The artist Kendrick Lamar called “way ahead of her time”
Kendrick Lamar is a man of many different tastes, and that is reflected in the music he releases. From his debut, Section.80, to his latest project, Mr Morales & The Big Steppers, there is always musical evolution and growth. With every new project is a new sound that reveals a part of Kendrick that fans have never heard before. It always shines a light on an influence previously unknown to his fans.
As a Compton native, he undoubtedly loves West Coast rap. However, he has never let his roots prevent him from listening to or drawing inspiration from other artists, especially those not from California. In fact, from previous interviews, it is evident that he goes out of his way not to default to the obvious but instead draws on a wide range of sonics to create something new.
Lamar recognises in others what he recognises in himself: musical curiosity. As such, when he speaks about artists he regularly points to the cultural pioneers and those whose ingenuity went unnoticed. From all regions of the US and even internationally it is the icons and those lesser-known savants that can expect love from Kendrick Lamar.
That said, during an interview with Complex about his musical influences growing up, readers got a mixture of both kinds. Some of the names mentioned were unsurprising, but others were a little more peculiar. During his conversation, the Good Kid m.A.A.d City creator touched on a range of eras and didn’t just speak about his teenage years but took it right back to the artists and albums that were on such heavy rotation in his childhood home in Cali.
Lamar began his journey on the East Coast in the 1990s, citing Biggie Smalls’ debut Ready To Die as a project that has informed his music to this day. Detailing why he fell in love with the 1994 album, Lamar explained, “[What resonated with me was] the storytelling, just the storytelling, how in-depth the storytelling was. The storytelling and the flow.”
The rapper highlighted how, although the music coming out of California in the 1990s had storytelling elements in it, the music was more relaxed and was more about the vibe than the substance. Describing this, Lamar added, “The one thing about West Coast music, we had storytelling. It wasn’t crazy in-depth like that, but we had it. Our stuff was more laid back, more flow and feel good, more how records felt. His was just grimy. Stories was crazy. Flows was crazy.”
K. Dot loved all things Death Row Records growing up, and that is hardly surprising. As the rocket fuel of the West Coast, it was responsible for Los Angeles overtaking New York in the charts with its roster.
Opening up about Tha Dogg Pound’s 1995 album Dogg Food, Lamar cited the project’s second single as an influence on him, recalling, “Yeah, Dogg Pound, Dogg Food, Kurupt. They was so cold with it. That was all the stuff I was playing in the house, too. I was exposed to all them crazy raps. Daz on the beat, Kurupt spitting crazy bars. ‘Let’s Play House’ was one of the standout joints.”
As he flipped back to the East Coast, he gave a shoutout to the Clipse and their 2002 debut album, but before, he made sure to give flowers to the artistic excellence of Lauryn Hill. More specifically, her debut album, The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill. Passionately expressing his love for the body of work, Lamar said, “That [record] probably had the most hits on it than I’ve ever heard. Even going back and listening to it now. Crazy, I think she was way ahead of her time—just the feeling and the cohesiveness and the concept behind it. It was just genius to me.”
Due to her abrupt one-album solo career, Lauryn Hill rarely gets mentioned when it comes to contemporary hip-hop. However, undoubtedly she paved the way for females before it was common to see them in rap music.