In a recent appearance on Kevin Hart’s ‘Hart to Heart’ chat show series, Dr Dre asserted that he is not the reason Kendrick Lamar is successful and unveiled that the emcee don “done everything himself”. The beatmaker (real name Andre Young) signed Lamar to Aftermath in 2011.
In an era lacking in music with longevity, Young called Lamar a “forever artist” and said that aside from signing him, he played no part in the popularity of Lamar or the creation of his music.
Elaborating on Kendrick’s independence and vision as an artist, Young stated, “I can’t take credit for Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick Lamar is a real muthaf**kin’ artist, the true definition of the word. The only thing I can take credit for is opening the door for him because he’s done everything himself, him and [his manager] Dave Free.”
Speaking about their business and musical relationship, Dr Dre told Hart, “We have a fantastic relationship.” Although Dr Dre has produced songs for Lamar before, he asserted that he is very particular about who he works with and rarely calls upon Dre.
The Death Row legend continued to sing his praises, explaining, “He’s amazing, man. Kendrick is one of those artists that we call ‘forever artists’ He could disappear for f*cking five years or something like that, and come back and f*ck our heads up, you know?”
He continued, “Some artists feel like, ‘I have to do something all the time, so I won’t be forgotten.’ That’s not him. He can disappear and come back with something that’s shocking, that’s amazing, and everybody’s gonna tune in and listen.”
Kendrick Lamar has continued to work with West Coast artists and has developed his own unique sound, collaborating with icons such as Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q and others.
