Kendrick Lamar on his New Album: ‘I am Trayvon Martin. I’m all of these kids’

Kendrick Lamar recently sat down to discuss his new album, "To Pimp A Butterfly," with The Guardian. In the interview, Lamar talked about his inspiration for this album, which addresses several serious topics, such as racism, African American history, and his plans for the future.

"It's really about me trying to balance these worlds - where I used to be and where I am today - from all different angles," Lamar explained. "This album was therapy for me. I was looking at myself in the mirror and trying to figure out who I really am."

He added, "When you enter the music industry, your life basically starts over. I'm still young and still learning."

Lamar was also asked about the timing of his album release, which happened at around the same time as the police brutality cases involving young and unarmed black men as well as the Trayvon Martin case. Martin was fatally shot by neighborhood watch coordinator, George Zimmerman in February 2012. He was only 17-years-old.

"The timing of both was kind of uncanny. It was almost a sign," Lamar said. "These are issues that if you come from that environment it's inevitable to speak on. It's already in your blood because I am Trayvon Martin, you know. I'm all of these kids. It's already implanted in your brain to come out your mouth as soon as you've seen it on the TV. I had that track way before that, from the beginning to the end, and the incident just snapped it for me."

Aside from speaking out about politics through his music, Lamar talked about growing up in Compton and staying out of trouble.

"It was the counterweight to peer pressure," he saod. "Whenever I wasn't on the streets with my homeys I was in the studio. It was something that kept me out of trouble. So my mom would let me stay out till four in the morning because she knew I was doing that."

Even though his album was just recently released, Lamar already has plans for his next one.

He teased, "I know exactly what I want to say next. Everything is going to make sense - not only to myself but to anybody who wants to understand life and music. Everything will make a little more sense."

Lamar is scheduled to perform at London's Wireless Festival on July 4th.