The Grammy nomination deadline of September 30th has come and pass, and if there'll be one rapper most of us will be looking for on the nominations list, it'll be Compton emcee Kendrick Lamar. The rising rapper's debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, has been critically acclaimed and it's quite likely that K. Dot will receive a nod from the Grammy committee. The Grammys are already showing love to Kendrick by having him visit their studio in L.A. to discuss the album and his unique perspective.
Kendrick spoke on making music that isn't necessarily considered gangster rap and doesn't necessarily glorify street life, even though he's from Compton, and how he was able to push the boundaries of West Coast music-- something he'd like to be remembered by.
Kendrick said during his interview [via HHDX], "Coming from Compton I think in just the lifestyle in general it’s always been glorified as the reality of gangster rap. And that’s something I can’t escape. I was born and raised. I been in the lifestyle and it’s in my music. It reflect in my music. So, when I first stepped into it it kinda threw people off balance that I wasn’t glorifying everything that I’ve seen or actually done in the streets. So, that was a step from the box from the initial gate and that was me challenging myself to do something a little bit different. You know, represent myself. So, with that being the start I always wanted that to be something that you will remember me by. Someone that always challenged himself and not went towards other people’s standards. And just pushed the envelope a little bit more. Not just in art, but just in life in general."
Kendrick discussed the inspiration behind GKMC, which was from life growing up in Compton, however since that album his inspiration is more broad.
"Now it’s just not me being in the streets. It’s about me having that balance with my music career and my family," Kendrick said of his current inspiration. “It’s about me staying true to myself and not getting caught up in the lights. It’s about me still being close to my spirituality and not being so tainted with the negatives of being an artist…Cause I can sit and talk to a five-year-old little boy and draw from a song from talking to him and seeing the innocence in his eyes that I haven’t seen in myself in a long time. That’s inspiration. Just life."
Just this past week it was announced that Drake, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and Robin Thicke would be performing at the Grammys Nominations Concert.