
Westcoast connection!!!! Kendrick Lamar and Miguel cover the April/May 20th anniversary issue of Vibe Magazine. Check out excerpts from their interview below.
On which artist puts them on their toes and to go harder:
KL: “My partner J. Cole is always keeping it to the point where you have to show and prove. My partner Drake kills it.”
Miguel: “What’s F*cked up about R&B is that that camaraderie doesn’t exist. I don’t really know why.”
When asked about the biggest risk they’ve taken artistically:
Miguel: “Overall it doesn’t sound like any other R&B album that’s been put out in the past decade…I remember having a conversation with Mark, my A&R like, “Man, I don’t know if they’re going to get this shit.””
KL: “The idea of a concept record has been lost for a long time – will that translate to 16-year-old kids in high school rather than the super energetic joint on the radio? I definitely had that in the back of my mind when I was creating this album.”
On Frank Ocean’s announcement:
Miguel: “In all reality, Frank Ocean took a big chance the way that artists are supposed to. Sonically and how he writes and what he’s writing about and how he chooses to express himself vocally, all his choices are very unique and I appreciate that about him. Not only did his announcement overshadow my music, but it overshadowed his as well.”
When asked if there was anything they didn’t get to do that they have in mind for next go-round?
KL: “I never got a chance to reach out to him (Nas). I was so wrapped up in getting the music done and samples cleared and mastered. I didn’t wanna rush the process; I actually wanted to sit in the studio and vibe with him. [It was] the only thing that I had a vision for that I sought out to accomplish, but in due time…”
On Their Impressions of Each Others Music
Miguel on Kendrick: I just like that it’s an honest perspective. Sometimes you listen to MCs and you’re like, This sh-t sounds cool, the verse and the cadence or whatever, but when you look at the artist, it just doesn’t translate. I don’t get that from Kendrick. Younger artists, we’re all striving to be ourselves. He’s one of the best examples of that.