KENDRICK LAMAR fka K.DOT(February 2007) | Interview By:
Nima Etminan
It's not without a reason that Hip-Hop's new hope, Kendrick
Lamar, refers to Dubcnn.com as his "day one" site. We have followed Kendrick
since the first days of his career, [First
Update] when he was rapping under the moniker K.Dot and was
working on his debut mixtape, "Training Day".
Today, we have a special "blast from the past" throwback video feature for
you. The date is February 2007, in a recording studio in Los Angeles, where
we first met the Top Dawg Ent crew. At that time, TDE was only Jay Rock and
K.Dot, the camp was buzzing as Rock's street smash "Lift
Me Up" was in heavy rotation on Power 106 and K.Dot was a few
weeks away from the release of the "Training Day" mixtape. It also seems
like Top Dawg Ent had a situation with Def Jam at the time?
In this unreleased interview, K.Dot tells us about trying to get his name
out there, using the internet as a promotional tool and what him and Jay
Rock are doing to separate themselves from other artists coming out. He also
talks about the "Training Day" mixtape, working with The Game, which artists
he was feeling at the time and what we could expect from him in the future.
Compare K.Dot in this interview to the Kendrick Lamar you see in
Dubcnn's most recent interview and you will see a tremendous
growth and maturation process!
Read on and enjoy. As always feel free to hit upnima@dubcnn.comwith
questions or comments.
Dubcnn: We're right here with K.Dot! Go 'head and introduce yourself to
everybody out there who doesn't know you yet.
K.Dot: K.Dot, straight out of Compton, Top Dawg Ent / Def Jam, getting it
in. '07 to 3000, that's my slogan.
Dubcnn: So what are you working on right now?
K.Dot: I'm working on my album, working on a mixtape, working on my man's
project, Jay Rock. Getting it in!
Dubcnn: I've been hearing your name pop up a lot. What have you been
doing as far as trying to get your name out there?
K.Dot: Just out here in the streets man, steadily grinding in these streets,
mixtapes, freestyles, hopping on everybody else's mixtapes, doing cyphers,
just buzzing in the streets and keeping it lit.
Dubcnn: How do you view the internet as a promotional tool?
K.Dot: The internet is a big promotional tool man. It allows you to broaden
out your music instead of just keeping it boxed in locally. Everybody else
can hear you all around the world instead of just your neighborhood.
Dubcnn: It's a lot of rappers coming up right now trying to make it.
What are you trying to do to separate yourself from everybody else?
K.Dot: To separate ourselves? I say us as a camp, that's me and Jay Rock, we
separate ourselves from everybody. I'd say that we're bringing the pure form
of artistry to the music game. Everybody has set their own genres of rap,
such as Gangsta Rap, happy rap, commercial… We're doing everything, we ain't
one dimensional. You can't put a label or a title on us, we're just being
true to ourselves and expressing ourselves on these records. That's everyday
life. Pure artistry.
Dubcnn: What's your next project?
K.Dot: I got a mixtape coming out called "Training Day" within the next two
weeks, I'm getting all the graphics done right now. It will be in the
streets.
Dubcnn: Is that over other people's beats or original beats?
K.Dot: Original beats, industry beats, whatever!
Dubcnn: What kind of producers are you working with right now?
K.Dot: We've got our in-house producers, 4th Quarter, Sounwave, LES, DJ
Quik, Fredwreck, Nephew, JR.. A lot of industry cats too, big names to local
names.
Dubcnn: That's a lot of established names that you just named. How
have you been getting in contacts with these cats? Have they been reaching
out because of the buzz or have you been reaching out?
K.Dot: Oh they reach out. My man Jay Rock's song is buzzing right now on the
radio "Lift
Me Up", we're out in these streets constantly putting out
mixtapes and it's easy once you're touching the people and they know it's
good music.
Dubcnn: How did the connection with The Game happen?
K.Dot: My big homie Top Dawg set that up. He put us in the studio, we got it
in, did freestyles. My man actually battled him.
Dubcnn: When can we expect your album to drop?
K.Dot: Right after Jay Rock. He comes out in July of '07, I'm coming right
after that to keep the pace moving. But there isn't an official date yet
that I could tell you.
Dubcnn: Which artists are you looking to collaborate with on your
record?
K.Dot: Anybody that's making good music, that's all I can say. I don't
condone somebody that's going against the grain of how they feel or doing
what's out. I wanna work with anybody that's making good music.
Dubcnn: Who are you feeling right now as far as up and coming
artists on the West?
K.Dot: Up and coming artists… Besides my man Jay Rock, I'm feeling B.O.,
Stix, Bad Lucc - I've never even met dude but I heard his music, he's dope.
Young Dubb, Juice, Ya Boy, cats that's buzzing in the streets, making it
happen for themselves and making good music.
Dubcnn: Is there anything else that you'd like to get everybody
know?
K.Dot: Just look out for K.Dot man, right after the man Jay Rock. We're
killing the streets with "Lift
Me Up" on the radio, Top Dawg Ent, that's the label. We're
getting it, '07 to 3000!
