Kendrick Lamar Interviewed N.W.A and It Was As Dope As You'd Expect
Compton's own Kendrick Lamar had his dreams come true when he got the chance of a lifetime to interview N.W.A for Billboard.
Sitting down with Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren and DJ Yella, Lamar spoke with the infamous group about their newly released movie, Straight Outta Compton, police brutality, their legacy and more.
Here's an excerpt of the sit down:
How do you think your music changed the way the world viewed our culture and our community?
Ice Cube: Unless you come from Compton, it’s not a world you’re privy to. Our music let you visit Compton from a safe distance.
Dr. Dre: If we had done it softer, it wouldn’t have gotten the attention. It wouldn’t have worked.
DJ Yella: The truth is that there wasn’t much competition. There was the East and the West, but there was really no West before us. We came in so different, so real, that we were immediately heard.
Did you have any doubts that you would be accepted?
MC Ren: I don’t think we really cared.
Dr. Dre: We had no idea we’d blow up this major. You see, every time we went into the studio we were only trying to make tracks that would rock our neighborhood. Our goal was to be local stars.
Ice Cube: We didn’t think the world cared about gang-banging and dope-dealing in L.A., Compton, South Central, Long Beach and Watts. The hub of hip-hop was the Bronx, Brooklyn and Harlem. We were on the fringes. And that was OK with us.
As one of your offspring, anything I do comes from what y’all have done before me. I’m curious to know how you feel about my generation of artists.
MC Ren: I like a few. I like you.
Dr. Dre: You’re No. 1 on my list because of the care and attention you bring to your tracks and the precision you bring to your sound. There are a few people out there I listen to and respect.
MC Ren: Pusha T.
Dr. Dre: Definitely Pusha T.
MC Ren: I’m not saying this because you’re here, Kendrick, but I like your song “Cut You Off.” I’ve been listening to you for a minute.
Boiling it all down, what do you see as N.W.A’s legacy?
Ice Cube: World’s most dangerous group -- a group that made it all right for artists to be totally themselves.
Dr. Dre: A legacy of inspiration, because we came from nothing.
DJ Yella: Dirt nothing.
Ice Cube: A legacy that says that although we were living in a destructive neighborhood, we were able to do something constructive.
Straight Outta Compton hits theaters today.
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