While in New York City, New York to perform at the FADER Fort, Kendrick Lamar took some time out to talk with the publication about sticking with certain producers to keep his sound consistent. During the interview, he said that he finally nailed the marriage between his rhymes and beats and that he won’t be straying too far from the formula.
“I do all my music with my in-house producers. My number one cat by the name of Sounwave, another cat by the name of Tae Beast and Willie B,” he said. “I always want to keep it in-house because that’s the sound I’ve been building on for years, getting the vibe right. We had a lot of trial and error, and we finally have it right to know what I sound best on. I feel like what I have now, I don’t want to lose. Once you lose that, you lose the base that you came up with as far as people liking your music.”
He also spoke on his collective Black Hippy, which also consists of Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul. The Compton, California native explained the group’s intention, stating that they’re trying to sidestep expectations placed on artists by the industry and radio.
“Carefree. That’s the meaning behind that title. We do what we want to do, we’re not confined by what the industry’s telling us what to do or what the radio is telling us what to do. We just want to accomplish making our own stamp, as far as making our own movement and not going about things the way the industry wants you to go about as far as a group project. There’s a new generation out there and they feel what they feel and they dislike what they dislike. And right now, they like Black Hippy.”
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