Kendrick Lamar gave big love to his fire-ravaged hometown of Los Angeles when he accepted the Record of the Year Grammy for "Not Like Us," which snagged a leading five awards at the 2/2 ceremony.
"We're gonna dedicate this one to the city. Compton, Watts, Long Beach, Inglewood, Hollywood, the Valley, San Bernardino," he said. "These are my neighborhoods that held me down since a young pup, since I was in the studio, scrapping to write the best raps. I can't give enough thanks to these places that I rolled around since high school. Most importantly, to the people and the families out in the Palisades and Altadena. This is the true testament that we can continue to restore the city."
"Not Like Us," the Drake diss track that became a monster hit around the world, is just the second hip-hop song to win Record of the Year, following Childish Gambino’s “This Is America" in 2019.
Kendrick also shouted out his mentor Dr. Dre, whose music was frequently heard at Crypto.com Arena during interstitials.
Shortly after his "Record" triumph, Lamar won big again, for Song of the Year, admitting that he was starstruck by the sight of award presenter Diana Ross ("Come on, man!" he marveled). He saluted a host of other supporters, including Jay-Z, Problem and Ab-Soul, saying, "They inspired me to be the MC I am today. At the end of the day, there's nothing more powerful than rap music. I don't care what it is. We are the culture."
Overall, it was a massive look for Kendrick a week before his highly anticipated performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, 2/9 in New Orleans.
