Kendrick Lamar

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For many people, growing up wasn't easy. This was especially true for Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick Lamar is a 29 year old rapper who grew up in Compton, California. Growing up for a kid in Compton was very hard. Compton has one of the highest murder rates in America. There are also many gangs and drugs which can lead your life down a bad road. Kendrick always kept his focus on school and his rapping career, which led him to where he is today. Today, Kendrick Lamar is mostly known for his very successful rapping career. He has 9 albums with many well known songs, that all took a lot of hard work and determination to make. Kendrick's hard work and determination make him a very inspirational hero.

Kendrick faces many problems no kid should ever know about, like murder and drugs. Kendrick saw his first murder at the age of 5 years old. For a five year old that could be very traumatic and scary, and a memory that he would have to live with his whole life. He was also always around drugs. At very young ages Kendrick would see family members outside selling drugs and had guns. The place where Kendrick grew up was also a very bad gang war zone. Kendrick was always left not knowing if he would survive each day.

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First, Kendrick is a hero because of how inspirational he is. Kendrick is inspirational because of how he accomplished everything that he did in the situation he was in. "He saw his first murder at age five, a teenage drug dealer gunned down outside Lamar's apartment building. "After that," he says, "you just get numb to it" (Josh). For most children these sights would scar them for life and make it hard for them to be productive in life, because of such a scary experience. This was not the case for Kendrick. Kendrick took these sights and made them into some very powerful songs. Taking such a bad thing and forging it into a good thing is very inspirational and the type of thing a hero would do. He is also inspirational for helping others in need."Inside, a middle-aged woman who just left church comes up and gives him a hug, and he buys lunch for a cart-toting lady he knows to be a harmless crack addict" (Josh). Kendrick has all that he needs in life and more, so why would he go back? Kendrick goes back because he helps the people in need. This may not seem like a big deal, but it is the simple things in life that make heroes, like buying buying someone lunch. Simply helping people out makes Kendrick a very inspiring hero.

The next heroic quality Kendrick has is determination. If Kendrick did not have this determination he would not be able to do the things he does for others. His determination shows in " Imagine a gang on each corner in a 30-block radius, feuding in a pot," says hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar. "Imagine me being dead center of this feud. That was the lifestyle since day one. A lot of my family members fell victim. A lot of people are in prison, incarcerated for life. A lot of people are in the grave, because of this small city, this boiling pot of colors really just took over" (All American Speakers). This shows how this gang activity affected many people in this area, and these gangs made people do bad things they shouldn't have done, and even got some killed. Kendrick though stayed away from these temptations, and stayed determined on school and music. This determination on school and music lead him to great things. Staying away from the bad of gangs, and staying determined on school makes Kendrick a hero. The next showing of determination is "I'm 6 years old, seein' my uncles playing with shotguns, sellin' dope in front of the apartment"(Contemporary Musicians). Kendrick could have easily seen his family members selling drugs and joined them in doing it. He could've made a living off that, but his determination kept him striving for more in life. That striving for more than just dealing drugs led him to be one of the most famous rappers around. This determination on school and music rather than drug dealing makes him a hero.

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As shown, Kendrick has always stayed focused and determined on his goals, which made him a very inspirational hero. Kendrick has shown many people that there is more in life than drugs and gangs. People may be in a corner and think the only way to go is into drugs or getting into a gang, but Kendrick has shown them that is never true. There is always another way and that nobody ever has to be in a gang, or has to be in the drug dealing business. Kendrick has shown the world that anyone in a bad situation can make a good with what you have, and to never give up on what you love.