Nas On Kendrick Lamar's Next Album: 'There's No Way He Can Mess It Up'

If there's any rapper in the business who has unequivocally faced the challenge of following up a classic debut, it's Nas, whose 1994 debut Illmatic is often considered to be the greatest rap album ever made (and I agree). However, a similar pressure is mounting up against Compton rapperKendrick Lamar, whose 2012 debut good kid, m.A.A.d city was hailed as the greatest rap debut since — you guessed it — Illmatic. In a recent interview with Complex, Nas offers some words of encouragement to Lamar.

"There's no way he can mess it up," he said, "because the love he has from the game is so large that he can almost mumble on the record and it's going to be in rhythm and it's going to be next level...So whatever he does, in my opinion, will be appreciated but at the same time he knows he has to bring it."

Nas also aIllmatic represented a different time and a different expression for different reasons...The times inspired the sound of that - the climate of the music business, the rap game, the industry, the year, and life in itself. It's not fair to Kendrick's album either because his album is a brand new expression that represents these times, the sound represents what's happening now, he's changing things today."

ddresses the similarities that have been noted in the press between himself and Lamar, though he doesn't quite agree with them, saying, "

This sort of unabashed admiration between two artists seems pretty rare in the hip-hop and pop world these days, and I doubt I'm the only one who finds Nas' words to be a refreshing change of pace.

Kendrick Lamar Recorded 30 to 40 Songs for New Album.

Kendrick Lamar talked more about his sophomore album and meeting the high expectations set by his major label debut in the August/September 2014 issue of Complex magazine.

Lamar invited the publication to follow him through studio sessions in L.A. The 27-year-old rapper said that he has recorded "30 to 40" tracks but is still "flirting with ideas" to title the new project, which will feature production from Tae Beats, Sounwave of Divi+Phonics and possibly Dr. Dre. The album is slated for a fourth quarter release later this year. 

As he has said before, the "Swimming Pools" MC isn't concerned with topping good kid m.A.A.d. city. "If I keep focusing on, 'I need to make something better than good kid,' it's going to be just that," he said. "That's not challenging yourself. I don't want to become that person reflecting on what has been done. What I'm doing now is the question. I'm only as good as my last word, my last hook, my last bridge."

Lamar also touched on the last year or so in his career –– mainly the "Control" verse and getting snubbed at the Grammys, the latter of which "wasn't really a huge deal," he said. "Macklemore deserves the accolades. That's still my partner regardless," he maintained. "He probably didn't need to Instagram the text. But what's done is done."

Kendrick Lamar Covers Complex, Speaks On New Album.

While GQ nabbed Kanye West for their new issue, Complex has taken on West's "Yeezus" tour partner, Kendrick Lamar, as their lead for the August/September issue. Both artists are working on new albums with high expectations having been set by their respective audiences, although Kendrick doesn't reveal too much to Complex when it comes to his GKMCfollow up.

Nonetheless he is apparently "flirting with ideas" when it comes to album title, and he's already recorded 30-40 songs for the new LP. He's been in the studio with TDE's in-house producers, Tae Beats and Sounwave of Digi+Phonics, as well as his Aftermath head Dr. Dre. Fans should be ready for a fourth quarter release, according to Complex. 

"If I keep focusing on, ‘I need to make something better than good kid,’ it’s going to be just that," Kendrick says during the interview. "That’s not challenging yourself. I don’t want to become that person reflecting on what has been done. What I’m doing now is the question. I’m only as good as my last word, my last hook, my last bridge."

Through out their cover story on the rap wunderkid, we hear from TDE's president Punch, Nas, Dave Free (his manager), producers and more. Dave Free happens to reveal that the average Kendrick Lamar guest verse will set you back $250,000, although they once charged $400,000 (to who??). Among other interesting facts revealed in Complex's narrative: "Fuckin' Problems," A$AP Rocky's massive hit, was originally made for GKMC, but was left off because it didn't fit in.

Jay Electronica Mentions Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Wale & 50 Cent In Cryptic Tweets.

When blogger Karen Civil decided to ask Jay E directly via Twitter, the emcee responded by sending off a series of tweets. The posts included Electronica criticizing the current music scene, confirming he will be releasing music this year, and mentioning Kendrick Lamar, TDE CEO Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, Wale, 50 Cent, and Drake.

Some of Jay E’s tweets have since been deleted, but you can check out screenshots of the tweets below.

KENDRICK LAMAR CELEBRATE HENNESSY X SHEPARD FAIREY LAUNCH

Hennessy shut down Hollywood while celebrating the launch of the Hennessy V.S Limited Edition bottle by Shepard Fairey at Create nightclub on Thursday.

DJ D-Nice kicked off the evening with a hip-hop-heavy set, followed by Z-Trip and Fairey (aka DJ Diabetic), who showed off his skills on the 1s and 2s.

They warmed up the stage for Kendrick Lamar, who delivered crowd favorites including “Poetic Justice,” “Swimming Pools (Drank),” and “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe,” plus his verse from Jeezy’s “R.I.P. (Remix).”

Guests snapped photos in the interactive photo booth, and toasted with Hennessy V.S mixed drinks including Fairey’s Hennessy Revolution.

Chris Brown cozied up in VIP with on-again girlfriend Karrueche Tran. Other guests included Ne-Yo, Travis Barker, Sevyn Streeter, Amber Rose, Melody Thornton, Hit-Boy, and more.

Kendrick Lamar goes from straight outta Compton to Eastvale?

Fruits of success in the rap game stereotypically come with bling, swagger and multimillion-dollar digs. If you’re Kanye West, there’s enough cash left to throw a child a backyard birthday party modeled after the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

But the landscape is less Hollywood Hills and more tract home for up-and-coming hip-hop star Kendrick Lamar, who recently bought a pad in the Inland bedroom community of Eastvale.

Reports of his purchase began circulating in late May, setting off a wave of online buzz that Lamar had settled into the least likely place to find a rap star: a former dairy community that only became a city in 2010.

Riverside County property records show a grant deed listing Kendrick Duckworth – Lamar’s legal name – as the owner of a modest-by-celebrity-standards Eastvale property near I-15. It is dated Dec. 2, 2013.

The 3,529-square-foot suburban home was built in 2006, records show. It includes three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and a pool. He bought it for $523,500, according to Zillow.com, an online real estate tracking company.

In recent weeks, a handful of local residents tweeted that they spotted the star cruising around town in a sports car or visiting the city’s Picnic in the Park summer carnival.

But hold up. Lamar may not be Eastvale’s most famous resident just yet.

“I heard he bought it for his parents,” Eastvale Mayor Ike Bootsma said in an interview, reinforcing that it was only a rumor.

The Compton born-and-raised rapper recently told Seattle radio station KUBE 93 that he won’t be changing his ZIP code.

“I stay in L.A.,” he said. “But I like to buy property because, in the market we’re in right now, around L.A., the values are getting right.”

But Lamar, who was nominated for seven Grammys last year, denied he’s been renting out the property: “I don’t know exactly what I’m gonna do yet.”

Two Lamar representatives did not respond to emails seeking comment about the purchase.

The city of about 59,000 in the northwestern corner of Riverside County is affluent, diverse and growing fast. It boasts the highest median household income in the county. Residents are 40 percent Latino, 24 percent Asian, 24 percent white and 9 percent black, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Crime is low, and houses are cheaper than neighboring coastal areas in Orange and Los Angeles counties.

On a recent morning, there were people at the house and two vans were parked in the driveway, but no one answered when a reporter rang the doorbell.

The two-story residence is on an ungated street, nondescript among a row of other similarly gray and beige stuccoed homes. There is a basketball hoop out back. It’s a short walk to a local shopping center.

Kendrick Lamar Sued For "Keisha's Song (Her Pain)"

Kendrick Lamar sued by Woolfsongs Limited for failing to get a sample cleared on his 2011 fan-favorite.

According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, Kendrick Lamar is being sued by Woolfsongs Limited for not getting a sample cleared for his 2011 song “Keisha’s Song (Her Pain)." 

Woolfsongs Limited, which manages the works of progressive rock artist Eric Woolfson and his band The Alan Parsons Project, is seeking an injunction and an award of compensatory damages for what they believe is an improper sample of their 1982 single “Old and Wise.” While their music hasn't exactly carried to modern times, The Alan Parsons Project actually released four platinum albums in the 1980s; their biggest hit in the US, "Prime Time," cracked the top five on the Billboard charts.

The lawsuit says that the parties discussed the matter in April, but that it was not settled.

"Keisha's Song" is a fan-favorite off of Kendrick's critically-acclaimed debut album Section.80. The album has sold 130,000 copies since it was released on July 2nd, 2011.  

Katy Perry 'Witchcraft,' Kendrick Lamar Sampling Spark New Copyright Lawsuits

Katy Perry and Kendrick Lamar are both facing new lawsuits claiming they've misappropriated songs in hit releases.

The copyright action targeting Perry in Michigan federal court is the one that's most entertaining. It comes from Christian rapper Flame(bornMarcus Grey) and his producers, who say they authored a 2008 gospel hip-hop song entitled "Joyful Noise." That song appeared on an album that was nominated for a Grammy for best rock or rap gospel album.

According to the complaint, the song was used without permission in the creation of Perry's "Dark Horse," the first single from her 2013 album, Prism. The plaintiffs don't go into much detail about how it was used, but the defendants — which include producer Dr. Luke and Capitol Records — are alleged to have damaged the plaintiffs in the creation and performance of a chart-topping song.

"By any measure, the devoutly religious message of 'Joyful Noise' has been irreparably tarnished by its association with the witchcraft, paganism, black magic, and Illuminati imagery evoked by the same music in 'Dark Horse,'" states the lawsuit filed on Tuesday. "Indeed, the music video of 'Dark Horse' generated widespread accusations of blasphemy and an online petition signed by more than 60,000 demanding removal of an offensive religious image from the video."

Meanwhile, over in California federal court, acclaimed rapper Kendrick Lamar is being accused of improper sampling on "Keisha’s Song (Her Pain)."

The plaintiff in the case is Woolfsongs Limited, a U.K. company that manages the works of Eric Woolfson and his platinum-selling music group, The Alan Parsons Project. Woolfsongs asserts that "Keisha’s Song" incorporates the group's song "Old and Wise" without consent.

The complaint says that resolution of the matter was attempted with Lamar's reps in April 2014, but no settlement resulted and the defendants became unresponsive.

Both lawsuits demand injunctions. The Perry lawsuit seeks profits and statutory damages while the Lamar lawsuit aims for an award of compensatory damages.

Eminem On Kendrick Lamar: "He Raps To Be The Best Rapper In The World"

Kendrick Lamar, who is profiled by The New York Times, explains why he's a competitive emcee. 

“If my edge is dull, my sword is dull, and I don’t want to fight another guy whose sword is dull,” Lamar says. “If you’ve got two steel swords going back and forth hitting each other, what’s gonna happen? Both of them are going to get sharper...Everybody that’s in the industry has lost their edge. There’s really no aggression. You gotta say things particular, and everything is so soft." 

Eminem, who also speaks on the matter in the piece, also addresses Kendrick Lamar's competitive nature. 

"There’s a certain hunger that you can sense about Kendrick," Eminem says. "He raps to be the best rapper in the world. He competitive-raps. That’s one of the things that’s going to drive his career. He’s going to be around for a long time." 

Eminem addressed Kendrick Lamar in November 2013. 

"I completely respect what Kendrick does and the fact that he's in the same camp, that he's on Aftermath, only made sense to [have him on The Marshall Mathers LP 2]," Eminem said at the time. "He came to Detroit, we kicked it for a few minutes, you know, and I felt the vibe of what he's like and everything, and you know, he's a super cool and super humble dude. When we did that record, I think that was actually a week or two before he did the verse to 'Control.'" 

Kendrick Lamar Claims Rapping Helped Him Overcome Childhood Stutter.

Hip-hop star Kendrick Lamar overcame a stutter as a child by focusing on perfecting his rap skills.

The critically-acclaimed “Poetic Justice” hitmaker reveals he used to struggle with his speech until he learned how to channel his thoughts and feelings into song.

He tells The New York Times Magazine, “As a kid, I used to stutter. 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 time.”

Lamar, who has been described as the “black Bob Dylan” by superproducer Pharrell Williams, isn’t the only celebrity to suffer from the disorder – British pop star Ed Sheeran and actors Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson all battled s

tammers during their youth.

Can We Talk About Kendrick Lamar’s Secret Girlfriend?

Kendrick Lamar, the California rapper whose upcoming album the world can’t wait to pick apart, was profiled by the New York Times Magazine on June 25.

The story reveals that Kendrick’s label initially wanted Kendrick to record instead of touring with Kanye West in 2013, and says that Kendrick and Kanye didn’t hang out much while out on the road.

But it also introduces Whitney Alford, Kendrick’s longtime girlfriend. The two haven’t appeared in public much, but they did go to this year’s Grammys together.

According to the Times, Whitney is one of the few people who has no problem “sassing” Kendrick. In the story, she lovingly calls him out for being “cheap.”

Whitney, reportedly, “is an every day, about the way, typical ass girl.”

Kendrick hasn’t kept his romantic life entirely private. In a 2013 conversation with Erykah Badu for Interview , Kendrick said “a lady friend” was one of the two “asshole checkers” in his life — a person tasked with keeping him grounded.

TDE Didn't Want Kendrick Lamar to Do Kanye West's Yeezus Tour.

Kendrick Lamar's label, Top Dawg Entertainment, didn't originally want Lamar to support Kanye West on the Yeezus tour, according to The New York Times Magazine. TDE president Terrence "Punch" Henderson told the Times, "Believe it or not, we were actually trying not to do the tour," Henderson said. "We wanted Kendrick to be recording that whole time. 

The need to record was pressing because Lamar had been touring for two years when West extended the offer in mid-2013. According to the article, the dilemma was solved when West's team secured a studio bus for Lamar so that he could record on the road. Henderson also said that West's team "wasn’t taking no for an answer." Additionally, it was helped by the fact that West wanted Lamar to have a significant role on the tour. 

"Kanye said he didn’t want to make it seem like we were just the opener," Lamar said. "It was dope to have the actual headliner of the show want my show to be just as good as his." As anyone who went to the show can tell you, it worked out just fine. 

The article also notes that Lamar and West didn't do much bonding during the tour. The writer, Lizzy Goodman, says she shadowed Lamar for three weeks before she saw him and West in the same room together—an interaction that lasted less than 30 seconds. She writes:

It’s tempting to imagine that tour partnerships between an established star and an up-and-comer result in lots of communal bonding. And of course sometimes they do. Bono has become famous for taking young bands out on the road with U2 and dispensing his so-called Bono Talk, a sermon on how to avoid the pitfalls of fame. Lamar knew people wanted to think this was happening between him and West, and he obliged within reason, dutifully explaining to journalists how much he was learning from West or telling an employee of his label who asked if they had been hanging out, "We haven’t really got an off day yet to chill out, but that’s the plan." But a mentor-mentee relationship wasn’t what was expected or desired, and it certainly was not what was happening.