Kendrick Lamar Opens Up to NPR: "I Can't Change the World Until I Change Myself First"

As Kendrick Lamar wraps up another banner year for his career, he recently sat down with NPR for an in-depth interview about To Pimp a Butterfly, his childhood, dealing with success, and much more.

On the issue of his own fame, Kendrick says that it comes from when good kid, m.A.A.d. city hit platinum status two years ago. "You can have the platinum album, but when you still feel like you haven't quite found your place in the world — it kind of gives a crazy offset," he says. "When you go inside these places, no matter how much money you have, no matter how much success, when you still feel like you're not comfortable, where's the feeling in that?"

Along with the problems from his success, Kendrick explains that the loss of friends back in Compton while he's on the road touring has been an issue that he's constantly struggling with. In particular, the loss of his close friend Chad Keaton this past summer, who was shot in their hometown. "I was actually best friends with his older brother, which is incarcerated right now," Kendrick says. "And him just always telling me to make sure that Chad is on the right path. And, you know, he was on the right path. But, you know, things happen where sometimes the good are in the wrong places, and that's exactly what happened."

As far as the "Hypocrite" line on "The Blacker the Berry," Kendrick says that he was talking about himself and what he can do better in life. "It's not me pointing at my community; it's me pointing at myself," he says. "I don't talk about these things if I haven't lived them, and I've hurt people in my life. It's something I still have to think about when I sleep at night."

You can listen to the interview in full below.