Kendrick Lamar has given a motivational talk to kids again, only this time it's not for Drake's kids.
On June 7, Lamar made an unexpected appearance at Compton College's 2024 graduation ceremony, where he gave a short speech celebrating the new graduates. Lamar, a Compton native, has long made the city a central character in his musical and visual iconography, including his 2022 appearance at the Super Bowl halftime show at SoFi Stadium.
“You had a lot of hardships, not only in your home and in your communities, but more importantly within yourself, and that's the hardest thing to overcome,” Lamar said. “We continue to grow day by day, brick by brick, making sure to develop both physically and spiritually.”
“When I walk through these cities and countries, I can be proud and say this is where I came from,” Lamar continued. “Compton has always been the future for me. I think we spawned some of the most incredible individuals, creators and intellectuals. “I have traveled all over the world, there is no place like this here.”
The speech was his first public appearance since his incendiary feud with rival Drake, where the two rappers traded vicious accusations about their personal and professional lives. Lamar was widely seen as the victor and scored two Hot 100-topping singles: “Like That” and “Not Like Us” in the war that followed.
Pulitzer Prize winner Lamar also just announced a one-off hometown show, “The Pop Out: Ken and Friends,” scheduled for the Kia Forum in Inglewood during the Juneteenth holiday, June 19.
