In a new interview, The Velvet Underground founder John Cale has discussed his love of Kendrick Lamar, and a series of his favourite rappers.
Fans of Cale will be familiar with his love of hip-hop, which has infiltrated his work in recent years, and many times, he’s expressed his enthusiasm for the genre. The Welsh musician has always adopted a progressive approach to his artistry, and unlike most elders from the rock business, Cale has continued to look forwards in his projects rather than stick to what he already knows.
In a previous interview with Loud and Quiet, Cale said: “I don’t know, I think a lot of the people I’m already fascinated with are already doing it [by themselves]. I mean Eminem is really outrageous, he’s so strong, and Snoop, I always get a giggle out of Snoop.” He added: “There’s this other guy who works with Snoop called Kokane, and he’s outrageous – he’s got this voice, it’s very much like Sly Stone; it can be very deep and soulful one minute and then very high and beautiful and romantic the next.”
Now, in a new interview with The Fader, Cale has once again spoken about his love of the genre and explained how it influenced his new album, Mercy. “I’m always listening to Kendrick Lamar,” he said before explaining how it influenced the production of his track, ‘Story Of Blood’, which features Weyes Blood. “A lot of the new artists have really stuck to their guns. I mean, I love Snoop and Dre… Earl Sweatshirt has a strange and wonderful atmosphere about him,” he added.
Meanwhile, last month, Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers was awarded the distinction of being the most-streamed rap album of 2022. Per data from Chart Data, the Compton-born rapper’s newest full-length studio release saw him take the crown with 1.4 billion streams on Spotify.
