Kendrick Lamar breaks his silence...kind of

Rap media takes another hit

Kendrick Lamar breaks his silence. Well, kind of. After starting—and finishing—hip-hop’s biggest battle in recent memory, the rapper decided to share his story in what might be the most underwhelming conversation. In another hit to rap media, Kendrick appears on the new cover of Harper’s Bazaar—he’s the fifth man to appear solo on the magazine— interviewed by friend and former TDE label mate SZA. We’ll get to that in a minute.

Let’s start with the positives. The photos look amazing. The styling is great. The golden hour lighting is A-1. I expect nothing less of a high fashion publication. Any one of these images could be used as album artwork.

Now, let’s get to the real issue.

Kendrick Lamar should have spoken to a real rap journalist.

This interview is a softball, celebrity lovefest. Like every single celebrity interview nowadays across genre. From the read, I don’t think the questions were pre-seeded but it definitely sounds like a conversation that was very curated and very edited. The Harper’s Bazaar editor most likely recorded the conversation and edited and condensed it for the final issue. I’m almost sure that Kendrick, who barely does press, had a “Do Not Ask” list.

For a rapper who’s prided himself as bringing real rap back, there’s no mention of the battle or his main target Drake. I understand that most of Harper’s Bazaar readers aren’t hip-hop heads but this is what elevated him in the pop culture zeitgeist. That’s why we’re talking about him. That’s why he got the Super Bowl. The reason he’s on the cover is completely ignored.

If Harper’s Bazaar needed a rap journalist who can speak fashion, we exist *cough*. But that’s neither here nor there ;)

I’m not saying celebrities need to talk to anyone and everyone. A lot of the people posing as journalists are podcast bros, drama channels and influencers with Amazon mics.

However, when the biggest artists turn their back on real journalists, what are we left with? This is something that I’ve criticized Kendrick, J. Cole and Drake for. As the “big 3” in hip-hop, they decide who to give access to and what voices get amplified. As it stands now, it isn’t great. Drake is literally sitting down with TikTokers and fly fishing magazines. How they move influences the next generation of artists as well as media professionals. I can’t see how a young hip-hop journalist, especially women, would be inspired at this moment.

On the other end, publications need to realize that celebrities need coverage as much as they need them. It’s a symbiotic relationship. Somewhere along the line, media let A-list stars control the interview and we all suffered for it. A cover story cannot be an email interview. A cover story cannot be censored by the subject. The subject doesn’t get to choose the interviewer. There’s a reason most interviews now lack any honesty, insight or analysis. And longevity.

You can read the full Kendrick Lamar interview here. What do you think about it? At least the pictures are pretty.