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Grammy nominated and Compton born and raised rapper Kendrick Lamar will be given the city key to his hometown next month. The news came from Compton mayor Aja Brown’s Twitter account: “you inspire millions and rep Compton with honor!” she tweeted. Kendrick will be awarded the key to his childhood town on February 13th and replied to Brown’s tweet letting her know he appreciated her kind words. See their interaction in the gallery at the bottom of the post.
Kendrick started his hip-hop career in Compton recording under the pseudonym of K-dot and releasing his first mixtape at the age of 16, Youngest Head Nigga in Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year) in 2003. The tape garnered local acclaim for the young rapper which led to K-dot signing with Top Dawg Entertainment where he would release three acclaimed albums including 2015’s To Pimp A Butterfly which leads the 2016 Grammys with 11 nominations. K-dot has come a long way from his Compton roots.
The Compton rapper also met with President Obama back in October to discuss how to improve communities “and the impact a mentor can have on a young person without proper guidance in life.” Kendrick’s label Top Dawg released a teaser video of their interaction called “Pay It Forward” which can be watched here.
Related: Level Two: How Kendrick Lamar Is Changing Late Night Performances
