
GQ Magazine has released their Man of the Year issue, and in the issue, Kendrick Lamar was named Rapper of the Year. As part of this title, the magazine did a feature interview with Kendrick. The interview takes place during a chaotic time for Kendrick, as he bumps into Drake at the MTV Video Music Awards after his "Control" verse had stirred up tension between the two, participates in Fashion Week events, and attends the funeral services of his close friend, Chad Keaton.
Following his run-in with Drake at the VMAs, Kendrick is asked if the two are cool now. He said that they're "Pretty cool," but added: "I mean, I would be okay if we weren't." In the following weeks, Drake would begin to give interviews indicating that he had felt offended by Kendrick's verse, and Kendrick would go on to respond with hisverse at the BET Cypher. In the interview, Kendrick acknowledged that Drake had taken his verse to be a diss, and added that Drake wasn't a creative influence or role model. "If anything. We all peers."
Following the VMAs, Kendrick and his team attended Diddy's afterparty, a party where J. Cole and Diddyreportedly got into a confrontation over Kendrick's "Control" verse. While neither Kendrick nor his team would acknowledge the incident, Kendrick did explain his decision to go to the afterparty prior to attending the event, saying, "I only go when there's a point. Usually the point is just nikkas drinking. But walking through the club the week after I released the 'Control' verse? That's a point!"
Kendrick Lamar says he isn't trying to force the creativity for his next album, which is set to follow last year's good kid, m.A.A.d city release.
"[I'm] letting the inspiration come for sure," Lamar said during an interview with MTV. "If I knock myself into the wall, I'll probably be out the game for a minute because it's stressful trying to be creative rather than letting creativity come to you and being inspired by something."
During the interview, Lamar also spoke about the importance of challenging himself and not listening to his previous release often.
"Man if I wasn't onstage, I probably wouldn't be listening to it [after] the day I put it out," he said. "I don't like to get stuck in doing something [so] that once I do move on and do my next joint, I don't want to get caught up in it sounding the same or being locked in to what I've done already. I always want to elevate myself and challenge myself."
So far, Lamar says he has plans for the new album.
"I definitely got ideas; ideas for sure," he said. "Going back in and locking in, I haven't done that yet, but I have ideas and I know what I want to do."
Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city was released in 2012. The album has been certified platinum by the RIAA
GQ's Man of the Year issue will be available with the full interview later.