzy’s public lash-out,” the author writes. “‘Control’ named names, sure, but at its core it was a backhanded tribute to the peers Kendrick actually gives a shit about. Most of them took it in that spirit. Not Drake. ‘Yeah, I guess he took it as a dis,’ Kendrick said, downplaying talk of a beef. But he was also clear that he doesn’t look up to Drake, doesn’t see him as any kind of creative influence. When I asked if Drake was a mentor or a role model, he replied quickly, ‘No—peer. If anything. We all peers.'” 

Kendrick Lamar Discusses Dealing With Death Of A Friend

During the article, Lamar also speaks about the death of his friend Chad Keaton, a 23-year-old who was shot and killed in a drive-by near Kendrick’s childhood home recently. Lamar speaks of dealing with a friend’s death while managing a Rap career. 

“It can be complicated and confusing,” Kendrick Lamar said. “From my perspective, it’s not just I’m famous. I still live in this world…I still gotta get that phone call.”

In September, Lamar posted a Twitter message and picture about Keaton’s death.