Even though it’s only been a few months since Kendrick Lamar stunned critics with his latest project Section.80, the Compton upstart isn’t planning to slow down. In a recent interview with Billboard, K-Dot gave fans a deeper look into his recently announced debut LP, saying that it will deal with his own personal story. He also said that fans can expect more visuals from Section.80 to drop in the near future.
“I’m actually working on my debut album,” he revealed. “My debut album is really going into depth of who Kendrick Lamar is — this kid who had run-ins with negativity in Compton. Everybody wants to know the story of how I was able to be in this city my whole life and come out with a positive mind set. For good and for bad, I’m going to talk about it all, in depth. We’re also trying to get [more] visuals done for Section.80. I know a lot of people want to see the visuals behind the concept, [I’m] thinking ‘The Spiteful Chant,’ ‘Ronald Reagan Era’ and especially ‘Keisha’s Song.’ We’ll be warming [them] up for the next month or so. They’re in the works right now just going through the editing process.”
Lamar also explained his music making process. He said that his chief concern is relating his personal story of life as “a good kid in a mad city.” At the same time, he says that his desire to relate his story keeps him grounded with regard to making objectively good music instead of the industry standard hit record.
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“[What goes through my head while recording is] making sure [the music]’s organic as possible,” he said. “I don’t really like to force things. If it don’t come then and there I’ll leave it alone and hopefully it comes back [whether it’s] two hours later or a day later. Whether it’s a feel good record, sad, down, or whatever it is, you’re going to relate to it. The story of Kendrick Lamar is the story of a good kid in a mad city. It’s about a boy trying to figure out the world. My records don’t come off preachy, they come off as [me] trying to find answers. Maybe me and the listener can give each other answers and try to figure it out together.”
He added, “I really don’t think of hits. What I think of are melodies. I think melody is the the drive for all records, period -whether it’s a hit, a cliché “underground” record, or a cliché mainstream record. I can talk about whatever I want as long as it has melody. That’s something I learned by being in a household with parents [that] played gangsta music and oldies. I went back and listened to the Isley Brothers and Al Green and figured out what really captivated their sound. It was the melody. So if it turns out to be a hit record then so be it.”
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