Kendrick Lamar Opens Up About 'Control' Verse on Hot 97, Says It's 'Just A Feature' [YouTube Audio Interview]

Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar created an uproar in the hip-hop community with his verse on Big Sean's non-album track "Control." Listen to his full interview with Peter Rosenberg on Hot 97 above.

Calling himself the king of New York and dissing other players in the rap game struck up a heated conversation about lyrics. The verse caused a few rappers to respond and defend their city as well as their rapping. 16-year-old Astro came out with a response track addressing Lamar's "king Of New York" claims, telling him he will never compare to Brooklyn's Jay Z or Biggie. Papoose also went hard with his response to the verse, which Lamar called "comical."

Kendrick Lamar addressed his "Control" verse for the first time on NY's Hot 97 radio show with Peter Rosenberg, Thursday August 29th. Rosenberg asked whether or not Lamar anticipated the level of impact the verse would have. Kendrick said he viewed it as a "feature verse" challenging himself and the rap community, adding that he wasn't worried about other's reactions. Rosenberg agreed saying, "It garnered the attention that it did and it put an emphasis on the lyrics again..." Addressing the lack of meaning behind rap lyrics, Rosenberg said Lamar "threw a bullet out there" to hopefully inspire others to combine their "dope music" with lyrics that will get the world talking.

Hot 97 also addressed the issue of K Dot calling himself the "King of New York," replacing B.I.G's name with his next to Jay Z's and Nas'. Lamar responded with, "It's not about the culture, it's not about what side we're on. It's about being great, as Biggie, as Pac... I feel like I'm a student of the work they did."

Source: Hot 97