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Lamar wanted to get back to the origins of why he fell in love with rap for GNX, which is “hard raps” over “good beats.” He made sure not to waste any time on the mic with the sleek and digestible 12-track album.

“It was an energy that was bubbling inside me as well. I wanted to go back of the forefront of just the bite and the grit of rap. All raps and hard-a– beats. That’s the basics for me,” he said. “I thought, ‘Damn, what I used to like when I was a kid?’ Hard raps and beats that are just smacking.”

Kenny continued: “It was a great transition from Mr. Morale because that was my most intimate. I wanted to go off my own psyche and my own personal withdrawals and see how it connects with the public and who could relate. This time around, I think it was necessary to come out of that cocoon.”

As anticipation for Lamar’s halftime show continues to mount heading into the weekend, Darden attempted to get into K. Dot’s creative mind to give fans a sneak peek of what’s to come.

“Storytelling,” Lamar succinctly stated. “I think I’ve always been very open about storytelling. Through all my catalog and my history of music and I’ve always had passion about bringing that on whatever stage I’m on. … I like to always carry on that sense of make people listen but also see and think a little.”

There’s no doubt Lamar was rap’s MVP for 2024, and between his work dismantling Drake in battle along with his GNX album, which also made him Billboard‘s Greatest Pop Star for the year, K. Dot set the bar incredibly high with last year’s campaign. The artist reflected on what he set out to accomplish with his rapping when 2024 began.

“I think from day one was to always keep the nature of it as a sport,” he said. “What I will say about this year, it was more from a space where I think a lot of people were putting rap to the back. You didn’t see that bite anymore. So I always took that in consideration going into any type of my music.”

Lamar added another five Grammys to his trophy case on Sunday night and made history with a pair of Big Four wins, with “Not Like Us” taking record and song of the year. It’s the first rap track to win in a top category since Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” in 2019.

Lamar opened up about being proud of restoring respect to hip-hop on the Grammys stage and putting rap back at the forefront of culture.

“When people talk about rap, man, the conversations I hear, they think it’s just rap and not an actual art form,” he said. “When you put records like that at the forefront, it reminds people that this is more than just something that came 50 years ago, kinda like belittle it. So I love to see it get recognition for straight raps.”

No matter how much Lamar elevates in his career, he’s still true to his roots. Days before taking the Super Bowl stage, Lamar managed to highlight his appreciation for battle rapping and spotlighted a few of his favorites, like close friend Daylyt and Murda Mook.

“I love when artists grit their teeth. I still watch battle raps,” he said. “I still watch Smack URL from Murda Mook to [Loaded] Lux to Tay Roc, my bro Daylyt. This has always been the core definition of who I am.”