As one of the most celebrated rappers in the genre's history, Kendrick Lamar has a unique perspective when it comes to fame and fortune. This year's Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers was an album exploring that very idea and Kendrick's character and emotions. Since then, he's partnered his pGLang company with Cash App to promote financial literacy, performed awe-inspiring shows across the U.S. and beyond, yet has rarely opened up in an interview format to discuss these ideas.
That will change with an upcoming profile on Citizen Magazine, an excerpt of which has been released on Citizen's website. In it, the 35-year-old MC discusses "distinguishing between Kendrick and Kendrick Lamar" and "still learning the balance of that."
The interview seems to have taken place the very day that Mr. Morale was released. Kendrick makes clear that he's been in the process of prioritizing himself outside of the limelight. While he's incredibly popular and beloved, he's also been very selective and particular with what he decides to promote himself with. This Citizen piece aims to be an in-depth look at his thoughts, which is in line with the few interviews he does.
“The person that people see now is the person that I’ve always been,” he said. “For me, the privacy thing has never been an issue that I had to carry out with full intention. It’s just who I am. If I feel I have to remove myself, I just remove myself. I won’t complain about it.”
The "HUMBLE." star also spoke about not having the heaviest social media presence, saying, "I don’t really know how to use it like that to be 100% real with you." He also talked about the added weight on his shoulders that comes with his position and skill.
“And me being a realist and holding myself accountable to that, it never really frustrated me when things got a little bit out of control because ultimately, I knew that I would be able to balance it because of who I am,” said the Compton rapper.
The full Citizen piece will be available physically with two cover versions, as indicated by their website post. It would follow Kendrick's last interview with Jazzy's World TV, in which he showed love to a security guard that had an emotional response to his performance. Kendrick's Big Steppers Tour with Baby Keep and Tanna Leone has provided a wealth of viral moments, such as Kendrick shouting out a kid at his Detroit stop and giving him a hand-written note.
Stay tuned for the full Citizen profile to drop, which is sure to provide a peek into hip-hop's most sought-after creative.