Kendrick Lamar Wants to Inspire Kids to Do Whatever They Want in Life

Kendrick Lamar is making huge strides with the release of his latest DAMN. album, which officially dropped last week (April 14), but he actually has higher hopes for his music career far past the numbers. While the project is on its way to becoming his third consecutive No. 1 album, and could even reach gold status in its first week, the Compton rapper is much more focused on becoming an inspiration to kids.

While attending the album signing for his latest release at a Compton Best Buy store, thousands of eager fans lined up in hopes of meeting the “DNA” MC and getting a signed copy of DAMN. K. Dot spoke with ABC Eyewitness News while at the signing about his hopes of inspiring kids to do whatever they want in life.

“It’s only right for me to show face and come back homegrown, where I’m from,” he explained. “It’s inspiring, period. If I see my favorite artist or someone that I admire, it would give me so much motivation being a 9-year-old or 10-year-old or 20-year-old kid. I just know what type of fire it would put inside their heart, to continue doing whatever they’re doing. Whether it’s furthering their education or playing sports.”

The Mayor of Compton, Aja Brown, also attended the fan signing, where she came to personally thank the rapper for all of his contributions to the community. “He’s very, very impactful in the way that he wants to help grow his community and to really be present,” said Brown. “He’s not a fly-by-night and he loves his community. He definitely puts his money where his mouth is and most importantly, he brings his time and his presence.”

At the signing, Kendrick hopped on Instagram Live and teased “more music” to come. We’ll have to wait and see what he’s got up his sleeve.

Watch the live footage from outside of Kendrick’s signing below to see fans share their excitement.

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