Kendrick Lamar’s electrifying Grammy performance highlighted many many issues we are facing today. He stood there in chains, while his performed in gold cells. He incorporated African dance, he did so much. The end of the performance saw the map of Africa overlaid with the words COMPTON, his home.

Kendrick is known to be a familiar face within his community, his grammy performance to highlight issues brought him into international spotlight but this man has been hard at work locally for as long as he has been able to help.

He has helped so much that in 2015 the California State Senate honored the artist with the 35th Senate District’s Generational Icon Award.

Wow, a “Gernerational Icon”.

Kendrick didn’t just do this by becoming a multi-platinum artist.

When receiving his award last May State Senator Isadore Hall III said

“In less than ten years as a professional artist, Mr. Lamar has gone from a local Compton young boy to become a multi-platinum, Billboard chart-topping, two-time Grammy Award-winning musician — an incredible achievement for anyone 27 years

“But Mr. Lamar has not let his recent fame get the best of him.

If you visit Compton — and I would encourage all of my colleagues to do so — Mr. Lamar is a familiar face in the neighborhood…giving back to his community that raised him. He has personally donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to support sports programs, after school programs, music programs in the Compton Unified School District to help keep Compton students off the streets and in the classroom.

”

This deserves a bow from us all.

See him honored on the Senate floor in this video:

He was also recently given the key to Compton!