Kendrick Lamar paid homage to his hometown, surprising Compton College graduates by delivering the commencement address at the 2024 college graduation ceremony last Saturday. The appearance marked the 17-time Grammy award winner’s first public appearance since his infamous rap battle with Drake.
While the student body might not have known what was to come, they certainly became clued in as the rapper made his way to the stage while a censored version of “B***h, Don’t Kill My Vibe” played in the background. Smiling broadly, Lamar walked toward the stage, making time to take a few pictures and give handshakes.
During his remarks, Lamar lavished praise on the city of Compton, as well as offering up sage words of wisdom to the graduating class.
Lamar began his speech saying “I wanted to come out here just to tell y’all how much I appreciate y’all. I’m proud of the city of Compton, I’m proud of Compton College, most importantly I’m proud of the graduates out here.”
“I know what it takes. You had a lot of hardship, not only in your house, in your communities, but most importantly, within yourself, and that’s the toughest thing to overcome,” said Lamar. “We still growing day by day, brick by brick, making sure that we develop, not only in physical form but in the spiritual as well.”
“Seeing y’all out here, it is not only a representation of the world, but it’s a representation of me. When I walk out in these cities, in these countries, I can be proud and say, ‘This is where I’m from,’” the 36-year-old rapper continued.
“Some people tell us this generation, they don’t have what it takes, Gen Z,” he said. “We talk about it all day. They try to pull us down and say we don’t know what we’re doing. They wrong, though. You know why, because not only y’all have what it takes, but y’all have something even bigger. Y’all have the heart, y’all have the courage to be independent thinkers.”
“Now it’s all about taking these resources and taking what you learned and applying. It’s as simple as that. You’ll have hardships, you gonna have tribulations as you had coming up here, but guess what? You have someone special in your corner and all around you and that’s God, period. Every step of the way,” said Lamar.
Lamar added: “Seeing you out here, it is not only a representation of the world, but it’s a representation of me. When I walk out in these cities in these countries, I can be proud and say, ‘This is where I’m from.’ I still believe in Compton, Compton always been a future for me. I think we bring some of the most incredible individuals: Creatives, intellectuals, talent. We had since day one, that’s why I always scream this city. I. traveled the world, there’s no place like this one right here. No place.”
Fans don’t have to wait long for Lamar’s next appearance—he is slated to perform on Juneteenth “at a one-night-only “Ken and Friends” show put on by pg Lang and Free Lunch called The Pop Out. The concert will take place at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.