Why Kendrick Lamar will never listen to his own albums
More than the majority of artists, Kendrick Lamar is still the topic of discussion weeks after his albums are released. The surprise release of GNX last month was no different, with fans dissecting each of the 12 songs one by one and working out hidden meanings, if any, behind the lyrics.
For that reason, and the fact that he’s spent so much time with the album in his mental space, the Compton rapper refuses to listen to his projects once he’s finished recording them. Following the release of DAMN. in 2017, K.Dot explained why he distances himself from the bodies of work altogether.
“As soon as I hit mastering, I just turn that thing in and I try not to listen to it or even see the actual response, you know, for a while,” he told Apple Music. “Because I’ve been attached to this piece of art for the last year and some change. I’ve indulged so much, I don’t even want to hear it. I just want to give it to the people and let them take it and live with it and breathe it.”
Instead of little comments and potential trolls online, Lamar wants to gauge a real response from the fans who are attending his shows and singing their hearts out.
“When I come back on that stage, that’s when I want to feel it,” he said. “That’s when I want to see it, that’s when I want to see your reaction. I can’t get that same reaction on the internet through some comments. When I go out there and I see people just really taking these songs to heart, that’s the reaction.”
Kendrick pointed out the complexities of the internet and talked about how he’s drawn to the positive things over negative responses. Given his way of looking at social media, he sees no point in diving into what people are saying across platforms like Instagram and X.
“The internet is a tricky place and the way our minds work in a psychological matter, we’re only going to see the good things anyway,” he said. “We’re going to block out the negative things. Everybody’s not going appreciate and I know how it works. I don’t even want to gravitate towards it. I want to go out there and see if you’re sitting out in the crowd looking at me with the mummy face or are you enjoying yourself.”
Lamar isn’t the only rapper who doesn’t listen to his albums. Speaking on The Stephen A. Smith Show, his mentor Dr. Dre revealed that he doesn’t “look back” by pressing play on his own projects.
“I never listen to my old music or anything like that,” he said. “I’ve never listened to my old music. I never let anybody play it around me. I feel like that’s masturbation at the highest level. I’m always thinking forward. I don’t live my life with a rear-view mirror. I don’t give a fuck about what I did or what’s in the past.”
Snoop Dogg added, “This n*gga ain’t never listened to The Chronic from top to bottom, he ain’t never listened to Doggystyle from top to bottom. Me and him together have never listened to them.”