Kendrick Lamar recently covered JET Magazine’s Black History Month issue and discussed an array of things with the JET team. The Grammy nominee talked about what it was like to cover JET magazine, the social responsibility that artists have in music, his male role models, Jay Z’s influence, and more.

Read some highlights from the interview after the break and be sure to cop this issue of JET when it hits newsstands on Monday, January 27th.

On covering “JET”:

“I always seen [JET magazine] every time I walked into the house,” said Lamar. “It was always there. So I already knew that it had to hold some type of weight. Being a young cat, I had to know, since this magazine is right here all the time, it must be a powerful magazine. So it’s a privilege just to be a part of it, and for Black History Month, it’s a beautiful thing.”

On social responsibility in music:

“Hip-hop plays a huge part in Black history. It’s bigger than music. Entertainers are actually leading a generation today as role models, whether they want to or not.”

On using his music as a “movement”:

“(Songs) They are for that person who needs to hear them. People who live their lives to this music. So I take it a little further than just coming up with a clever line.”

On his male role models:

My earliest role model is my father, then my uncles Lil Man and Bobby,” Lamar shared. “These are the cats who I felt handled their business and took care of their family.”

On Jay Z’s influence:

“People forget that Jay Z is from the projects – but that inspires me. If this guy can go from the streets to the corporate world, that lets me know I’m open for anything.”

[Via]