Kendrick Lamar Interviews NWA
In what has to be one of the most monumental sit-downs in all of West Coast hip-hop, Kendrick Lamar recently interviewed N.W.A. for Billboard Magazine.
Over the course of their 24 minute conversation, much respect was given in both directions, with Lamar asserting "Anything that I do, at all, has come from what y’all done." The young MC went on to ask Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, DJ Yella and MC Ren about matters of life, musicianship and legacy, clearly amazed at the candid openness of his idols. If there's a more perfect pundit to handle an N.W.A. interview than Lamar, we dare you to bring 'em to the front.
Lamar clearly sought insight and wisdom from N.W.A. on what it takes to sustain a career over three decades and dozens of albums, and got plenty of positive feedback, particularly from his mentor Dre. To summarize: it's all about the love of the music, and not letting the rap game change who you are at your core. The group also addressed the work of keeping family and professional lives balanced and whole, and later discussed some of the modern MCs that get respect from N.W.A. (hit: a certain Canadian guy gets shouted out). Speaking with Billboard in a cover story interview, Lamar stressed that “N.W.A did a lot more than entertain. They told the truth,” says Lamar. And as Dre explains, “If N.W.A had done it softer, it wouldn’t have gotten the attention. It wouldn’t have worked.” Watch him interview N.W.A. below--this is a West Coast summit for the hip-hop ages.
