I was excited when I saw these photos for the VIBE 2013 “Big List” issue! Miguel and Kendrick Lamar are two of my favorite artists and they are changing the R&B and Hip Hop game right now! During their interview, Miguel and Kendrick Lamar discuss their impression of each other’s music, which artists keep them on their toes, what they hope to accomplish and more. Check out pictures and some excerpts from the interview.
Miguel on Kendrick: I just like that it’s an honest perspective. Sometimes you listen to MCs and you’re like, This sh-t sounds cool, the verse and the cadence or whatever, but when you look at the artist, it just doesn’t translate. I don’t get that from Kendrick. Younger artists, we’re all striving to be ourselves. He’s one of the best examples of that.
Kendrick on Miguel: Likewise. As far as Miguel, one thing I said these past couple of years, from an R&B perspective, I always felt like it’s been missing the depth of actually telling a story. Everything on the radio has been cliché. But when you get a body of work like Miguel’s, you hear actual intricate details and lines where it’s not just saying, Come here girl, blah blah blah. [MiguelLaughs] You’re hearing the steps to get there. And that’s the part of R&B that’s been missing for a long time. To actually hear somebody new doing it and taking pride in such intricate details that make the song that much better, it makes you wanna ride to it all day. I come from that world of oldies and gangster rap. My pops probably played more R&B and vocalists in the house than gangster rap, so I always listened for lyrics and the sh-t that make the women feel good. Once they like it, you know the dudes gon’ follow it right after, so you gotta be up on your sh-t.
The Artists That Keeps Them On Their Toes
KENDRICK: My partner J. Cole is always keeping it to the point where you have to show and prove. My partner Drake kills it.
MIGUEL: What’s f-cked up about R&B is that that camaraderie doesn’t exist. I don’t really know why.
I wish I could be like “my partner” or “my homie,” but it’s not really like that. You could have a 2 Chainz, Kendrick Lamar, Drake and A$AP Rocky record; they’re all different, but they’re new and dope. You can have that and everyone’s confident in their own uniqueness and appeal. I hope we can do that. In R&B, I have to pay attention to every male artist. Usher is a friend. Vocally there’s no one f-cking with Usher right now in mainstream R&B. I’m always paying attention to his riffs, ’cause he’s always pushing himself. I’ve never heard Usher do one take of vocals the same. He’s insane. Obviously I’m paying attention to Frank or the Weeknd. Jesse Boykins, who is a friend as well, is another artist who’s doing something different, fresh and new.
What They Hope To Accomplish
MIGUEL: Kendrick is poised to be the next staple in hip-hop and I certainly intend on becoming that for R&B, working my ass off and taking risks.
KENDRICK: Definitely. The biggest goal is to say, “Damn, we did it.” Think about Jay-Z and R. Kelly and everything they accomplished. I don’t know if they’re on talking terms now, but I’m sure they’d say, “Damn, we did it,” 20 years down the line. That’s the ultimate high—to accomplish what you sought after, just like those two did.
Miguel and Kendrick Lamar teamed up for Miguel”s “How Many Drinks” Remix. Check it out below. You can also see them perform at the Budweiser Made In America Festival this Labor Day Weekend (I need to be at that festival)!!
These two are definitely the New Classics!
Source: VIBE.com & Necole Bitchie
