Southern Plug Magazine: Leaders of the New School 2017 Volume 2 Issue 1 A | Page 21

Growing up in Compton, Kendrick Lamar, 28, saw the effects of
gangs and experienced unfair treatment from police. He knew what
it felt like to lose his home and move to a hotel with his family. The
28-year-old rapper drew on his experiences and the experiences of
those around him for musical inspiration. He quit drinking and
smoking weed when he was around 16 or 17 and focused on his rap
career, something he'd been interested in since watching Dr. Dre
and Tupac Shakur film the music video for "California Love.“ He has
since released a number of mixtapes and albums, but it was "good
kid, m.A.A.d city" that placed him on the map and got him seven
Grammy nominations in 2014. He was snubbed that night, losing all
seven categories he was nominated in, but the following year, he did
end up winning two for his single "i.“ This year, he has 11
nominations, and based on the response to his album "To Pimp a
Butterfly," released in March, he's primed to take more awards
home.