He never forgets where he came from.
Throughout his upbringing, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was surrounded by poverty and crime. Born in Chicago, Kendrick's parents moved to Compton, California, where he was raised along with his three siblings.
While he's now majorly successful, the rapper still considers himself part of these rough communities, saying that he wants to use his celebrity to inspire disenfranchised youth.
Photo: © Gonzales Photo/Demotix/Corbis