'Y'all have what it takes': Kendrick Lamar gives moving speech at hometown Compton's college graduation ceremony

COMPTON, CALIFORNIA: Kendrick Lamar surprised everyone by showing up at a college graduation ceremony on Saturday, June 8.

The ‘Humble’ rapper made a stop at Compton College’s graduation event in California and addressed the 2024 graduating class.

What did Kendrick Lamar say in Compton College’s graduation speech?

Lamar started by acknowledging his hometown, and sharing how proud he is to be witnessing the ceremony.

"I wanted to come out here just to tell y’all how much I appreciate y’all. I’m proud of the city of Compton, I’m proud of Compton College, most importantly I'm proud of the graduates out here,” Lamar began his speech.

"I know what it takes. You had a lot of hardship, not only in your house, in your communities, but most importantly, within yourself, and that's the toughest thing to overcome," he continued.

"We still growing day by day, brick by brick, making sure that we develop, not only in physical form but in the spiritual as well," Lamar went on.

“Seeing y'all out here, it is not only a representation of the world, but it’s a representation of me. When I walk out in these cities, in these countries, I can be proud and say, 'This is where I’m from,'" the 36-year-old added.

Lamar expressed his love for Compton and shared his views with the new crop of graduates, reported People.

"Some people tell us, 'This generation, they don't have what it takes, Gen Z. We talk about it all day. They try to pull us down and say we don't know what we're doing. They wrong, though. You know why, because not only y'all have what it takes, but y'all have something even bigger. Y'all have the heart, y'all have the courage to be independent thinkers," Lamar emphasized.

"Now it's all about taking these resources and taking what you learned and applying. It's as simple as that. You'll have hardships, you gonna have tribulations as you had coming up here, but guess what? You have someone special in your corner and all around you and that's God, period. Every step of the way," he concluded.

Kendrick Lamar's next show is scheduled for June 19

Interestingly, this was Lamar’s first major public appearance since his feud with Drake, which made news all around the world.

The artist’s ‘Not Like Us’ has been topping the Billboard Hot 100 charts for a month since it was released on May 4.

Lamar has also announced his first concert after the feud started making waves.

On June 19, the Compton native will perform at a one-night-only ‘Ken and Friends’ show put on by pgLang and Free Lunch called The Pop Out. 

The venue for the event is announced as Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. Doors open at 4 pm local time.