During a recent interview with Erykah Badu over the phone for Interview Magazine, Kendrick Lamar opened up on his influences that helped him become the artist that he is today. The Compton emcee credited Biggie, Tupac, Jay-Z and Nas for teaching him the tricks and skills necessary to become a great emcee.
"You know, I studied people I looked up to: Jay-Z, Nas, B.I.G., Pac . . . But early on, I didn't really have my own sound. I had a passion for it, but me actually rapping the way they rapped is what got me into doing my own thing. I think me being that intricate and studying songs line for line—I probably spent more time listening to albums than writing songs. But I think that gave me all the tricks in terms of wordplay, from how I pronounced my words to the actual delivery. I'm very intricate about that stuff when I go into the studio—it has to sound the way I heard it in my head. So that's probably one of the biggest things that separates me when I'm working in the studio—just how I hear certain things."
He also explained who his "as*hole-checker" is, regarding who keeps him level-headed and down to earth amidst all of the fame that has come his way.
"I have two, actually. [both laugh] But the main one is a friend of mine—a lady friend who has known me since high school. She has always been someone, since day one, who has said something whenever I'm an as*hole, or also if I'm doin' something positive—but more so when I'm out of my element."
Source: hiphop-n-more.com
