By now, you should know that Kendrick Lamar is gracing the cover of Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30 issue. The DAMN. rapper was pretty candid in the interview and was asked about “mumble rap” and his responsibility as, the greatest rapper alive.
He shared that he thinks it’s important to “never forget the root where I come from, as far as hip-hop, and knowing my forefathers and the people that laid the groundwork for me to be here.” Keeping this in mind, he explained, keeps him levelheaded.
On the topic of being a role model to the up-and-coming rappers, the artist said: “I want hip-hop to continue to evolve. That’s why I can’t shun a lot of the artists that may not be a Kendrick Lamar. But this is what I tell them every time I see them … be yourself and do what you do but also know who laid down the groundwork. Don’t go on your interviews and diss them and say you don’t like them and you don’t care for them. That’s your opinion, that’s cool but you have to respect them. So talking down on the folks that inspired us to do this, it’d never be right. You dig what I’m saying? So at the end of the day as long as you be who you are but respect what got us here, that’s how you continue to evolve.”
Lamar recently collaborated with YG Hootie and Rich The Kid, and he’s one of the artists listed as a guest on the forthcoming album by N.E.R.D. Next up, he’ll be kicking off his European tour in early 2018.
