In a new interview published by GQ Style, Kendrick Lamarpays a visit to Rick Rubin’s Shangri La Studios in Malibu. Producer and Def Jam co-founder Rubin picks Lamar’s brain about his process for making songs, how he gets ready for performances, and new music he has in the works. The two also confirmed that they are working together for Kendrick’s new material.
Kendrick Lamar on his inspiration to create:
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“I used to consider the listener. But now I’m in a space where if I’m not inspired, I can’t really do the music. I can’t feel it. I put in enough hours to be able to pen a hundred-bar verse on the spot at any given moment. But for me to actually feel an idea, it has to come from me.”
On knowing if “Alright” would become a protest song:
“No. You know what? I was sitting on that record for about six months. The beat’s Pharrell. And between my guy Sam Taylor and Pharrell, they would always be like, Did you do it? When you gonna do it? I knew it was a great record—I just was trying to find the space to approach it. I mean, the beat sounds fun, but there’s something else inside of them chords that Pharrell put down that feels like—it can be more of a statement rather than a tune.”
Watch the interview below.
Photo: Screengrab taken from interview via GQ Style
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