Kendrick Lamar is riding on Cloud 9. With his good kid m.A.A.d city debut finally in stores, and doing shows all over the place, the 25-year-old has lots to celebrate, and he’s not going to let a negative critique from Shyne, kill his mood.
“It’s really no response [to him],” Lamar tells Hip-Hop Wired, when we caught up with him at the Samsung Galaxy Note II event in Los Angeles. “I’m not a sensitive guy, so that’s his opinion. Can’t stop what the world thinks, so yeah, that’s him.”
With first week sale predictions flying above the 200K range, the Compton native is humbled by the support. “It feels great, lets me know that people still wanna’ hear good music, real music. Music that has a connection, rather than just one artist, or one record on the radio.”
Even though some have already pegged his first album a classic, Lamar feels that it’s too soon to wear such a heavy crown. “The attention and great reception it’s been getting… it’s overwhelming. People are labeling this a classic even without the years behind it, so it’s a great feeling.”
But don’t get it twisted, his intention was to hit a home run. “It’s classic worthy, you know? But it has to stand with the time and have the years behind it. Right now it’s classic worthy and people [will] look back and say, ‘Kendrick’s first album really, really, really outdid everything else and became a classic.’ I went into it with intentions of making it a classic, so I’m glad everybody’s saying that now.”
Going into the latter half of the year Lamar plans on continuing to promote the project stateside, before heading to Europe.
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Photo: TDE
