Ice Cube on His Influence on Kendrick Lamar and the Essence of Rap Battles

Ice Cube recently shared his thoughts on referencing Kendrick Lamar in his new single, “It’s My Ego.” In the track, Cube raps, “I was Kendrick before Kendrick/Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, like Jimi Hendrix.” During an interview on SiriusXM’s Rock the Bells Radio, Cube elaborated on the comparison, emphasizing the shared qualities he sees between himself and Lamar.

“Just, you know, a provocative artist,” Cube explained, as noted by Entertainment Weekly. “An artist that said what I felt, put it all out there, very critical of the system and the government and what we have to go through as Black people in this country. I think he’s the same kind of artist: a thought-provoking artist. I was that before he was.”

Cube has shown admiration for Lamar multiple times this year. In a separate interview discussing Lamar’s ongoing rivalry with Drake, Cube expressed his support for the feud, describing it as a healthy part of hip-hop. “I approve of the beef,” he said on the Big Pod with Shaq. “I always approve of rap battles. That’s the essence of the game… As long as it doesn’t get physical, ’cause that’s not rap. When it gets physical, that’s just street crime.” Cube added his opinion on the exchange: “I think Kendrick is up; he’s landed the harder, more effective punches, so to speak.”