New Kendrick Lamar album set for winter 2014 release date, and he's confident it can top Good Kid MAAD City

'He has all these stories that will blow your brain'

Kendrick has already recorded 30 of 40 songs to choose from (Getty)

Kendrick Lamar has vowed to top Good Kid MAAD City with his new album, saying that if he keeps focusing on making something even better, it will be just that.

The rapper sat down with Complex to discuss the weight of expectation on the follow-up, which TDE president Terrence "Punch" Henderson likened to the challenge Nas faced following Illmatic.

"If I keep focusing on, 'I need to make something better than good kid,' it's going to be just that," Kendrick said of his creative process.

"That's not challenging yourself. I don't want to become that person reflecting on what has been done. What I'm doing now is the question. I'm only as good as my last word, my last hook, my last bridge."

Kendrick is still "getting his ideas down" for the new LP, which he says will be ready for a fourth quarter release, and he's already recorded 30 to 40 new songs for it (he laid down 60 to 70 for Good Kid).

The concern many fans hold over the new album is whether Kendrick has enough stories and experiences to mine for it, having bared his soul on Good Kid, but his manager Dave Free says they are not in short supply.

"There were so many things I thought he was gonna talk about in Good Kid that he didn't," he told Complex.

"All these other stories, sh*t that will blow your brain, have never been heard before because they're just too personal. There's still so much to be said. The question is, is he gonna say it?"