At this second, I should be working on an essay on Kendrick Lamar that will soon be appearing in an alternative weekly near (or not near) you. I am not. Instead, I am procrastinating in the name of research and unearthed this old DubCNN interview with K. Dot before he became Kendrick Lamar.

The interview takes place in early 2007, shortly before his first official mixtape, Training Day. On said mixtape, he rhymes over old Dilla and Reflection Eternal instrumentals and basically embodies Has-Lo and Mike Eagle’s “Your Backpack Past.”

The interview itself isn’t that remarkable other than that it confirms that at one point Kendrick and TDE had a tentative deal with the Roc. Thus, perhaps being the (sort of) smoking gun that the ghost-writing rumors that he did you know what for you know who. It’s also strange to see how arrogant he seems in contrast to the more humble Kendrick that made the rounds for good kid. Either way, it’s weird to think that there is an alternate history of Kendrick and Danny Brown both being signed to the Roc/Def Jam. Instead, we got Lady Sovereign.