Kendrick Lamar says he knew of his natural writing talent in the seventh grade when he forgot to do a poetry assignment.
“I actually said to myself, ‘When I get to school, Ima try to write it as fast as possible,'” the Compton, California rapper says to Mary Anne Hobbs on BBC Radio 6. “I did it. I had like 10 minutes to turn it in. I wrote it. I turned it in. Later that day, he was passing out the grades and I’m looking at all my friends like, ‘Man, I got a D. I got a C. Man, I failed this paperwork.’ I look at mine and it’s an A. From that moment on, I knew I had a gift to actually put words together and draw my own inspirations out on a piece of paper. That was the beginning when I started writing actual lyrics.”
Lamar says that, as a child, he idolized Michael Jordan, whom he wrote a song about on his 2010 Overly Dedicated mixtape.
“I felt like Michael Jordan can do any and everything,” he says. “I think that’s what prompted me, without even him being involved in music, that’s what prompted me to do music and want to be the best at it. ‘Cause I always felt like whatever he did, he wanted to be the best at it whether that was basketball, baseball, selling shoes. He’s the best at everything. That was definitely my hero.”
Lamar also explains the confidence he has that has allowed him to believe he could be the best at his craft.
“I think that came from really just being very, very curious,” he says. “After being curious, it comes from practice. After practice, come from a lot of failures and not being afraid to fall and fall again and fall again until I figured it out. I think that’s what made me a little bit more advanced than my peers not being scared to fall at doing something.”
For additional Kendrick Lamar coverage, watch the following DX Daily:
I’m still mad at Oliver for not saving Shadow…..
Man, I wish Kendrick failed that poetry assignment, so we wouldn’t have to hear his obnoxious voice when he raps. Drake aced all his poetry and English assignments when he was in school. That’s why he writes such marvelous and beautiful songs.
Fucking dick rider….go back to grade school you bum!
you ain’t even the real ovo troll bruh…..
Kendrick Lamar is a cool dude! For real, what a beautiful soul. Down to earth and real and authentic.
^^^That Shit IS Garbage, stay off comments bro
I can’t stand any new rappers, they all GAY and CORNY as hell. Some of the lady rappers such as MC Lyte and Bahamadia back in the day were harder then these new era ass clowns. To each his/her own, I guess…
Ya, ya, ya.. MJ is everybody’s fucking hero, Mr. Cliche. Next thing this fruitcake gonna say is his favorite rappers are Pac, Biggie and Jay-Z… LMAO. Can’t stand this guy, something about him and he definitely WAY overrated, even for today’s standards.
Hater
He just saying that cause lebron lost the championship. He always sticks to opinions that are safe, he just needs to be himself. If he said his influence was drake, lil wayne, and miguel, that would be more believable. He throws these names out their so when you google the greats he pops up also.
You’re a dumbass who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.