Kendrick Lamar was one of the first hip-hop artists to visit the White House and President Obama is an open fan of K.Dot’s, praising his responsibility as an influencer. Now Kendrick shows the same praise for the President while he was in Brooklyn last week.
Kendrick just did a show at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg for a secret pop-up show in conjunction with American Express. Backstage, XXL caught up with him and asked him about his thoughts on President Obama’s 8-year run in the oval office:
“I think the world, not just hip-hop owes him. We all have to give him his credit due for even allowing us into the building. We would probably never get inside that house ever again. Think about it like that. Rick Ross, Cole, Nicki Minaj, he really went for us to come experience it. This is something our grandparents always wanted to see, never thought in a million years, but [we can] pass it down to our generation to say, ‘Alright, I’m in here and I’m finna use my power to let y’all see how this thing works and I’mma drop some knowledge on y’all that a man can’t drop on everybody else ’cause y’all have the most influence.’”
“You look at him as such a high figure in the world, but for him to embrace you and have a connection with you further than just being the President and make you feel like an actual friend. That’s probably the best moment and one of his best characteristics. I meet a lot of people in high places and sometimes they get so detached from the world and from the people, they don’t even know how to interact with you. Basically watching him interact with my mother, my little niece, myself as a human, I think that’s the greatest thing.”
Kendrick was of course referring to the My Brother’s Keeper initiative which brought in Rick Ross, J. Cole, Nicki Minaj, Wale, Pusha T, DJ Khaled, Timbaland, Chance the Rapper, Common, Ludacris, and Busta Rhymes.
