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By Abby Hassler
Kendrick Lamar addressed his criticism of Fox News and Geraldo Rivera in a new, wide ranging interview with Zane Lowe.
On the first track, “BLOOD,” Lamar sampled clips of Fox News commenters talking about his performance of “Alright” from the 2015 BET Awards. Lamar also included Fox News samples in his “DNA” track and music video. In “YAH,” Lamar rapped, “Fox News wanna use my name for percentage … Somebody tell Geraldo this n—- got some ambition.”
Related: Kendrick Lamar to Drop More Music?
“I thought it was a trip,” Lamar said of the conservative criticism. “It was clickbait, because anybody that know me, they know… I represent my people and the culture the right way, so to try and attack my character and make it an actual stunt, I wasn’t for it,” Lamar explained.
Rivera has since doubled down on his position, taking to social media to respond to Lamar’s jabs in an 18-minute video last Friday (April 14). At first, Rivera spoke highly Lamar, saying,”Aside from Drake, in my opinion, [Lamar is] probably the best hip-hop artist out there today.”
Yet in the video, he reiterated his prior stance that hip-hop music and rap are “very destructive culturally.”
“[Hip-hop is] the worst role model. It’s the worst example. It’s the most negative possible message,” Rivera said. “And what’s the point of it? I mean, you sell records. I get that. You sell records. I get that this stuff is, you know, popular, but it avoids the central reality, just as Black Lives Matter avoids the central reality.”
Watch the video below.