Kendrick Lamar reveals he almost didn't release Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

It's been five months since Lamar released his latest album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, and in a new interview with W Magazine, he spoke about some doubts he had when completing work on the project, and how his children helped him push forward.

Lamar said, "When I got to completion and I said, 'I may or may not put this out; I’m not going to put this out; it’s way too much,' I thought about my children. I thought about when they turn 21, or they’re older in life, and when I got grandchildren, or if I’m long gone - this can be a prerequisite of how to cope. That’s the beauty of it for me."

He also spoke about the obstacles he had to overcome with releasing the personal album, such as hurting family members with information on the record, "I’m a private person; it was tough for me. The reason why I had to make that decision, whether they was for or against it, I just didn’t want the influence. I could have cut corners and got flashy with it and worded my words a certain way - nah, I had to be in the rawest, truest form I could possibly be in order for it to be freeing for me, in order for me to have a different outlook and the perspective on people I’m talking to. I had to reap whatever consequences came behind that, and also be compassionate and show empathy if they were hurt by it."