The one rapper Kendrick Lamar and YG used as inspiration for their debut albums
Kendrick Lamar and YG are roughly the same age, and both are from Compton. It stands to reason, then, that they share cultural touchstones that have influenced both their lives and work.
According to YG himself, both his and Kendrick’s debut albums share a common ancestor. That is to say, YG’s My Krazy Life, released in 2014, and Kendrick’s Section.80, released in 2011, took inspiration from and were shaped by a particular album that came before.
“Get Rich or Die Tryin’ is my shit!” YG declared in 2014, speaking of 50 Cent’s own debut album to Vibe. “I grew up on Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and was listening to that when I was doing my album.”
Get Rich or Die Tryin’ was an absolutely huge album in its day, becoming America’s best-selling album for 2003 and ultimately being considered a standout work of the entire 2000s. It was hugely influential, with kids like YG becoming obsessed with it.
During this conversation with Vibe, YG revealed that he and Kendrick had worked with the same mixing engineer, and, according to this guy, Kendrick, too, had been influenced by Get Rich or Die Tryin’. “He heard me listening to 50,” YG said of the engineer, “and [he] said Kendrick was listening to that same [album] when he was [recording] his.”
As YG saw it, this indicated that he and Kendrick had been in “same mindset doing their albums.”
Not long after this interview with Vibe was published, YG got to embark on a dream collaboration. In 2015 he released the track ‘I Wanna Benz,’ which featured Nipsey Hussle and none other than 50 Cent.
YG later took inspiration from the 50 Cent track ‘How To Rob’ for his own song, ‘How To Rob A Rapper.’ If his dedication to 50 hadn’t been obvious already, this tribute made it perfectly plain.
50 himself appreciated YG’s effort, sharing a section of ‘How To Rob A Rapper’ on his Instagram and proclaiming his approval for it. “This shit hard,” he posted.