(AllHipHop News) Even though his latest album came out nine months ago, Kendrick Lamar has been on a mini press run as of late. The new round of sit downs with media outlets is most likely due to the fact the California representative recently earned 11 Grammy nominations. That nomination total is the most of any artist this year, the most ever for a Hip Hop artist in one night, and the second most ever in one night behind Michael Jackson’s record of 12.

[ALSO READ: Kendrick Lamar Addresses “Respectability Politics” Criticism Of His Song “The Blacker The Berry”]

Kendrick’s most recent interview was with the New York Times. The “Alright” rapper covered numerous topics including his Grammy nods. K. Dot also spoke about his favorite rap music of 2015 where he defended Atlanta performer Future as a Hip Hop artist.

On Grammy nominations:

I wasn’t surprised. The Grammys have taste. They’ve had taste for a long time. I’m just more excited that they recognize the time and effort put into the project — gathering all these musicians in one place for six months to a year at a time. It is truly appreciated that they can hear the different influences inside the record.

That’s the biggest accomplishment as far as the nominations: that people recognize it as an album. It’s not just a collection [of songs]. We pride ourselves on that. I wanted it to be that body of work again the same way I did with my first record. This time around, I wanted to make sure that not only were the lyrics appreciated or the beats, but the musicianship, as far as my writing skills, my arrangements. That’s me challenging myself.

On his favorite rap music of the year:

Of course Future killed it. He smashed. Drake smashed. Future’s work ethic was crazy, his energy. This is the thing about hip-hop music and where people get it most misconstrued: It’s all hip-hop. You can’t say that just what I do is hip-hop, because hip-hop is all energies. James Brown can get on the track and mumble all day. But guess what: You felt his soul on those records…

I don’t know what makes them move on a personal level. I can’t knock it. It feels good when I listen to it, when I’m in that vibe. You feel it. You can get the highest level of that — you can get Future — or you can get the watered-down version, somebody else trying to be that. That’s the bad [expletive].

Read Kendrick Lamar’s full interview with the New York Times here.