For Kendrick Lamar, the recent Grammy nominations were the cherry on top of the proverbial cake that has been 2015 for Compton’s finest. His latest release, To Pimp a Butterfly, scored a grand total of 11 nominations, an obvious nod to the musical ingenuity and innovation behind this modern day masterpiece.
Kendrick is always one to stay humble however, and has released a two minute short video entitled ‘Hard Work’ which emphasises the importance that K.Dot places on the daily grind, and never letting complacency or his ego get in the way of the craft.
The video itself shows Kendrick playing basketball with a young boy; both of them wearing hoodies emblazoned with the TDE logo. As the youngster accompanies Kendrick around his hometown, he witnesses adoring fans flock to their favourite rapper, middle aged men recount to Kendrick how much their children enjoy listening to his music, whilst locals let K.Dot know just how proud they are of his euphoric rise to success. Some artists could easily portray these situations as a means of inflating their ego, but Kendrick stays humble throughout, and emphasises to his young accomplice the importance of “hard work” and not getting carried away by the perks of fame.
Kendrick has not been one to shy away from his struggles with success; in his recent XXL cover story the rapper spoke of his internal battle to realise that he has been anointed a social and racial figurehead, a role that he takes very seriously, but one he never expected a “kid from Compton” to take on.
We are all aware of just how important and unique TPAB is as a musical project AND as a piece of social commentary; however it is rather humbling and refreshing to see an artist so humble in their work themselves, and his refusal to stray from a path of hard work.