The biggest lesson Kendrick Lamar ever learned: “The most valuable thing”
Kendrick Lamar has achieved pretty much everything that’s possible for a rapper to achieve. World-famous, rich, and a darling of the critics and awards ceremonies, he’d be forgiven for feeling pretty good about himself.
But having reached the top, he has experienced a lot and, thus, feels like he’s learned plenty of lessons along the way. Chief among them is to keep his ego in check. This, he told Forbes in 2016, is “the most valuable thing” he has ever learned.
Kendrick insisted during this interview that his music makes people “aware of our own ego,” which challenges them to “reflect on how we can move our ego out of the way.” He insisted that “everything” he discusses in his songs, be it discrimination or oppression, is “all just human ego.”
He believed that placing his own ego and his own flaws front and centre in his songs would allow people to reflect on their own egos and flaws. Were they, too, liable to being ruled by their darker, more selfish natures?
Kendrick insisted on this idea being central to his music, and that he had learned that the removal of ego was an essential task for everyone. “Ego and pride can mess up a lot of relationships,” he insisted, “and it can mess you up internally in so many different ways.”
Despite having emerged as one of the most dominant figures around in the music industry, he remained deeply suspicious of it and sought to protect himself from its worst features. With all the fame and attention being placed upon him, his ego could easily spiral out of control. He claimed that he was seeking to resist that.
“While the business does have its pros and cons,” he said, “it’s about knowing how to balance both sides, which has everything to do with ego.”
Kendrick, at least during this period of his life, viewed his public role as a sort of messenger, offering people a peek behind the curtain. He wanted to show people the downsides of success and what can happen when an ego spirals out of control.
“I can’t keep all of the information to myself,” he said. “I have to share it. Within doing that, it’s giving me just as much as it’s giving them, and that’s worth more than any dollar amount.”