Compton Rapper Kendrick Lamar Interview: Speaks On Working W/Dr Dre To Finish Detox. Possible Mixtape W/J. Cole & Why He's Avoided Smoking Weed Or Joining A Gang [Video]

Kendrick Lamar is a name you should get familiar with because you will be hearing a lot from him in the upcoming months.

Ashley Outrageous caught up with the West Coast rhyme spitter recently. Due to scheduling conflicts (she’s on the East Coast), the two had to chop it up via iChat.

As a lot of you probably have heard, Dr Dre mentioned recently that he really wanted to work with Kendrick. Soon after a picture surfaced of the two of them in the studio. What you had not heard or read until now, is confirmation of what they actually worked on together.

“We’re basically just trying to finish up this Detox album, putting the last finishing touches on that. It’s a privilege and honor for him to even bring me out on the last end. Because I know for a fact that I’m on the back end of the last touches of the album, it should be a go,” Kendrick said.

Now that the “Kush” single and video have been released, we’re closer to getting the ‘Detox’ album than ever. So you know Dre sees something special in Kendrick.

Others are taking notice of him as well.

The Compton rapper just wrapped up recording sessions with Roc Nation’s J. Cole.

“That’s a good dude, he reached out and I’ve always been a fan of his music. We got in the studio and made some magic happen. All I can tell you is that it might be more than one or two songs,” Kendrick said, hinting at a possible mixtape or EP with Cole.

One thing Kendrick made clear during the interview is that he is not a typical rapper. Despite living in an area known for a lot of gang activity, he’s never been in a gang himself, and he doesn’t smoke the sticky icky.

“My whole thing is I don’t want to base my stuff on a stereotype, or typical L.A. artist based around the gang culture. That’s something we’re all familiar with, but there’s other elements and the way [certain] people were raised was different.,” he said “There’s so much negative energy around Compton, California, you don’t ever see no positive light. So when I do my music and people hear that it’s somewhat of a positive light, they embrace it.”

Check the rest of the interview out below as Kendrick talks about possibly becoming a part of XXL’s 2011 Freshman class and his group Black Hippy.