Kendrick Lamar reveals inspiration behind ‘GNX’ and Drake feud: “I love when artists grit their teeth”

Kendrick Lamar has shared the inspiration behind his latest album ‘GNX’ and the songs he made during his feud with Drake.

• READ MORE: Kendrick Lamar – ‘GNX’ review: turning hatred into a teachable moment

Ahead of his Super Bowl halftime performance in New Orleans this Sunday (February 9), the Compton rapper sat down with Apple Music’s Ebro Darden and Nadeska Alexis to talk about his upcoming gig. They asked Lamar about his recent sweep at this year’s Grammys, where we won five awards for the Drake diss song, ‘Not Like Us’ – making it the most celebrated rap song in the award show’s history.

“I was just thinking about the culture, really,” he said, explaining his inspiration behind the song.

“It’s always there for me first. When people talk about rap, the conversations I hear, they think it’s just rap and not an actual art form. So when you put records like that at the forefront, it reminds people that this is more than just something that came 50 years ago.”

Reflecting on his career, Lamar told Darden and Alexis that his goal has always been to “better himself and the craft” and give back to “the culture” of hip-hop. This prompted Darden to ask if the music Lamar released last year – including last November’s ‘GNX’ and a slew of Drake diss tracks amid their infamous feud – was intended to “draw a line” between what is and isn’t real hip-hop.

“My intent, from day one, was to always keep the nature of [Hip Hop] as a sport,” the 21-time Grammy winner said. “I don’t care how motherfuckers look at it as far as a collaborative effort. That’s cool, too, but I love when artists grit their teeth.”

He continued: “I still watch battle raps, I still watch Smack [DVD and the Ultimate Rap League] – from Murda Mook to [Loaded] Lux to Tay Roc to my bro Daylyt. This has always been the core definition of who I am” – believing the grittier version of Kendrick people saw last year wasn’t new, but rather “a continuation” of what he’s always done.

“What I will say about this [past] year, it was more from a space where I think a lot of people were putting rap to the back and you didn’t see that grit, you didn’t see that bite anymore,” he told Darden and Alexis, before elaborating on the inspirations behind ‘GNX’.

Kendrick Lamar says he drew inspiration from watching battle rap videos from Smack DVD and URL when recording his Drake diss “Not Like Us”
 
“My intent from day one was to keep the nature of it as a sport. …This has always been the core of who I am.”pic.twitter.com/3TeC4UxK1f

— Kollege Kidd (@KollegeKidd) February 6, 2025

‘GNX’ featured a bunch of hyphy-style hits like ‘Squabble Up’, ‘TV Off’ and ‘Hey Now’ – which Kendrick said were inspired by legendary G-funk pioneers DJ Quik and Dr. Dre.

“I always had that DNA,” he explained. “You heard that DNA a little bit on ‘Good Kid, m.A.A.d City’ but I wanted to tell my story first. Fast forward to ‘GNX’, I just felt it was a perfect time because not only was the energy lost, but it was an energy that was bubbling inside of me as well.

“I wanted to go back to the bite and the grit of rap. Just all raps and hard-ass beats. That’s the basics for me. I thought about what I used to like when I was a kid: hard raps and good beats that’s smacking.”

The pgLang co-founder also spoke about how different ‘GNX’ was from his critically-acclaimed 2022 album ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’, saying the change was a “necessary” one.

“It was a great transition from ‘Mr. Moral’e because that was my most intimate album. I wanted to go inside of my own psyche and my own personal withdrawals and see how it connects with the public and see who could relate,” he shared. “So this time around, I think it was necessary to come out of that cocoon and feel like, ‘I can spread my wins and show every state of who I am.’”

• READ MORE: Kendrick Lamar – ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ review: a cathartic, soul-baring autobiography

Elsewhere in the chat, Lamar spoke about his Super Bowl performance: how he is prepping for the feat, hoping to bring his life-long passion for “storytelling” and Black culture to the forefront. “I’ve always had a passion about bringing that on whatever stage I’m on, whether it’s 500 people at Key Club,” he said. “I’ve always had a form of that, so [it’ll be] that sense of ‘make people listen’, but also see and think a little.”

Lamar’s headlining halftime performance at this year’s NFL Super Bow LIX will take place this Sunday (February 9), with SZA due to appear as a special guest.

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