Tupac Shakur’s “greatest niche”, according to Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar has released some fantastic bodies of work over the years. His most recent project, Mr Morale & The Big Steppers, was critically acclaimed, and his previous albums, such as To Pimp A Butterfly and Damn, have also been iconic, with the latter being a Grammy-winning project.
Following his most recent beef with Drake, Lamar remains one of the most prominent hip-hop artists and is popular for a reason. He is known for his lyrical ability, and the Compton native has put LA back on the map. Although Californian figures such as Tyler The Creator exist in the mainstream, Lamar is one of the few Los Angeles rappers from the inner-city’s projects.
From Dr Dre to Eazy-E and The Game, Lamar’s neighbourhood has birthed hip-hop icons for years, and since he was a child, the ‘Humble’ artist has been immersed in hip-hop culture.
That said, many of his early inspirations shaped his breakout album Good Kid m.A.A.D City. In an interview with Complex magazine, Lamar unveiled some of his biggest inspirations regarding his major label debut.
Revealing some of his favourite albums that shaped his musical taste growing up, the Damn emcee revealed that Ice Cube’s 1991 album Death Certificate was regularly played in his household. Expanding on his experiences listening to Ice Cube’s sophomore project, Lamar recalled, “I remember them playing that in the house as a kid but not really knowing how much it would influence the world. So I really doubled back to it a few years back and really sat down and listened to it. It’s just a crazy, crazy album. ‘A Bird In The Hand’ is one of my favourite joints.”
He continued, “I’m sure it was a big influence, just what he talked about. Cube talked about a lot of stuff that was going on in the world as well. He blended that into the streets, and it was really from a raw standpoint. That’s why I like that the most.”
Despite being a Compton native, Lamar was also paying attention to the Bay Area growing up and explained how his friends always played E-40’s Charlie Hustle, remembering, “My partner Earl used to bump that CD all the time every day and then I just kind of took a liking to it. It was fun, made you get turnt up the same way E-40 do it today. Straight turn-up music. The slang and ghetto terms and the streets. It was fun.”
However, 2Pac’s 1996 posthumous album Makaveli had a big effect on Lamar. Speaking about why that specific album stands out above and beyond the rest, the Section.80 emcee explained, “The reason I like Makaveli, one of my favourites, is the aggression of it. I look back, there was so much controversy about that album that I really couldn’t understand at a young age. Him being on a cross and the 21 gun salute [‘Against All Odds].'”
He concluded, “It was just so much aggression, and I think that was ‘Pac’s greatest niche. Have that emotion, have that aggression on that track and it really felt like he wanted to go to war listening to it.”
You can listen to 2Pac’s Makaveli album below.