With every verse, song and interview released by, or about Grammy Award winner Kendrick Lamar the love we have for him shoots up another notch.
One of the most important factors to being a relevant and influential emcee is the realness factor. And yes, authenticity furiously drips from K.Dot soul. Thanks to the good folks over at Noisey, we have further proof of just how connected to the people the Compton rapper is with their docu-series Bompton(Pt. 1).
In this engrossing, ten-minute clip, Noisey, along with Kendrick, head out to his old ‘hood with K.Dot’s childhood friends rarely seen on video. They discuss what’s it’s like trying to be a good kid in a mad city.
But what’s most intriguing about this interview is the fact they kick it with one of K.Dot’s oldest friends, Little L, who is a Piru gang member, and was recently released from the L.A. County Jail . Hearing L tell his story, which easily could’ve been Kendrick’s, shows how much talent is actually lost to the streets every single day of the year.
Also, Noisey travels Kendrick’s former high school–Centennial High– to talk with Kendrick’s former teachers. And they also talk with one of UCLA’s crisis interventionist Dr. Jorja Leap about some of the deeper issues that gang members face.
I will say, though, as a young minority from a similar community, the principal at Kendrick’s old high school saying that she believes that the American dream is alive in Compton might kind of makes me screw my face up and nod in disagreement. Despite that, this is still a compelling piece of work.
Watch the video above.