During a live performance last month, Kendrick Lamar invited an audience member to the stage to help him perform the undeniable banger that is "m.A.A.d. City.," only to have the white woman rap the N-word multiple times.
Now, Lamar has spoken about the incident in conversation with Vanity Fair.
"Let me put it to you in its simplest form. I've been on this earth for 30 years, and there's been so many things a Caucasian person said I couldn't do. Get good credit. Buy a house in an urban city. So many things — 'you can't do that' — whether it's from afar or close up. So if I say this is my word, let me have this one word, please let me have that word."
Elsewhere in the interview, Lamar spoke about what it felt like to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 LP DAMN.:
[When I heard I got it], I thought, to be recognized in an academic world... whoa, this thing really can take me above and beyond. It's one of those things that should have happened with hip-hop a long time ago. It took a long time for people to embrace us — people outside of our community, our culture — to see this not just as vocal lyrics, but to see that this is really pain, this is really hurt, this is really true stories of our lives on wax. And now, for it to get the recognition that it deserves as a true art form, that's not only great for myself, but it makes me feel good about hip-hop in general. Writers like Tupac, Jay Z, Rakim, Eminem, Q-Tip, Big Daddy Kane, Snoop.... It lets me know that people are actually listening further than I expected. When I looked up at that man on the podium today [May 30], I just had countless pictures in my mind of my mother putting me in suits to go to school. Suit and tie, from the dollar store, from thrift shops, when I was a kid.
Lamar was also asked about Kanye West's endorsement of Donald Trump, to which he replied, "[Kanye] has his own perspective, and he's on this whole agree to disagree thing, and I would have this conversation with him personally if I want to."
Lamar added that he doesn't discuss politics often because "I just get too frustrated."
You can read Lamar's entire conversation with Vanity Fair here.
Now, Lamar has spoken about the incident in conversation with Vanity Fair.
"Let me put it to you in its simplest form. I've been on this earth for 30 years, and there's been so many things a Caucasian person said I couldn't do. Get good credit. Buy a house in an urban city. So many things — 'you can't do that' — whether it's from afar or close up. So if I say this is my word, let me have this one word, please let me have that word."
Elsewhere in the interview, Lamar spoke about what it felt like to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 LP DAMN.:
[When I heard I got it], I thought, to be recognized in an academic world... whoa, this thing really can take me above and beyond. It's one of those things that should have happened with hip-hop a long time ago. It took a long time for people to embrace us — people outside of our community, our culture — to see this not just as vocal lyrics, but to see that this is really pain, this is really hurt, this is really true stories of our lives on wax. And now, for it to get the recognition that it deserves as a true art form, that's not only great for myself, but it makes me feel good about hip-hop in general. Writers like Tupac, Jay Z, Rakim, Eminem, Q-Tip, Big Daddy Kane, Snoop.... It lets me know that people are actually listening further than I expected. When I looked up at that man on the podium today [May 30], I just had countless pictures in my mind of my mother putting me in suits to go to school. Suit and tie, from the dollar store, from thrift shops, when I was a kid.
Lamar was also asked about Kanye West's endorsement of Donald Trump, to which he replied, "[Kanye] has his own perspective, and he's on this whole agree to disagree thing, and I would have this conversation with him personally if I want to."
Lamar added that he doesn't discuss politics often because "I just get too frustrated."
You can read Lamar's entire conversation with Vanity Fair here.