COMPTON – Rapper Kendrick Lamar, who is the leading nominee for the 2016 GRAMMY awards with 11, including album of the year for “To Pimp a Butterfly” and song of the year for “Alright” was announced today as the 2015 Compton Christmas Parade Grand Marshal.
Lamar, 28, received a total of seven nominations at the 2014 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. A year later, at the 2015 Grammy Awards, he won Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for his song “I”. In May, Lamar received the California State Senate’s “Generational Icon Award” from State Senator Isadore Hall III (D–Compton) who represents California’s 35th district. From the senate floor, Lamar told the legislature, “Being from the City of Compton and knowing the parks that I played at and the neighborhoods, I always thought how great the opportunity would be to give back to my community off of what I do in music.” “To Pimp a Butterfly was” named by music magazines Rolling Stone and Spin the best album of 2015. Complex ranked Lamar atop its “The 20 Best Rappers in Their 20s” annual list.
Lamar was born in Compton, California, to parents from Chicago, Illinois. His birth name was given to him by his mother in honor of singer Eddie Kendricks. In 1995, at the age of eight, Lamar witnessed his idols, Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre, film the music video for their hit single “California Love”, which later proved to be a very significant moment in Lamar’s life. As a teenager, Lamar attended Centennial High School in Compton, where he was a straight-A student.
Lamar will ride in the 63rd Compton Annual Christmas Parade presented by the City of Compton, themed “Christmas in Compton” on Saturday, December 12, 2015. The parade begins at 11 a.m. and travels west on Compton Boulevard from Bullis Road to Alameda Street. For more information and the latest on the parade follow the City of Compton on Twitter at @ComptonCityHall, Instagram at @ComptonCityHall and on Facebook at Facebook.com/ComptonCityCA. Now trending at #VisionForCompton.
For more information, please visit http://www.ComptonCity.org.
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(Photo Source: AP)
