Though Kendrick Lamar isn’t known for maintaining the sort of breakneck promo pace often demanded of artists, he’s certainly known for being admirably decisive about when, and how, he speaks out.
The latest example of this careful approach to interacting with the limelight sees Kendrick on the cover ofCitizen magazine for its latest issue, complete with words by Sarah Osei and photos from David Nana Opoku Ansah. The discussion itself, meanwhile, is reported to have occurred on the day of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers’ release. Right at the top, Kendrick shares some thoughts on the distinction between who he is to the public and who he is “outside of being famous,” the latter of which is suggested as the one getting the bulk of his attention.
“The person that people see now is the person that I’ve always been,” he said. “For me, the privacy thing has never been an issue that I had to carry out with full intention. It’s just who I am. If I feel I have to remove myself, I just remove myself. I won’t complain about it.”
Elsewhere, Kendrick spoke on his oft-commented-on reluctance to be prolific in the social media space (“I don’t really know how to use it like that to be 100% real with you”) and the reality of what comes with the territory of being an artist at this scale.
“And me being a realist and holding myself accountable to that, it never really frustrated me when things got a little bit out of control because ultimately, I knew that I would be able to balance it because of who I am,” Kendrick said of the presumed difficulties of the latter.
See more here via Citizen. Worth noting is that this represents merely an excerpt of the larger intended experience, which will soon be available in physical form by way of two different cover options.
The Citizen feature follows Kendrick’s interview last month with Jazzy’s World TV in which he addressed viral footage from his Big Steppers Tour showing the emotion impact of a “Love” performance on a security guard. The tour, which is still in progress, has proven to be a near-constant source of viral moments and social media discourse.
Just last week, for example, Kendrick was revealed to have not only shouted out a young fan from the stage in Detroit, but also to have handwritten the attendee a personal note encouraging him to “continue to manifest the great energy you possess.”
Next up, Kendrick’s Big Steppers Tour will take the Baby Keem and Tanna Leone-featuring experience to the Ball Arena in Denver.
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