Kendrick Lamar: I'm Making Statements Not Singles
The response to Kendrick Lamar's latest single, excuse us, "statement," "i," is almost as polarizing as his astrological sign, Gemini, but he probably doesn't care about that.
"I want to retract the word ‘single,'" he told Power 106's Jeff G while visiting the radio station in L.A. "I want to call things that I release ‘statements’ because this music is something that the world has to hear."
The message behind his sophomore album's first official statement is emphatically repeated over a frenetic flip of an Isley Brothers sample: I love myself.
True to form, the song is so hip hop, but the uptempo beat is a change from the vibes of "B---h, Don't Kill My Vibe" and "Poetic Justice," for example. Some are worried that he's already been brainwashed by the fame.
It's bigger than rap, however. K. Dot explained, even the cover art is a nod to where he comes from, similar to the way he did with his good kid, m.A.A.d city release.
"It’s for our livelihoods," he said. "When I want to come back on my release, I want to make sure I do just that and continue that.”
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(Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)