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Kristopher Jones
Professor McKenzie
American Literature
15 April 2015
Compton Hood Life: Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar is the urban sound of the west coast and parts of the east. He searched
into vast openness of his life and grasped a dream that became reality for him. Kendrick Lamar
Duckworth was born in Compton, California in June 17, 1987. Before Kendricks birth his lived
in Chicago, Illinois. His father was associated with Gangster Disciples, a widely known gang in
Chiraq. His parents had decided to move away from gang culture and moved to Compton,
California. Kendrick grew up on the streets mostly because of West Coast Gang violence. Even
though these gang activities influenced him he was a great student who enjoyed writing poems
and making them into rap lyrics. At the age of sixteen he released his first mixtape The Masked
Gorilla under the name K Dot, eight years after watching rappers Tupacs and Dr. Dres music
video California Love for the first time (Kendrick Lamar Biography).
Kendrick Lamar is now one of the greatest freestylers in the rap industry. One of
Kendrick Lamars biggest accomplishments includes his newest album To Pimp a Butterfly. This
album has sold over 1.21 million copies. His biggest achievement is being recognized by Dr.
Dre. His fame had finally become worth. When they met, Kendrick had become one of the
greatest upcoming M.C.s in the rap industry. After a couple of months he then released his
album Good Kid M.A.A.D City on October 22, 2012. 3 singles from that album reached Top Ten
of Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart such as Swimming Pools (Drank), Poetic Justice, and
Dont Kill My Vibe (Kellman).

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In August 2013, Kendrick dropped a verse on Big Seans single Control. He then
announced himself to be the King of New York. He was then crowned the New King of West
Coast Hip Hop by rappers Snoop Dogg, Dr.Dre, Jay Z, and Nas. Lamar's appeal to the masses
didn't stop there. The thought-provoking lyrics on his debut album caught the attention of hip
hop critics as well, with MTV naming him the "Hottest MC" of 2012 putting him in the company
of other rappers who have earned the title, including Lil Wayne, Jay Z, and Kanye West.
Additionally, critics took note of Lamar's verse on the song "Control," by rapper Big Sean.
Although the track was penned by another artist, Lamar's verse drew attention because of his
challenge to several other popular names in the hip-hop world, including Drake, J. Cole and Big
Sean himself. The bold claims in the controversial verse rapped by Lamar brought about a vibe
that was reminiscent of the classic hip-hop era, drawing appreciation from critics, rappers and
fans alike ("Kendrick Lamar." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 22 Apr. 2015).
When asked about the start of his career he replied, At first, I was scared to fear because
you can never be sure how people will perceive you. But I dared myself to do that, to stand out.
K-Dot was also asked to name one book that changed something about him. In response to the
question, he named The Autobiography Of Malcolm X. He said:
The book played a role in helping him communicate with people from different walks of
life. For me, its about communicating with people, he said. You know, the more I
communicate. I was one of them kids that were in the house at six, seven years old
having full conversations with grown people that .were at the party. So, taking that
lifestyle and going across the world and talking to other people from other different
cultures and walks of life, it gives you a little bit more wisdom. I had to see things the
way you see it and make sense of everything thats going on around you.

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Works Cited
"Kendrick Lamar." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 22 Apr. 2015
Kellman, Andy. "Kendrick Lamar Bio | Kendrick Lamar Career." MTV Artists. N.p., n.d.
Web. 22 Apr. 2015. <http://www.mtv.com/artists/kendrick-lamar/biography/ Andy Kellman>.
"Kendrick Lamar." BET.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.bet.com/topics/k/kendrick-lamar.html>.