Kendrick Lamar Loves Compton

With the exciting news that Kendrick Lamar will be performing shows in Australia in March, we take a look at the talented rappers relationship with his hometown of Compton, the small city in South-Central Los Angeles with a big reputation.

Though gangs and drugs have long plagued Compton and contributed to it's reputation as one of the most violent places in America, it also boats a rich hip-hop legacy. Kendrick hasn’t shied away from embracing this history and in a recent piece in Paper he pays trinbute to one-time member of N.W.A. and Compton local Eazy-E.

“I remember when I was five or six years old, waking up one morning and seeing this guy bust through the TV screen, rapping over some song called “We Want Eazy”. […] I remember looking at that video and just feeling like, "Man, this dude feels like an action superhero." Little did I know, Eazy-E came from my same neighbourhood in Compton.”

Though he never had the opportunity to show his appreciation to the late Eazy, Lamar interviewed the remaining members of N.W.A to discuss the importance of their music in highlighting the realities of the Compton community.

When asked by Lamar about the greater exposure that N.W.A. gave to their shared hometown, Ice Cube said, “Unless you come from Compton, it’s not a world you’re privy to. Our music let you visit Compton from a safe distance. […] Now you care. You heard what’s going on in the hood, and you’re interested. Now Compton means something to you. Now you pay attention. We were able to shed light on some of the bullshit that was going down. We presented it in a way that you could digest, comprehend and sympathize with what we were going through. ”

In the interview Lamar seems genuinely humbled by the opportunity to speak to these men who have not only inspired him as an artist, but who helped to shape and define the community he grew up in.

Lamar pays tribute to Compton, as well as his long-time hero 2Pac, in his video for single “King Kunta”. The video acts as a tour of Compton landmarks, in one scene Kendrick can be seen dancing on the roof of the Compton Swap Meet while hundreds of fans groove along below him. The swap meet is famous among locals as a one-stop-shop for everything from knock-off Gucci bags to an amazing selection of hip hop CDs.

It's so notorious that in the video for 2Pac's “California Love”, it's 'Pac's first stop when he needs to get some new duds for Dr. Dre's party, and the two can be seen hanging out together in the Swap Meet car park at the beginning of the video.

A young Kendrick Lamar was one of the excited onlookers watching these two shoot the film clip back in '96; so it's inclusion in the video isn't only a tribute to his home, but also a nod to one of his idols. When asked about the video, Lamar told MTV [https://youtu.be/PLvLOn59Qco] “I just went back to that same Compton Swap Meet, jumped on the roof and shot “King Kunta” there. And all them kids was out looking and a good friend of mine said, “You was one of them kids looking at ’Pac when he was up here doing that; now they’re looking at you.” It blew me away, tripped me out that 15 years later I’m doing that same thing ’Pac was doing right in Compton. It's a beautiful thing.”

Kendrick Lamar returns to Australia for two headline arena shows next March. Telstra customers can access pre-sale tickets from Wednesday October 14 at 10am through Telstra Thanks.

Kendrick Lamar Australia 2016
March 21 – Melbourne at Rod Laver Arena
March 23 – Sydney at Allphones Arena