Kendrick Lamar
"I thought I'd want jewelry and cars, but as soon as I got a taste, I realized it wasn't fulfillment," says Lamar, photographed Jan. 13 at the Page Museum in Los Angeles. For behind-the-scenes video, go here.
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Image Credit: Photo Credit: Dan Monick -
Attention-Grabbing
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Dan Monick Since October 2012, when he made his major-label debut with Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, he has been on a whirlwind victory lap, selling out shows worldwide, adopting the title "King of the West Coast" (also, paradoxically, "King of New York") and courting controversy by one-upping rappers (and others) on both sides of the country. "I'm tryin' to murder you," he growled on Big Sean's "Control (HOF)," name-checking the likes of Drake, A$AP Rocky and even a former Lakers coach ("If Phil Jackson come back, still no coaching me"). It was one of the most talked-about verses of the year, certainly one of the most tweeted-about.
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What Drives Him
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Dan Monick "A thrill for me is being as creative as possible and supporting the people I love," says Lamar.
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His Perspective
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Dan Monick "I wanted to speak from the perspective of my block and neighborhood, but in a different manner," he says during a break from Grammy rehearsals. "Anyone can talk about bottles of champagne and getting signed, but I wanted to relate how I grew up and what I saw every day."
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Grammy Plans
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Dan Monick Lamar still hasn't decided his plan for the Grammys. Strobe lights? Waterfalls? Police riots? Imagine Dragons' lead singer, Dan Reynolds, seems to be leaning toward the incendiary. "In a perfect world," he suggests with a chuckle, "at the end, me and Kendrick would light each other on fire." Lamar, though, has only one rule for his first Grammys performance: "I don't want anybody to do anything fake."
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Kendrick Lamar and Dr. Dre
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Rex Features via AP Images Lamar posed with Dr. Dre in London in November 2012. In 2010, Dr. Dre's invitation to work on Detox (Dre's yet-unreleased final studio album) anointed Lamar, already hailed in underground circles, as rap's next great West Coast hope.