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GQ put Kendrick Lamar, maybe the best rapper of his era, on the quilt of their 2013 Man of the 12 months subject. However the West Coast rapper’s handlers discovered the accompanying profile “offensive,” and “racial overtones” within the profile ruined the honour.
The Compton native was one in every of 5 individuals the boys’s journal selected to grace their annual year-end celebratory covers, alongside Justin Timberlake, Will Ferrell, Matthew McConaughey and James Gandolfini. In an interview with Steve Marsh, Lamar talks about coping with his sy excessive expectations, the trimmings of newfound fame, his simmering beef with Drake over Lamar’s perceived disses in a verse launched over the summer season, and the following drama (“scrap”) at a Diddy-thrown MTV Video Music Awards after occasion. Lamar was set to carry out on the Man of the 12 months occasion on November 12, however he was pulled from the invoice on the final minute.
Marsh’s deal with the headline grabbing tales that dominated Lamar’s 12 months — a fairly frequent characteristic in journal profiles — is seemingly what set off Anthony “High Dawg” Tiffith, the CEO of High Dawg Leisure, the West Coast document label Lamar calls residence. Tiffith launched an announcement Friday explaining why Lamar pulled out of the efficiency. Tiffith mentioned he was honored one in every of his artist’s obtained a GQ Man of the 12 months cowl, however did not take kindly to the way in which Marsh wrote about his artist or his label:
As a substitute, the story, written by Steve Marsh, put myself and my firm in a damaging gentle. Marsh’s story was extra centered on what most individuals would see as drama or bs. To say he was “shocked at our self-discipline” is totally disrespectful. As a substitute of placing emphasis on the great that TDE has accomplished for west coast music, and for hip hop as an entire, he spoke on what most individuals would think about whats flawed with Hip Hop music. Moreover, Kendrick deserved to be precisely documented. The racial overtones, instantly reminded everybody of a time in hip-hop that was destroyed by violence, ensuing within the lack of two of our greatest stars. We’d count on extra from a publication with the stature and status that GQ has. Because of this misrepresentation, I pulled Kendrick from his efficiency at GQ’s annual Man Of The 12 months occasion Tuesday, November twelfth.
He reiterated his reluctant complains with the GQ honor: “Whereas we predict it is a super honor to be named as one of many Males Of The 12 months, these lazy comparisons and offensive options are one thing we cannot tolerate. Our status, work ethic, and product is one thing that we guard with our lives,” Tiffith mentioned.
GQ’s editor-in-chief Jim Nelson launched an announcement in response Friday night. Mainly, he is baffled there was any subject taken with the profile:
“Kendrick Lamar is without doubt one of the most proficient new musicians to reach on the scene in years. That is the rationale we selected to rejoice him, wrote an extremely optimistic article declaring him the subsequent King of Rap, and gave him our highest honor: placing him on the quilt of our Males of the 12 months subject. I am undecided how one can spin that into a nasty factor, and I encourage anybody to learn the story and see for themselves. We have been mystified and sorely dissatisfied by High Dawg’s determination to tug him on the final minute from the efficiency he had promised to provide. The true disgrace is that folks have been disadvantaged of the enjoyment of seeing Kendrick carry out dwell. I am nonetheless an enormous fan.”
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