During an interview for Forbes‘ Under 30 Summit in Boston, Kendrick Lamar expressed his support for blackballed NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, becoming just the latest in the growing list of entertainers who are standing in solidarity with his fight for equality. That list now includes rap stars Cardi B, J. Cole, and Jay-Z.
Kendrick made sure to emphasize that true change is slower than we often expect or want. “He wants to stand for something,” said Kendrick. “Simple as that. You don’t look at the moment, whether it’s gonna work or not. No, you look at what the next generation is gonna receive from it.” The moment was a part of a larger point that he made about work ethic, which also included a word of sage advice from mentor Dr. Dre, after a remark about the size of Dre’s house. “The easy is part is getting [a big house], [the hard part] is keeping this big motherf*cker!”
The “Loyalty” rapper also stressed the importance of respect. “Be yourself and do what you do but also know who laid down the groundwork,” he said. “Don’t go in your interviews and diss ’em and say you don’t like ’em and you don’t care for ’em. That’s your opinion. That’s cool, but you have to respect them.”
Check out the full video above, where Kendrick also discusses his biggest mistake in his creative process, his influences, and the thought process behind his name change.
