Kendrick Lamar is a driving force in hip-hop, mainly because of the high quality of music he makes, but also because of the impact he has on our culture.

Recently, Kendrick struck a deal with Reebok for a new line of shoes in order to try and bridge the gap between rival gangs. While Kendrick will likely make a few dollars off of this endeavor, he made it clear to Complex, in a recent interview, that the money was far from the driving force:

“I couldn’t just slap my name on a shoe say, “Hey, go buy that.” It doesn’t have a connection,” says Kendrick. “The connection comes from the people first. They make the decisions; I don’t make the decisions. We create it, but the foundation comes from the people accepting it.”

During a recent photo shoot with Reebok, Kendrick surprised some kids in Manchester and joined in on their cypher. Epic moment for those kids to say the least.

Read the full interview with Complex here and watch the freestyle below.