The Life of Kendrick Lamar

Brut America

"I think I was put on this Earth just to do music."   He's a proud Compton native and the first rapper to win a Pulitzer Prize. Kendrick Lamar is back with his first solo album in five years, "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers." This is his story.

Transcript

00:00In the state of just being a black man, I've been caught, you know, many things.

00:03I am a king, you know, no matter what you call me.

00:23Tell me a little bit about yourself, Kendrick.

00:26I'm 22. I was born and raised in Compton, California.

00:30I love music. I think I was put on this earth just to do music.

00:55I was surrounded by music my whole life.

00:57I was raised on oldies and gangsta music.

01:00And my parents was the parents that loved to party, man.

01:12Three of my homeboys that summertime, yeah, was murdered.

01:16You still have to face realities of this.

01:17I gotta get back off that tour bus and go to these funerals.

01:27It's something I can never forget, you know, from physically seeing them,

01:38to hearing them on record, to him applying himself in the community.

01:57It was the moment I knew I've arrived. It's not an introduction.

02:09He plays a beat and say right to it.

02:12It's like crack when you first hear your vocals come out from speakers, man.

02:18And that's something I kept chasing. I wanted to keep hearing.

02:41The leadership. How can I use it for better or for worse?

02:54With money and with my celebrity, how can I pimp it?

02:56Can I pimp it negatively or can I pimp it in a positive way?

03:11We know we are right!

03:39Tell us what this means to you.

03:41It's an honor. I've been writing my whole life, so to get this type of recognition, it's beautiful.

04:11I come from a generation of pain, where murder is minor.

04:34Rebellious and more jealous, a tribute for designer.

04:37Belt buckles that cloud over zealous, a throne of violence.

04:40Anybody can be a rapper. My little brother can put some words on the paper with that rhyme and call it a rap.

04:44This is nothing to be reckoned with. This is a real art. This is hip-hop.

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