![]() Lamar combines truth and fiction when describing his experiences growing up in the “Compton zoo,” a metaphorical prison of residents who have been politically deprived of basic resources and support from an ambivalent government both locally and nationally. City.” However, one of his most poignant displays of lyricism is his piece “Hood Politics” from the 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly. Lamar plays into the deadly impressions of his hometown in several of his most popular songs, such as “m.A.A.d. Most recently, the legacy of Compton has been upheld by Pulitzer Prize winning rapper Kendrick Lamar. Dre speaks of Compton as the external “American dream,” but internally, crime has gone amuck with “47 homicides last year.” However, The Homicide Report of the Los Angeles Times reports that there were 28 homicides in Compton in 2014 and 37 in 2013 - in fact, the annual homicide total suggested by Dre hasn’t been that high since 2005. From the get-go, Dre’s “Intro (Compton)” regards the mythical state of his hometown, creating many discrepancies along the way in this opening monologue. Dre, a founding member of N.W.A., exemplify the storytelling aspects of rap, with Dre continuing to frame Compton as the established ghetto of the eighties in his 2015 album Compton. and carried through rap generations to come is rooted in the commercial success of Straight Outta Compton as it “played to shrill, pervasive fears about gang violence” (Kajikawa). Although all fiction contains truth and this case is no different, the myth of Compton’s terror-stricken streets formulated by members of N.W.A. A main proponent of this view of Compton was the rap group N.W.A., often regarded highly for their journalistic lyrical content regarding dangerous impressions of the LA ‘ghetto.’ However, “the violent gang- and drug-filled world of music ignored more prosaic aspects of Compton, such as its single-family homes and history as a black, middle-class enclave” (Kajikawa). After all, this is the image of Compton painted by popular rappers: a deeply troubled city intoxicated with gangs, drugs, and murder, inescapable for its inhabitants. When searching “Compton” on Google, it doesn’t seem surprising to find two news stories regarding teens killed in Compton shootings on the first page of results. ![]() From the perspective of those who call Compton home, however, references to the city’s politics and folklore begin to blur the lines of ‘realness’ and myth. ![]() Compton represents the notorious theme of ‘keeping it real,’ heavily evident in gangsta rap.
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