Kendrick Lamar covered GQ's man of the year issue last year, and he hasn't stopped showing up on the front page of magazines since. This week he'll be appearing on both ESPN and JET magazine's covers, the latter of which contains an interview with the Grammy-nominated emcee. In the article, K.Dot talks black history, Jay Z, and his writing process.
“Hip Hop plays a huge part in Black history," Lamar told JET. "It’s bigger than music. Entertainers are actually leading a generation today as role models, whether they want to or not."
Kendrick then went on to cite Jay Z as one of said role models, reminding readers of Hov's long climb to the top. "People forget that Jay Z is from the projects, but that inspires me," he said. "If this guy can go from the streets to the corporate world, that lets me know I’m open for anything."
Lamar later expressed his need to take his verses further than a punchline. “The songs aren’t for me," he explained. "They are for that person who needs to hear them. People who live their lives to this music. So I take it a little further than just coming up with a clever line."
Check out Kendrick's cover in the gallery above.
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