Reasons Why Kendrick Lamar is King

 

In November 1995,

Dr. Dre and Tupac went to Compton, California, to shoot their "California Love" video. They stopped in the middle of the street by the Compton Swap Meet and got out to talk to the people. An 8-year-old Kendrick Lamar was there, sitting on his dad's shoulders, transfixed by the West Coast legends. "Subconsciously, it sparked something," Lamar told WGCI-FM's The Morning Riot. "I always kept thinking about that moment."

In the almost 20 years since then, Lamar has hustled his way into the company of those rappers he watched in 1995. He's now under the tutelage of Dre himself, and he spoke to Tupac posthumously on his fantastic new record, To Pimp a Butterfly. Some of the biggest West Coast rappers call Lamar the "king of West Coast rap" — an even more valuable credential than his two Grammy Awards, No. 1 record and a Generational Icon award from California's 35th Senate District. 

None of that came easy. And the story behind how Lamar earned his crown only makes it shine brighter.

Before Lamar was leading West coast rap, he was Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, a young kid, growing as a part of a large extended family in Compton. His mother was one of 13 siblings, and each had six kids. Until Lamar was 13 years old, all of them lived in Compton.

 Lamar first started writing his own raps at 13 — a few years after he saw Tupac. And when he first heard his voice play back on a recording at 16, he was locked in.

He released his first mixtape at 16 under the moniker K. Dot, entitled Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year. His flows, which are about as good as an average radio MC today, caught the ear of a local record producer Anthony "Top" Tiffith. He brought Lamar into the studio where, according to legend, Lamar freestyled for two hours until Tiffith gave him a deal.

His freestyling caught a lot of ears early on. One of his breakout moments came at a Charles Hamilton show, while he was still calling himself K.Dot. Hamilton "had this dope act as part of his show, where he'd jump into the crowd and rap against people that's in the crowd. I just happened to be in attendance," Lamar told the Well Versed, introducing some prized throwback footage, "and I did what I did and it almost turned into a lightweight battle."

Lamar has since grown into a hip-hop leader, using his experiences to help others choose a path away from violence and self-destruction. Here are some of the reasons Lamar is king

1. 20 Grammy nominations, Won 2, 11 pending
2.  He’s unique. With a distinguishable voice and unique lyrics, he’s not afraid to stay true to his vision.
3.  MTV hottest Mc 4 times in a row
4. . He inspires positivity. Whether it’s his lyrics, his words to fans, or interviews, Kendrick’s always        promoting consciousness and change for the better.
5. His song- how much a dollar cost is barack Obama's favorite song
6. He gave us a classic, GKMC. When Kendrick dropped his 2012 'good kid m.A.A.d city' album it instantly became a classic that has been on heavy rotation ever since we first heard it.
7.  He’s loyal. Both to the city of Compton which he featured in his new “King Kunta” music video, to his crew, TDE and his fans