Kendrick Lamar Names His Biggest Competitor: “He’s A Problem”

West Coast rapper Kendrick Lamar and rap sidekick Schoolboy Q recently shared their thoughts on what emcee keeps them going hard when it's time to lay down rhymes.

In K. Dot’s opinion, fellow Top Dawg Entertainment labelmate Jay Rock is in a class all by himself.

“Rock always been big brother, Rock always had that ‘urrgh.’ So when we got on the mic with Rock, you already know what time it is,” Kendrick told MTV News of the collaborations between him and his TDE labelmates Jay Rock, Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q. “You gotta do what you gotta do, because he’s gonna smash it and I’m glad that the world is finally recognizing it because he is a problem for sure.” “We competitive. We’re so competitive in the studio we would sit there and really go at, so going at it on the outside skirts — people that’s outside of the family, that’s nothing because we’re really going in on each other inside there,” Lamar said of the group’s internal motivations. (MTV)

Schoolboy co-signed Lamar’s comments and noted what makes Rock stand out the most.

Before Kendrick became rap’s it-guy, it was Jay Rock who helped to build Top Dawg Entertainment. “I honestly feel Rock — he probably himself feels like he’s the underdog or something,” Schoolboy Q said. “We look at him as the n—a that started it up, gave us our starter kit, introduced to the game. [He] brought us places and took us on the road; we didn’t go on the road until we went with him.” (MTV)

Recently, “Rap God” Eminem showered the self-proclaimed “King of New York” with accolades.

“What he’s doing right now, it’s pretty f*cking incredible,” Eminem says of Lamar, sounding genuinely excited. “He seems like this kid that’s just full of life and happy to be here. The impact he’s had over just the last couple of years. it’s been really fun for me to watch.” (Billboard)

Back in September, rap star Kanye West boasted about his admiration for Lamar.

“[The upcoming tour with Kendrick?] Yeah, it’s one hundred percent, it’s one hundred percent. I’m just looking forward to the opportunity to speak to this brother as much as possible. That, those conversations are going to be more than I even said right here. Because he’s one of our future messengers. You know? And I’m going to give him those jewels.” (BBC Radio 1)

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