A Kendrick Lamar interview is rare enough as it is, but his new sit-down with SZA for Harper's BAZAAR is even more unique. The two TDE affiliates discussed the personal weight they carry in their careers, what their artistic goals are, and how they intersect with their own processes of self-discovery. However, one of the most interesting parts of the interview was when they discussed crying, and the Ctrl artist asked K.Dot when were the last and first times he cried. The last time was for Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers' "Mother I Sober." The first time, though, just so happens to be a piece of hip-hop history.
"The first time I allowed it to happen is documented, actually," Kendrick Lamar said of crying. "Onstage [in 2011] when Dre and Snoop and the whole West Coast was out, and they was like, 'This is the torch that we were handing off.' Dre passed me the torch, and a burst of energy just came out and I had to let it flow. My tears is all on the Internet. And now I look back and I love that moment. I love that that happened. Because it showed me in real time expressing myself and seeing all the work that I put forth actually come to life in that moment."
Kendrick Lamar Gets The West Coast Rap Torch
For those unaware, this refers to a 2011 concert in which Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, Warren G, The Game, and Daz all handed the West Coast rap torch to Kendrick Lamar, who's still "running with it" as Tha Doggfather had proclaimed. While Dr. Dre technically didn't seem to be there onstage, perhaps he was backstage or just there in spirit. Either way, the Compton artist knows how special this moment was, and it turns out that it's more special than we initially knew.
Meanwhile, amid rumors that some elements of the Drake beef might end up getting squashed when it comes to Future and Metro Boomin, very few believe that Kendrick Lamar will join that hypothetical process. But he did speak on believing in love and war during this Harper's BAZAAR interview. So perhaps Mr. Morale will engage with that dichotomy in another way...