Kendrick Lamar has revealed the biggest “misconception” about himself in a rare (and somewhat random) interview with actor Timothée Chalamet.
The two superstars sat down for a conversation ahead of Kendrick’s historic Super Bowl halftime show this weekend, and spoke about their respective approaches to their crafts.
A short video of the insightful chat, released on Friday (February 7), found the Compton rapper opening up about his creative process in the studio.
“That’s probably one of the biggest misconceptions about me as an artist. I’m always locked in and I’m always trying new things. Now, whether or not I like them [laughs] is a whole other conversation,” he said while cruising with Chalamet in a 1987 Buick Grand National, which he named his latest album, GNX, after.
“But I have to keep the pen moving. It’s my form of sanity. And it also has given me the opportunity to learn myself — you know, find out who I am. Because when you write, you have to sit and go through the emotions and be vulnerable about it, whether it’s a fun song or a sad song or it got some type of depth.
“This is your personality pushing through. And so a lot of these records I write, it’s stuff I probably would never express or even know about myself if it wasn’t for an instrumental behind it.”
Kendrick also spoke about his love for GNX cut “Man at the Garden,” calling it the “easiest” song he has written.
“With my projects, there’s always that one record that I want everyone to hear in order to push the narrative and the message and the tone that I want to get across,” he explained. “That’s why I like ‘Man at the Garden.’ Even the fact that it’s at the top of the record.”
He added: “I mean every word on that muthafucka, man. That’s probably the easiest record to write. I figured out who I am in this present moment.”
Kendrick Lamar and Timothée Chalamet’s exclusive interview ahead of #AppleMusicHalftime. #SBLIX@KendrickLamar @pglang @AppleMusic pic.twitter.com/F1SQniZdgm
— NFL (@NFL) February 7, 2025