Kendrick Lamar Quotes

“When you go on your Twitter or look down your Timeline and it's all great positivity - I love that. But at the same time, it can really divert you from what your purpose is or what you're trying to do. And I've seen artists get caught up in that.”

“We all get distracted, the question is, would you bounce back or bounce backwards?”

“The sky is falling, the wind is callingStand for something, or die in the morning”

“You can have the platinum album. But, you know, when you still feel like you haven't quite found your place in the world, it kind of gives a crazy offset.”

“Whenever I make music, it reflects where I'm at mentally.”

“I had to come from something, come from a place that was negative and positive but the majority of it is a negative place.”

“I knew I was blessed with a gift of having both parents.”

“I'm a person of my own opinions, that's how I was raised. I speak what I feel... A lot of people feel the same way but they're scared to talk. They're really scared of the truth - they only want half of the truth. I've been living like that - forever in fear - but I know what to say and how to say it now. I ain't scared of myself. Y'all may be scared; I'm not scared.”

“I can be calm and reflective from time to time and other times I can have a burst of energy, that's just me.”

“I'm selfish.”

“Found myself screaming in a hotel room. I didn't want to self-destruct.”

“The way people look at me these days - that's the same way I looked at President Obama before I met him. We tend to forget that people who've attained a certain position are human.”

“I look at where I'm at today and realize that most of my success is owed to the mentors that was in my life.”

“I probably spent more time listening to albums than writing songs. But I think that gave me all the tricks in terms of wordplay, from how I pronounced my words to the actual delivery.”

“When I talk to kids, I'm really listening. When I do that, we have a little bit of a bigger connection than me being Kendrick Lamar and you being a student. It's almost like we're friends. Because a friend listens.”

“I'm just writing, writing, writing. I keep these tablets on me until I'm inspired to go back in and make the music. I never take a break from my pen, because I pride myself on that.”

“The limit is the sky, and I live on cloud. And I recognize my nemesis gon try, to put a finish in my shine. But pussy we'll hurt you, life in the power circle.”

“The best thing is to always keep honest people around, because when you have a bunch of yes men around that know that you're making a mistake but let you go on with it, that's when it ruins your mind state as an artist.”

“I'm African American / I'm African / I'm black as the moon.”

“The more people I meet, the more cultures I start to embrace, the more people I open myself up to - it's a growing process I'm excited about. But it's also a challenge for me, to be at this level and still be able to connect with somebody who's living that everyday life. At first it was something I struggled with, because everything was moving so fast. I didn't know how to digest it. The best thing I did was go back to the city of Compton, to touch the people who I grew up with and tell them the stories of the people I met around the world.”

“While you have people who are actually fronting for your needs and wants, sometimes your needs and wants may not be right for you. The people around you are just trying to keep their jobs.”

“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.”

“That's the ultimate thing I want to do in making music - to be able to inspire somebody else.”

“When I'm in the studio, I'm looking for creativity I haven't matched yet, a feeling I haven't felt. It's a high.”

“I aint a drinker Im a thinker, call it what you want”