Ice Cube has explained the intention behind his lyrics about Kendrick Lamar on his new single, “It’s My Ego.” On the song, Cube raps: “I was Kendrick before Kendrick/Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, like Jimi Hendrix.” Speaking about the song during an appearance on an interview with SiriusXM’s Rock the Bells Radio, Cube discussed how he views Lamar as being similar to himself.
“Just, you know, a provocative artist,” Cube explained, as caught by Entertainment Weekly. “An artist that said what I felt, put it all out there, very critical of the system and the government and what we have to go through as Black people in this country. I think he’s the same kind of artist: a thought-provoking artist. I was that before he was.”
Ice Cube & Kendrick Lamar At The Grammy Awards
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 15: Rapper Kendrick Lamar (R) accepts the award for Best Rap Album for “To Pimp a Butterfly” from rapper Ice Cube onstage during The 58th GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on February 15, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
It’s not the first time Cube has praised Lamar this year. Discussing his beef with Drake, he previously expressed his approval of the feud and declared Lamar the winner. “I approve of the beef,” he said on the Big Pod with Shaq. “I always approve of rap battles. That’s the essence of the game… As long as it doesn’t get physical, ’cause that’s not rap. When it get physical, that’s just street crime.” He added: “I think Kendrick is up, I think he’s landed the more hard and effective punches, so to speak.”
Ice Cube Discusses “It’s My Ego”
Check out Cube’s latest comments on Kendrick Lamar below. They come as Lamar continues to prepare for his upcoming headlining set at the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show. Be on the lookout for further updates on Ice Cube and Kendrick Lamar on HotNewHipHop.
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Cole Blake is a current staff writer at HotNewHipHop based out of New York City. He began writing for the site as an intern back in 2018 while finishing his B.A. in Journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s covered a number of breaking stories for HNHH. These include the ongoing YSL RICO trial, the allegations surrounding Diddy, and much more. His work also extends outside of hip-hop, having written extensively about a myriad of topics including politics, sports, and pop culture. He’s attended several music festivals to provide coverage for the site as well, such as Rolling Loud and Governors Ball.
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