From the moment I started writing raps, I was always aware of the pressure. I always wanted to live up to how huge Snoop got, how huge Dre got, how huge Pac got. I was always aware. — Kendrick Lamar Copy Share Image
My pops and my mom started playing Marvin Gaye and the Isley Brothers and all these people, but at the same time, they always had Snoop on right behind it in the same mix. — Kendrick Lamar Copy Share Image
I think that's why I put my energy into making music. That's how I get my thoughts out, instead of being crazy all the… — Kendrick Lamar Copy Share
Got in the studio at sixteen, [and] that's when I felt like I wanted to make this a career. I had a passion for… — Kendrick Lamar Copy Share
Everybody has their own way of hearing songs. My fans are usually pretty on point. Sometimes they go all the way to the bottom… — Kendrick Lamar Copy Share
I don't really believe in the type of pressure that people are wanting to put on the type of music that I make. — Kendrick Lamar Copy Share
I've got an extra-specific story about Dr. Dre. I saw him when I was 9 years old in Compton - him and Tupac. They… — Kendrick Lamar Copy Share
Brother Kendrick Lamar: he's not a rapper, he's a writer, he's an author. And if you read between the lines, we'll learn how to… — Kendrick Lamar Copy Share
You can have the platinum album, but when you still feel like you haven't quite found your place in the world - it kind… — Kendrick Lamar Copy Share
My passion is bringing storylines around and constructing a full body of work rather than just a 16-bar verse. — Kendrick Lamar Copy Share
The message I'm sending to myself - I can't change the world until I change myself first. — Kendrick Lamar Copy Share
We all seem to stumble, planning our own demise, Getting the big picture, and making it wallet-sized. — Kendrick Lamar Copy Share
