Kendrick Lamar Explains The Black Hippy Mentality

While Kendrick Lamar has stayed relatively quiet following the release of Big Sean's "Control (HOF)"—on which Kendrick spit aggressive bars about every rapper in the game—yesterday the web was blessed with some interview footage with the rapper, where he speaks about the mentality of the Black Hippy (Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock and Kendrick) crew and the power in numbers.

In the video from Guerilla Union, K. Dot explains, "When the audience can identify an artist, that's cool. But when they can identify a crew, they know it's something bigger than just the movement." He continues, touching on the outlook of his Black Hippy crew, "It's a lifestyle they're bringing to the table as far as music. Just living in the everyday world. So when we say Black Hippy, you know it's not just music. It's actually a group of individuals saying fuck the regular, and doing what they want to do in the world, and making a way for themselves without being caught up in the politics."

Later in the interview, he would go on to dissect Hippy's creative and collaborative process. "What we did was start off with our own creative space, and let each person know what it is, know what we workin' with, and be familiar with it and bring it together," he says. "And what that do is allow each other to know our different abilities. What we capable of and what we like to do, and how we can comprimise with that."

Check out the rest of the exclusive interview above.