10 Things We Learned From Kendrick Lamar's Hot 97 Interview

K Dot chops it up with Ebro in the Morning crew.

Kendrick Sheds More Light on To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar checked in with Hot 97's Ebro in the Morning and announced that he’d be headlining Hot 97’s Summer Jam on June 7. Read on as K Dot sheds more light on To Pimp a Butterfly and much more in this intimate conversation.— Michael Harris (@IceBlueVA)(Photo: HOT 97 via YouTube)

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Kendrick Sheds More Light on To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar checked in with Hot 97's Ebro in the Morning and announced that he’d be headlining Hot 97’s Summer Jam on June 7. Read on as K Dot sheds more light on To Pimp a Butterfly and much more in this intimate conversation.— Michael Harris (@IceBlueVA)(Photo: HOT 97 via YouTube)

Photo By Photo: HOT 97 via YouTube

Native Son - Contrary to some reports, To Pimp a Butterfly is not based on To Kill a Mockingbird. Explaining several meanings behind the album’s concept, Kendrick stated, “The butterfly represents the thoughtfulness and how people view me in society and on the TV screen and what I can do with this is say, 'Middle fingers up' to everybody where I come from ... or I can do something productive with it. That’s one meaning. Or I can go a little bit deeper and show how the industry looks at artists and how they pimp artists out or how the world views us coming from an urban community and the hood.” (Photo: Interscope Records)

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Native Son - Contrary to some reports, To Pimp a Butterfly is not based on To Kill a Mockingbird. Explaining several meanings behind the album’s concept, Kendrick stated, “The butterfly represents the thoughtfulness and how people view me in society and on the TV screen and what I can do with this is say, 'Middle fingers up' to everybody where I come from ... or I can do something productive with it. That’s one meaning. Or I can go a little bit deeper and show how the industry looks at artists and how they pimp artists out or how the world views us coming from an urban community and the hood.” (Photo: Interscope Records)

The People's Champ - "King Kunta" will be the album’s official single and he just shot a video for it in the 'hood. Strategically picking the location, K Dot, explained, “People think it’s about money but it’s about time. Just me going and bringing cameras out to the neighborhood that birthed me, it shows a lot because they don’t see that every day."(Photo: Angelo Merendino/Getty Images)

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The People's Champ - "King Kunta" will be the album’s official single and he just shot a video for it in the 'hood. Strategically picking the location, K Dot, explained, “People think it’s about money but it’s about time. Just me going and bringing cameras out to the neighborhood that birthed me, it shows a lot because they don’t see that every day."(Photo: Angelo Merendino/Getty Images)

Each One Teach One - Kendrick shed more light on Tupac's role in TPAB. "I wrote the lyrics to 'Mortal Man' while I was out on the Kanye [West] tour... I had these old Pac interviews that were unreleased from this cat in Germany… and basically came up with the idea to make this my own interview and let me put it on the back of this song because the lyrics are so profound just like the interview is, so it only made sense."(Photos from left: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images, Evan Agostini/Getty Images)

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Each One Teach One - Kendrick shed more light on Tupac's role in TPAB. "I wrote the lyrics to 'Mortal Man' while I was out on the Kanye [West] tour... I had these old Pac interviews that were unreleased from this cat in Germany… and basically came up with the idea to make this my own interview and let me put it on the back of this song because the lyrics are so profound just like the interview is, so it only made sense."(Photos from left: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images, Evan Agostini/Getty Images)

King Kendrick - "i" has a special place in the Good Kid's heart, as Kendrick told Hot 97. "'i' is the best song I ever wrote because I never thought in a million years that I’d make a positive record coming where I come from. Never in a million years, my homeboys too. But my homeboys respect me enough to say, ‘Do what you do.’ It’s all God’s work, man."(Photo: Top Dawg Entertainment)

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King Kendrick - "i" has a special place in the Good Kid's heart, as Kendrick told Hot 97. "'i' is the best song I ever wrote because I never thought in a million years that I’d make a positive record coming where I come from. Never in a million years, my homeboys too. But my homeboys respect me enough to say, ‘Do what you do.’ It’s all God’s work, man."(Photo: Top Dawg Entertainment)

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Zulu Love - North Carolina MC Rapsody was the only rapper to trade bars with Kendrick besides Snoop Dogg on TPAB. He said, “She’s talented. Simple as that. It ain’t about the celebrity or how long you’ve been in front of the lights and cameras. She’s been rhyming for a minute and she’s been crazy.”(Photos from left: Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for Anheuser-Busch, Suzi Pratt/Getty Images)

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Zulu Love - North Carolina MC Rapsody was the only rapper to trade bars with Kendrick besides Snoop Dogg on TPAB. He said, “She’s talented. Simple as that. It ain’t about the celebrity or how long you’ve been in front of the lights and cameras. She’s been rhyming for a minute and she’s been crazy.”(Photos from left: Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for Anheuser-Busch, Suzi Pratt/Getty Images)

Dreams Come True - Kendrick stated that his favorite song from the album changes throughout the week, but right now it’s the intro, "Wesley’s Theory." He added, "To Pimp a Butterfly is sophisticated gangsta s**t and this is the album I’ve always wanted to make."(Photo:  Chris Weeks/Getty Images for Reebok)

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Dreams Come True - Kendrick stated that his favorite song from the album changes throughout the week, but right now it’s the intro, "Wesley’s Theory." He added, "To Pimp a Butterfly is sophisticated gangsta s**t and this is the album I’ve always wanted to make."(Photo:  Chris Weeks/Getty Images for Reebok)

One Nation Under a Groove - P-Funk creator George Clinton also contributed to K Dot’s To Pimp a Butterfly and was around for moral support during the recording process as well. “I just needed him for the conversation. ... I tell you, we’re Nickelodeon, PG-13 to the lifestyle they lived."(Photos from left: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Clear Channel, Jesse Grant/Getty Images for NAMM)

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One Nation Under a Groove - P-Funk creator George Clinton also contributed to K Dot’s To Pimp a Butterfly and was around for moral support during the recording process as well. “I just needed him for the conversation. ... I tell you, we’re Nickelodeon, PG-13 to the lifestyle they lived."(Photos from left: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Clear Channel, Jesse Grant/Getty Images for NAMM)

True to the Game - Ice Cube had a hand in Kendrick’s rearing, and the West Coast veteran didn’t even know it. “My pops played a lot of Death Certificate and America’s Most Wanted. A lot of them [Ice Cube] records. I didn't know what he was kicking at the time but as I progressed and got older, I realized he’s talking about being a Black man in society and maneuvering through the cracks. So that’s one artist that shaped me for sure."(Photos from left: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS, Priority Records)

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True to the Game - Ice Cube had a hand in Kendrick’s rearing, and the West Coast veteran didn’t even know it. “My pops played a lot of Death Certificate and America’s Most Wanted. A lot of them [Ice Cube] records. I didn't know what he was kicking at the time but as I progressed and got older, I realized he’s talking about being a Black man in society and maneuvering through the cracks. So that’s one artist that shaped me for sure."(Photos from left: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS, Priority Records)

Watch the Throne - Kendrick is also down with Jay Z’s artist-driven music streaming service TIDAL, although he hasn’t signed up yet. He explained, “Me and Jay had a conversation about it and I think it’s a great idea. Just for the simple fact of us taking control of the music we’ve had for a long time and not having to fight with masters and things like that and having ownership.” (Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

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Watch the Throne - Kendrick is also down with Jay Z’s artist-driven music streaming service TIDAL, although he hasn’t signed up yet. He explained, “Me and Jay had a conversation about it and I think it’s a great idea. Just for the simple fact of us taking control of the music we’ve had for a long time and not having to fight with masters and things like that and having ownership.” (Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

Diamonds and Pearls - Kendrick also revealed that he wanted to work with Prince on his latest album but timing was an issue. “I went out to his headquarters and did a show with him. We were vibing in the studio but we were pressed for time. But I didn’t trip off not getting a song done because I really appreciated the actual game he was giving me. He was breaking down some things that I need to consider in my career… Just really taking control of your creativity. He gave me some real jewels about that and what Jay Z is doing is really confirmation about what Prince was telling me.(Photos from left: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Anheuser-Busch, Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Clear Channel)

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Diamonds and Pearls - Kendrick also revealed that he wanted to work with Prince on his latest album but timing was an issue. “I went out to his headquarters and did a show with him. We were vibing in the studio but we were pressed for time. But I didn’t trip off not getting a song done because I really appreciated the actual game he was giving me. He was breaking down some things that I need to consider in my career… Just really taking control of your creativity. He gave me some real jewels about that and what Jay Z is doing is really confirmation about what Prince was telling me.(Photos from left: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Anheuser-Busch, Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Clear Channel)