Charlamagne Tha God weighed in on comparisons between the late Tupac Shakur and Kendrick Lamar, insisting that the comparisons should stop being made between the two prominent artists.
In an interview with Montreality, Charlamagne was asked who he believes is the biggest rapper right now. He responded predictably, listing off a possible tie between Drake, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole.
“I don’t know if there is one particular answer.” Charlamagne said. “Everybody’s got these different, cult-like followings. And their fan bases love them tremendously.”
“I don’t think it’s one supreme individual who is the most influential in the game right now”.
Charlamagne was then asked his opinion on the comparisons drawn between Kendrick and Tupac. He was quick to point out the flaws in the comparison, and how they hurt new artists instead of helping them grow. “No, they will never match up, and we need to stop doing that to the new guys,” he said. “We have to stop putting them on the same level as ghosts. And what I mean by ghosts is guys like Tupac, guys like The Notorious B.I.G., guys like Jay Z, Dr. Dre. Those are legendary figures who have already done it. They’ve been through every door that any of these new guys could possibly even think of going through.”
Charlamagne capped off his point by suggesting that instead of focusing on similarities between Tupac and Kendrick, “Kendrick should be working on being the first Kendrick.” Rightfully, he’s showing that upcoming artists should work on focusing on themselves and their own identity, rather than try to fit into a mould left by somebody else.
If you have a spare three minutes, his short interview below is worth a watch.
Read our live review and see our photos of Kendrick Lamar during his recent performance in Sydney.
Image: HipHopWired