Kendrick Lamar has in many ways positioned himself as a figure for positive change in the communities that he's close to. The rapper is an ardent student of history and often weaves a generation's worth of stories in his lyrics. It makes sense, then, that the rapper was chosen as part of HYPETRAK's "Generations" series to interview iconic music producer Quincy Jones. Both musicians spoke at length about the inner city violence that marked their childhoods. For 84-year-old Jones it was Chicago in the pre civil rights era and for Lamar it was late 80s Compton. Jones at one point describes a near-death experience he had growing up saying, “Seven years old, wrong neighborhood; they took a switchblade and nailed my hand to a fence. I almost died. And you think it’s heavy now? Shit."
The two also discussed music, the impact of hip-hop on the black community, and a host of other hard hitting issues. You can check out the full interview here.
