The first rap record Kendrick Lamar “learned all the way”
Kendrick Lamar is widely considered the saviour of the West Coast, and his performance at the Pop Out Festival has undeniably confirmed this. With appearances from Tyler The Creator, as well as Compton natives Roddy Rich and YG, Lamar has put the spotlight back on LA.
The Section.80 emcee has delivered high-quality bodies of work for years, and listeners can hear a vast range of influences in his music. However, after signing with Dr Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment in 2012, a new, updated West Coast sound emerged.
From Fontana native Hit-Boy to Digi+Phonics, with the rise of Lamar came a revived new frontier of LA hip-hop. K. Dot’s major label debut, Good Kid, m.A.A.d City, was a groundbreaking project and is still considered a classic.
That said, it revealed an intriguing mixture of sonics. In a 2012 interview with Complex magazine, Kendrick Lamar explained his background, what has shaped him as an artist, and the projects that have moulded his sound.
One of the albums Lamar credited with his ear for beats was DJ Quik’s 1991 album, Quik Is The Name. Opening up about the tracks he listened to as a kid, K. Dot explained, “‘Sweet Black Pussy,’ I played that all day in my house. This is background music for me, way ahead of my time. It was just something that was always played in my house.”
Lamar then proceeded to detail how he didn’t just listen to Quik’s raps but carefully listened to the beats and their arrangement, stating, “I got into it through both [his beats and his raps], me being a kid and listening to it. He was a rapper. I kind of knew he made the beats, too, for some reason. I think somebody told me that ’cause, as a kid, I never looked at Quik as just a rapper. I knew that he actually did the whole instrumentation behind it.”
One classic that, unsurprisingly, impacted Lamar was The Chronic. Dr Dre’s debut album has influenced many artists from around the US. However, it was almost within touching distance for Kendrick, who was living in Compton when it was released.
Expanding on its importance, the DAMN emcee explained, “That was probably the first rap album I remember them playing in the house from top to bottom. Songs that I actually remember as a kid. That’s the start of them house parties I always talk about growing up.”
Unveiling he loved the tales told on the 1992 project, Lamar clarified, “‘Lil’ Ghetto Boy’ was crazy because of the storytelling, and I do a lot of storytelling in this album. I really pattern… Like, I listen to my album and how it’s broken down to 12 songs. Just with the storytelling and what represents the city today and kids around the world today.”
However, there was one song the How To Pimp A Butterfly lyricist learned from back to front. Telling the journalist it was Snoop Dogg’s 1993 lead single, Lamar recalled, “‘Who Am I (What’s My Name)’ was probably one of the first rap records I really learned all the way. I remember watching it on The Box, the cable channel you had to like order and call.”
You can listen to ‘Who Am I? (What’s My Name)’ below.