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Music

Dave Chappelle Talks with Kendrick Lamar About Self-Expression and Tupac

"Everybody has their own perspective, and recognizing someone else's perspective blows my mind a hundred thousand percent."

Kendrick Lamar's interviews are always essential, but adding another legend to the mix takes things up a notch. Dave Chappelle spoke to Lamar for this month's issue of Interview magazine in a conversation that touched on the state of the post-Trump world, the nature of comedy, and visiting Africa.

In response to a question posed by Chappelle about censorship and whether comedy goes too far, Kendrick says that his inspirations—N.W.A., Snoop Dogg, Richard Pryor—are about "self-expression" and that though "you might like it or you might not," it's in him to do the same as them. Lamar also reiterates that his music is inherently selfless, meant for his fans "people who are going through their struggles and want to relate to someone who feels the same way they do."

He also talks about how going to South Africa was an illuminating experience ("We never dream of Africa. Like, 'Damn, this is the motherland.'"), the influence of Tupac Shakur and LA ("The best thing I did was go back to the city of Compton, to touch the people who I grew up with and tell them the stories of the people I met around the world.") and how DAMN. is ultimately just a blast to do live ("To go on that stage and perform that record, that's the most fun I have. I get a full party every night.") You can read the full interview here.