By Sarah Carroll
Kendrick Lamar’s new single is titled “i,” but the critically-acclaimed rapper is anything but self-centered.
The 27-year-old, who was born and raised in Compton, has learned a lot since the 2012 release of good kid, m.A.A.d city. First and foremost, the impact his music has on his fans.
“When I first started doing music, I did a lot for myself, just for my enjoyment, but then I started doing these shows and I start seeing these kids saying my song saved their lives [because] they were going to commit suicide. It got a little bit deeper than me, you know?” he told Carson Daly earlier this morning.
“It got a little bit deeper than just going with a simple contemporary hit record cliché sound and I said I’m going to use my pedestal and speak about something much more and do it my way because I’d rather go out like that.”
K. Dot’s a man of his word because even before the first note played on AMP Radio, “i” was already tackling some serious issues in its cover art.
“Where I’m from, there’s a lot of gang culture and things like that, so instead of throwing on up gang signs, which we used to, I put a Blood and I put a Crip together and we’re throwing up hearts. Sparking the idea of some type of change through music or through me because I go back to the city now and people give me the honor and respect that, you know, this kid can change a little bit something different that’s been going on in the community.”
