Kendrick Lamar’s activism has been prominent in all aspects of his life from his politically charged lyrics, present in all of his studio albums to date, to his donations to various charities. The prominent rapper has now taken his voice onto the streets of his hometown: Compton, where he joined in on the Black Lives Matter protests.

The rapper was identified by various fans and fan pages on social media, alongside other prominent figures in the march, which included DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook. DeRozan and Lamar posed for a picture together on social media, while Lamar also posed with various fans.

 

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I owe everything to Black culture. The Black community has given me friendship, mentorship, kindness, love, music, creative inspirations, role models and so much more. The fight to end racial injustice is a long one, but one I’m committed to being a part of through my art and my voice. Black Lives Matter. This is a portrait I took of Kendrick Lamar today. All I did was say hello. Without asking, he stopped and posed. I gladly photographed him.

A post shared by Saúl López | Videographer (@saulopez) on Jun 7, 2020 at 6:30pm PDT

DeMar DeRozan & Kendrick Lamar protesting together in Compton, CA pic.twitter.com/pjBMOpb1xb

— New Branches (@new_branches) June 7, 2020

Kendrick Lamar protesting in LA 🗣 pic.twitter.com/jtY4BAoQxC

— Team Ab-Soul TDE (@abdashsoulTDE) June 8, 2020

Kendrick Lamar protesting with the people pic.twitter.com/hV98fWFFzw

— HOT 97 (@HOT97) June 8, 2020

Lamar has been an advocate of the Black Lives Matter movement since at least 2015, and has also been a long time critic of the injustices perpetuated by the U.S. legal system. One of his most iconic performances took place during the 2016 Grammys, where the rapper, donned in a prison jumpsuit and a stage replicating a prison, performed some of his hits featured on his 2015 studio album To Pimp a Butterfly. One of the song’s hit singles “Alright” had become an anthem for the movement, which the rapper addressed in an interview with The New York Times in 2016.

“When I’d go in certain parts of the world, and they were singing it in the streets,” Lamar explained. “When it’s outside of the concerts, then you know it’s a little bit more deep-rooted than just a song. It’s more than just a piece of a record. It’s something that people live by — your words.”

Lamar was recently sued by Yeasayer for alleged copyright infringement regarding his collaborative track with The Weeknd “Pray For Me.” His 2012 album Good Kid, m.A.A.d City recently surpassed Eminem’s The Eminem Show as the longest running album on the Billboard 200.

Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna