During a 2012 interview with WGCI’s “The Morning Riot”, Kendrick Lamar revealed seeing Tupac and Dr. Dre shoot the music video for ‘California Love’ in Compton inspired the then 7-year-old K. Dot to pursue a career in hip-hop.
The music video for Tupac and Dr Dre‘s collaboration ‘California Love’ was shot near Kendrick Lamar’s house.
“I was in Compton and they were shooting the first version of it,” he said. “They stopped right in front of the middle of the street. My pops had seen them and came back to the house and got me. My father went to the house to get me and put me on his shoulders to watch them shoot.” Kendrick Lamar said.
Watch the full interview
Read: Kendrick Lamar made Rich The Kid remove other featured artists from “New Freezer”
Kendrick also tells the story to the Recording Academy
“I was about eight years old, they was shooting a video in my neighborhood in compton. My father see them, went two blocks down and got me, by the time he got me everybody was out there it was pandemonium, he put me on his shoulders and there they was, Dr Dre and Tupac right there…”
“I think it was a white bentley… that moment right there, whether I knew it or not, branched me off to what i’m doing now, it was already designed in destiny. 15 years later i meet Dr Dre and i explained that story to him and he remembered that same exact moment and he remember them kids that was out there and i said Dre, I was one of them kids that was there, it’s a crazy feeling.” Kendrick Lamar says.
Purchase our 100 Hip-Hop Facts (1973-2000) Book
