Kendrick Lamar dropped by Houston's 93.7 The Beat yesterday for a chat with host Devi Dev about "i," his battle with depression, Compton's come-up, his ideas for SNL sketches and his hopes to drop the follow-up to good kid m.A.A.d city in early 2015 - or even before.
During the 20 minute interview, Lamar confirms that he has in fact recorded between 30 and 40 new songs for the album; though he points out he'd rather call them "pieces" than "songs," clarifying that they're more a collection of ideas that have now been condensed into 12 new tracks. He also confirms that the record has a name but he won't be revealing it until the project is "100% done." When asked if the album is coming out in early 2015, he says "it may be before that" - but he's definitely not going to be pulling a Beyoncé.
The most moving parts of the interview come when Lamar discusses his divisive recent single, "i." "The record feels great, it feels good, but it comes from a place of depression, from a place of insecurity," he explains. "It touches on so many different things, you know - the inequality of us as human beings and learning to accept one another, people that want to commit suicide, people that just don't respect themselves." He also talks about suffering from depression himself, "even now, in these recent years, being in the limelight, trying to deal with and balance your personal life with the music...there comes a lot of turmoil."
Watch the whole interview below.
Photo credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images
