Kendrick Lamar Reminisces on Growing Up in Compton [Video]

VEVO tagged along as Kendrick Lamar returned to his childhood home in Compton in the latest LIFT episode. The “Swimming Pools” rapper opened up about his family life, speaking from the same kitchen where he wrote his independent album Section.80.

Kendrick’s parents’ taste in music rubbed off on him. “My mom and my pops were influential. They played everything from gangsta rap to oldies,” he said. “You hear Snoop, Dre, you hear Marvin Gaye on the next track. They stayed in my corner and said what you got to do in life is find something positive.”

His parents remain supportive of his career to this day. “They really support me the most because they know at the end of the day, it’s a turn around that I’m trying to put on with the music,” said Kendrick, whose debut good kid m.A.A.d city is due in October. “That’s why I’m able to walk through Compton and when I walk though it, people give me that respect and that salute.”

Kick it in Compton with the “new king of the West Coast.”