Anytime King Kendrick sits down for an interview, it's a special affair. And his most recent conversation with i-D magazine is no different.
On Monday, the British magazine dropped the full, in-depth interview, which was handled by music journalism veteran Touré. Kendrick got honest about a series of topics, including politics. When asked how we got to this point today, with a reality star/walking human cesspool in the Oval Office, Kendrick sounded as at a loss for words as most of us. "It's a complete mindfuck," he said. "We all are baffled. It is something that completely disregards our moral compass."
In addition to talking politics, Kendrick talked at length about his music, including what he considers his best verses ever: the ones contained in Damn standout "Fear."
"It's completely honest," Kendrick said. "The first verse is everything that I feared from the time that I was seven years old. The second verse I was 17, in the third it's everything I feared when I was 27. These verses are completely honest."
He continued, talking more broadly about the creation of Damn. "'What can we do to make it live in another space and be ourselves, but also challenge ourselves?'" he and his collaborators asked themselves. "As far as the sonics of the album, we wanted to make it where it was really back to the future, something you've never heard before, but something you've heard before. If that makes sense."
The Compton rapper also detailed the process of knowing when he has fire on his hands:
And he broke down the lens he sees hip-hop through:
The interview also features some tight photography by Craig McDean.
You can peep the whole joint, which features Kendrick remembering better times with Obama and not-so-great times growing up in Compton, over at i-D.
