Paper magazine recently interviewed Kendrick Lamar for their "Nostalgia" issue, and they asked the West Coast rapper to "pay tribute to the lost leaders of the game," and Kendrick put the spotlight on Eazy-E.
The "King Kunta" emcee shared stories of being mesmerized by seeing Eazy's "We Want Eazy" video and thinking that the former NWA rapper "feels like an action superhero." After realizing that Eazy was also from Compton, Kendrick said he understood that he had to always send a message to the people from his neighborhood first.
"Somebody told me this early on: 'You're nothing without your own backyard.' Period. If my backyard -- and my backyard being my city and my county -- doesn't believe me, then no one else will. I always remember that. I always kept that in the back of my mind and I think that's exactly what N.W.A. did, and that's why they said they want to make music for the community first, because to have that home love is like nothing else."
Kendrick then spoke about the direct influence Eazy-E has on his music, "I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Eazy and I wouldn't be able to say the things that I say, talk about my community the way I talk about it, for good or for bad. He's 100% influenced me in terms of really being not only honest with myself, but honest about where I come from and being proud of where I come from."
Source: Paper Magazine
