Kendrick Lamar’s favourite Biggie Smalls album: “That flow”
If you were to believe everything you read in the media, then Compton, during Kendrick Lamar‘s childhood years, would be a warzone. The city, ravaged by poverty, was not only dealing with its own gang-affiliated crime syndicates but was also aiming a large chunk of its guns at the East Coast rap scene. But the truth is far different.
The East v West battle of the 1990s hung over the world of hip-hop like a devastating black cloud. The two leaders of the warring factions, Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, would pay for their on-mic and off-mic feuds with one another with their lives and leave a ton of collateral damage as they passed on. But, as with every war, while the dispute raged on publicly, for most boots on the ground in New York and California, few things changed.
It may have appeared as though lovers of music on either coastline were not prepared to enjoy the work of the other, the truth was far different. One need only look at Kendrick Lamar’s appreciation for Biggie Smalls to confirm that point.
During a conversation with Complex about his favourite albums of all time, Lamar heaped huge praise on the Brooklyn-born rapper, labelling the 1997 smash Life After Death as one of the greatest albums of all time.
Lamar explained: “I remember being a kid with my homeboy, trying to learn the verse for the R. Kelly joint, ‘Fuckin’ You Tonight,’ [laughs] constantly trying to learn that flow: ‘Girl you look fine, like a wind face Rolex, you just shine.'” Trying to learn Biggie’s flow was usually a thankless task. The larger-than-life rapper possessed one of the most unique flows in the game.
It was something that resonated with a young Lamar: “That flow. We thought that was crazy. Same thing on that. The storytelling was ridiculous. Now as I look back and listen to it now, I see he basically takes us through in another direction to where it opens up to the masses. He started off with the streets and then brought it out with the next album which was dope.”
The truth is, East or West Coast, Biggie’s words resonated with the streets of Compton. Wallace had spent much of his life “waking up every morning, hustling, cutting school, looking out for my moms, the police, stickup kids; just risking my life every day on the street selling drugs,” something he confirmed to Rolling Stone. Throughout the record, he showcases that life and provides every proof of why it will soon be a matter of history to him as hip-hop legend status awaited him.
It’s easy to see how this record, with all the talent and sentiment it has, would become one of the most cherished albums of Kendrick Lamar’s collection.