Kendrick Lamar caught many fans off-guard this week with his new single "i," a catchy, message song that makes a straightforward call for self-love and acceptance.
Sounds like Kendrick and Macklemore exchanged a few more texts than we thought.
i think kendrick accidentally uploaded a k'naan song to his soundclud
new kendrick lamar is way too soft
But despite the vivid tales of surviving gang culture in Compton that typified his major label debut Good Kid, M.A.A.D City — and the chest-thumping bravado of songs like "Control" and "Backseat Freestyle" — Lamar has always been a peacenik at heart.
Looking a little closer at his record of interviews and song lyrics, here are 13 times Kendrick preached a message of positivity that was downright heartwarming.
1. In his and Jay Rock's 2011 single "My People":
2. When explaining what "Hiiipower" means to him:
3. Way back on his 2009 song "Wanna Be Heard":
4. When asked what are some morals he lives by:
5. In the powerful intro skit of Section.80 standout "Fuck Your Ethnicity":
6. With Alicia Keys earlier this year on the Spiderman single "It's On Again":
7. When talking about his impact as a socially-conscious rapper:
8. On a prescient early track (assisted by rapper Punch), "Dreams":
9. In one of the more mellow tracks off mA.Ad, "Real":
10. And when he surprised us by hopping on an Imagine Dragons track, and said this:
11. Or when he talked about how his music has matured:
12. When asked what his end-goal is as a musician:
13. And, finally, when it all led to the earnest, hippie wisdom of "i":
