Kendrick Lamar Says Writing Keeps Him Sane

Kenrick Lamar and Timothée Chalamet are artists of the highest order and are sharing insights into how they hone their crafts.

In a conversation that aired on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football on Feb. 7, the “Not Like Us” rapper and A Complete Unknown star discussed songwriting and acting.

K-Dot explained that he tries to remain open to new ideas and new inspiration.

“I’m always locked in and always trying new things,” Kendrick said.  “I have to keep the pen moving. It’s my form of sanity. And it also has given me the opportunity to learn myself, you know, find out who I am.”

Kendrick also shared how works through his emotions and vulnerabilities when he’s in writing mode.

“When you’re writing, you got to sit and go through the emotions and be vulnerable about it, whether it’s a fun song or sad.” Lamar continued. “Regardless of the subject and whether it is a happy or sad song.

“A lot of these records I write, man, a lot of stuff I probably would have never expressed or even known about myself if it wasn’t for an instrumental behind it,” he added.

 Chalamet spoke about his approach to acting and the impact of an audience.

“The thing about acting is, if you don’t have an audience, it’s just a form of insanity. And you’re just, what are you doing?” Chalamet told Lamar. “So I definitely try to warm up and then, you know, lose that self-consciousness when you finally get back out there. But that takes time.”

The conversation was the lead-up for Kendrick’s highly anticipated halftime performance at Super Bowl LIX. If you’re wondering, Kendrick has confirmed that he will perform “Not Like Us.”