After setting foot on stage during one of his most recent European tour stops, Kendrick Lamar sat down with London-based media group R&R Productions to discuss his show preparation, early success and writing process.
“I make sure the energy is right,” Lamar said when asked about how he prepares for a show. “Knowing that I’m going on the stage and I’m about to have fun. You know, they see me enjoy myself; they are going to enjoy themselves.”
In the episode of An Evening With Kendrick Lamar, R&R Productions also included concert footage, which shows the crowd singing along as Kendrick points the microphone in their direction.
“Right there, it makes them feel like they are a part of it,” Kendrick Lamar says. “They’re showing me they know the words that they’ve been rocking with me since day one. And in response to that, I tell them that I appreciate them for listening to me since day one, for knowing these tough-ass verses that are hard to remember, but y’all know them.”
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One of the songs performed in the video is “P&P 1.5,” a single from his highly-acclaimed mixtape, Overly Dedicated. Distributed through Top Dawg Entertainment, Overly Dedicated was released to digital retailers and was later made available as a free upload. Even as a free upload, the project entered the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, peaking at #72.
“I wouldn’t be here without people who’ve been supporting Section.80 or OD,” Kendrick Lamar said. “That’s what got me the advantage to do what I want to do on my major debut for the major label. I didn’t get signed to a major label with the people that was in the building…My fans allowed me to go in there and do what I want on good kid, m.A.A.d city just for the simple fact that there was such a success before I was signed.”
The 26-year-old emcee’s first independent album, Section.80, landed on the Billboard’s Top 200 chart its first week of release and peaked at #113. “Section.80 was such a success,” Kendrick Lamar says. “I wouldn’t have signed my major situation without a lot of creative control and I owe that to my fans.”
According to concert tracking site Songkick.com, the West Coast native has performed more than 100 times in 2013. Starting October 19, Lamar is slated be on the Yeezus tour with Kanye West. The first show is scheduled to take place at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington.
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“I haven’t been in the studio, but I got a lot of journals,” Kendrick Lamar says. “Writing in the studio? Eh, I’m more of an on-the-go type writer. I like to be where I’m at and write.”
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