Chris Paul & Kendrick Lamar Talk Competition & Negative Influences In "ESPN The Magazine" + Will & Jada Pinkett Smith & Jay-Z PRODUCING New HBO Comedy Series

Kendrick Lamar and Chris Paul teamed up for an interview with ESPN The Magazine.  See highlights inside and get the latest on what Will & Jada Smith and Jay Z are producing for HBO.

Hitting newsstands on Friday, rapper Kendrick Lamar and LA Clippers baller Chris Paul sat down with ESPN The Magazine‘s Music Issue. Inside, Kendrick and Lamar (who met over Twitter) carried on a discussion about the parallels between music and sports.  Here are the highlights:

How have you sidestepped the land mines in your fields?
Lamar: The negative influences, the drinking and smoking, you’re around it every day. But that doesn’t entice me. You do it, and you think it’s cool because your boys are doing it, so you’re a follower. I reached a point in my life where I wanted to be a leader. If this stuff don’t entice me, why am I following you? Once I looked in the mirror and decided this is who I am, and I’m not scared of who I am, and I’m not scared that I can’t be like you, and I’m good with just doing me, that’s when I found myself, as a man.
Paul: Family was real important in putting me on my path. I’m so blessed to come from a home with a mother and a father. What I do for a living, a lot of people didn’t have that. And like Kendrick’s saying, I learned not to give in to peer pressure. You think those people are your friends, but I think they see it as a weakness. If you don’t give in that first time, that second time, not only will they leave you alone, but they’ll realize how strong you are. You know, I’m a little brother. I’ve always been small.(5) People have said I have a Napoleon complex. But I’ve always had to fight for everything that I have.
Lamar: That’s what makes the relationship between sports and music so cool. At the end of the day, what’s most important is that these two kids who kept on grinding super hard are coming together. And that shows the next little kid in the neighborhood, if Chris and Kendrick can do it, I can do it.
Paul: That’s the other side of the business relationship: Genuine friendship has to be there too. I mean, my brother is my ace, my wife is my wife, but some of the things I go through, they can’t understand. That’s where this relationship with Kendrick initially comes from — you see somebody just like you who overcame hard times and strives to be the greatest in their field.

Is competition as important to you as it is to Chris’ day job?
Lamar: It’s very important. It only helps the craft. If you’re making good music, I want to make good music too. I want to be right there at that level. If you always have this competitive nature, as far as upping our game, the people will always be happy. The music will live forever.
Paul: When I heard that verse, I immediately texted him and told him how crazy it was. [Laughs] But like he said, competition is what keeps you going. When I played against Steve Nash the first time, the night before, I couldn’t sleep. He’d just won MVP, and I couldn’t wait to compete against him. Now, it’s funny, I’m nine years into the league, and there are so many great young point guards in our league. They’re coming for me like I was going for Nash. It’s competition — it’s why we do this.

Read the full interview here.

Watch BTS video here:

In other entertainment news……

With Annie (hitting theaters in December 2014) , Fela! and Free Angela, already under their belts, producing partners Will and Jada Pinkett Smith and Jay-Z are teaming up to bring a new half-hour comedy series to HBO starring Scottish DJ and record producer Calvin Harris. Tentatively titled "Higher", the series will take place in the world of electronic music. The script will be written by Irvine Welsh.

The Randomness:

1.  Bill Cosby returning to NBC in a family comedy.  Story.

 Photogs: Nunez/Mazur/Countess

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