Kendrick Lamar has a series of questions he likes artists to answer before he decides whether he wants to work with them or not, according to Saviii 3rd.
Speaking on The Justin Credible Podcast, Saviii revealed that Kendrick sent him a text with five different questions, and his answers would decide if he would work with the up-and-coming Los Angeles rapper. Saviii admitted he felt the pressure when he got the text, but it was something he knew he had to do.
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“I took those questions so serious,” Saviii 3rd explained. “One of the questions was: ‘Do you want to make music for your section, or do you want to make music for the world?’ Another one is: ‘What do you think your biggest flaw is when it comes to anything blocking your creativity?”
He continued: “With this one, he put: ‘This is the one’ in parentheses, and he said: ‘What do you think is stopping you from being an ultimate superstar? Be truthful with yourself.'”
Kendrick Lamar assessing the creatives that come his way should come as no surprise given how tight-knit he likes to keep his team and output.
This isn’t the first time someone has revealed what Kendrick is like behind the scenes. Earlier this month, Thundercat reflected on a hilarious studio session with K. Dot when they were recording “These Walls” off his 2015 album To Pimp A Butterfly. According to Cat, the song’s suggestive lyrics put him in a funny predicament with his collaborators.
“My favorite studio session that I was in, gotta be honest: it was probably singing ‘These Walls,'” Thundercat told HipHopDX. “And a lot of my friends at the time didn’t realize that I sang. And so, my friends were just staring in my face like, ‘What is he doing right now?’ And I was like, ‘Can you guys leave the room so I can… I don’t wanna be looking in my friends’ eyes singing about these walls.’
“It’s just looking at Terrace [Martin] in the eyes, singing in my highest Michael McDonald voice. Terrace is smiling like, ‘What about these walls, Steven?’ And I’m like, ‘Stop it!’ I couldn’t pause because the track is gonna keep going, so I gotta keep singing. There is no pause, it’s just continually me singing these walls and harmonies.”
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He continued: “And my friends looking down my throat. Don’t look at me like that. I’m a grown man, I pay taxes; I’ve been to jail. Don’t do that!”
