Kendrick Lamar
King Kunta
With Kendrick Lamar‘s sophomore album release around the corner, the anticipation, speculation and hype is at an all time high. Today, we get another glimpse into the project with “King Kunta,” an ode to the P-Funk era. Over a groovy bassline, King Kendrick delivers a gritty empowering message with a James Brown-esque cadence. In the closing chapter of George Clinton‘s memoir, he talks about working with Kendrick Lamar. “King Kunta” likely emerged from those sessions with its distinct Parliament/Funkadelic sound. Give this one a listen above–To Pimp A Butterfly drops on March 23rd. Check out what Clinton had to say about Lamar below:
George Clinton: The other day I did a session with the rapper Kendrick Lamar. Even before I met him I was laughing at “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe,” which had the same silly-serious tone we tried for in Funkadelic. He came down to Tallahassee to record with me, and it was beautiful…He acts like he’s about fifty with all his theories. When I met Sly Stone, he knew of P-Funk because he heard those records himself, as they came out. When I met Rakim, he knew of P-Funk because he listened to his brother’s records. With Kendrick, it was his parents’ records. He didn’t just know the hits. He knew the deepest of the deep cuts. When you talk about your old work with a young man with an old mind, the work feels less old. We talked about my old songs and they were renewed. When the past comes rushing into the present that way, I can see clearly that artwork is a living thing. Younger artists teach me that I taught them. That’s why I’m grateful to Kendrick Lamar, and to anyone who is carrying on the P-Funk tradition.
