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Kendrick Lamar Traces His Creative and Personal Worldview Back to One Horrific Moment He Witnessed at 5 Years Old

Kendrick Lamar once candidly recalled the traumatic incident that informed his worldview and how music saved him from a horrible path.

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Early in Kendrick Lamar’s career, we knew him as a “good kid in a mad city.” His music aimed to tackle his environment in Compton, California, and how it shaped his worldview. Despite the tough circumstances and his immense struggles, he didn’t have to succumb to street life. Eventually, that mindset transferred to his ambitious To Pimp a Butterfly. A trip to Africa informed his faith and his belief that you can save yourself despite the odds.

However, this didn’t come from nothing. One horrific inciting incident radically altered his worldview at a far too young age. In a 2015 interview with NPR, Kendrick Lamar recalled being only five years old when he witnessed someone die for the first time. They........

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