Kendrick Lamar’s favourite album by The Notorious BIG: “That flow”
When you listen to a piece of music which involves Kendrick Lamar, you may feel a number of things. Awe at his mastery of creating engaging flows, disgust at the ferocity in which he spits bars in the face of his enemies, and fear for who he might wield these powers against next (probably not you).
Your guess is as good as mine in how he honed these skills. Perhaps it was the years of practice and dedication to his craft, unheard of before his procession to the throne. But who can be sure. What is for sure is that he took inspiration from a myriad of MCs that came before him to refine his style to be the one that is revered to this day.
Speaking with Complex, The ‘Not Like Us’ rapper elaborated on the influence that 1990s hip hop had on him, with a special mention of flow when discussing the Notorious BIG’s Life After Death.
“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.’ 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.”
Biggie’s flow seemed to be something which kept a young Kendrick coming back for more, citing the Brooklyn rapper’s earlier work, Ready to Die, as another source of inspiration.
“[What resonated with me was] the storytelling, just the storytelling, how in-depth the storytelling was. The storytelling and the flow. The one thing about West Coast music, we had storytelling, it wasn’t crazy in-depth like that, but we had it. Our stuff was more laid back, more flow and feel good, more how records felt. His was just grimy. Stories was crazy. Flows was crazy.”
It’s hard not to be inspired after listening to tracks like ‘Hypnotize’, ‘Mo Money Mo Problems’ and ‘Juicy’. Hell, I might go and try to record my first rap record right now after listening to them for this piece. Iconic instrumentals aside, these albums transcend time because of the MC. When Biggie raps, a pause is just as alluring as a quick-fire phrase. While his signature deep voice may not be so easily replicated, the cadence in which he delivers his message certainly can be.
Storytelling and flow have become staples of Kendrick’s prose. As for the former, Kendrick has confessed to writing songs that come naturally to him, with foundations based on experiences that he has lived and therefore can provide authentic perspectives on. And as for the latter, just go listen to ‘Swimming Pools’ or ‘Wow Freestyle’ and tell me he hasn’t become a master.