Kendrick Lamar recently made waves with his latest album Section.80, positioning him as one leaders of the New West. Speaking with L.A. Times’ Pop & Hiss, K Dot explains that the LP has drawn some attention from major labels, but that he has no plans to sign on the dotted line with any of them.
“When you get into this business, you’ve gotta be your best promoter. People have to believe in you enough to want to take you to the next level. That’s what we did with Top Dawg Entertainment. We always had that mind-set,” he said. “As far as going to a major label … I don’t feel no pressure. The situation has to be right. Everybody has to be cohesive as to what the plan is and not try to sway things. In some situations, it could be the perfect marriage. I’ve always felt I needed to build a fan base from the bottom to the top. Whatever situation I get into, my people are going with me. I’m going to continue to make the positive music that I make.”
He also touched on how coming from Compton, California has influenced his music and upbringing, explaining that his home life played an important part in shaping the MC he would one day become.
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“It had a lot of influence on me, period. Growing up in Compton, that’s what I represent. I feel like I have to connect with my own backyard before I connect on a universal level. When I speak about me going to the county building with my mother every month or being influenced by the homeboys I grow up with in a neighborhood, being chastised by the police — that’s me, and the people can relate to that. I grew up in a household where my parents partied. It was a whole lot of gangster rap, and oldies being played in the house. I start penning my rhymes when I was 13.”
Read the full interview at LATimes.com.
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