Kendrick Lamar has faced an unfathomable shitstorm of controversy and response tracks from the entire world of hip-hop after the release of his controversial “Control” verse, specifically the part where the California rapper declares himself the ‘king of New York’. After a seemingly endless silence on the issue, Kendrick finally discussed the verse – and the resulting outcry – with Peter Rosenberg and Big Boy of LA’s Power 106.
In short, K.Dot was taken aback by the heat he received from the track, and claims his intent was misinterpreted.
“Honestly I didn’t know there would be so much speculation behind it,” said Kendrick. “I just wanted to rap. Anybody that knows me doing music, I wanna just rap.”
As for his “king of New York” claims, Kendrick brushed off the ambitious implications of the line, deflating the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade size balloon of rage over the territory-pissing lyric:
“I think that’s the case right there of maybe I just dumbed down my lyrics just a little bit,” he said. “The irony of that line is the people that actually understood it and got it, was the actual kings of New York. You know, me sitting down with them this past week and them understanding that it’s not about actually being the king of whatever coast. It’s about leaving a mark as great as Biggie, as great as Pac.”
Listen to the whole interview below:
Photo: Johnny Firecloud
