Kendrick Lamar has become one of the most prominent the voices of our generous. The social conscious rapper has portrayed political injustices in his community in his music, and as protests erupt across the over the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, he shares some advice his father gave him as a child.

Jade Raven

For Kendrick, these occurrences aren’t exactly new as he explains to MTV News at an event for his new Reebok Campaign on Thursday (Dec. 11):

“It’s something that I’ve been around since the beginning of time. I remember coming up in the city of Compton and [seeing] these same types of ordeals,” he told MTV News. “So when I make a record like “i”, this is not just about me. It’s about what’s going on in real life, actual [facts].”

On the advice his father gave him:

“My father definitely talked to me about that early on—he came from Chicago to Compton, and he dealt with it his whole life,” Kendrick said. “He knew the moment I was born [that] the color of my skin was gonna be put to the test, and that’s just how it is. We have legacy, people who’ve died for it, but [there’s] still that type of negativity out there.”

“He told me, ‘Every day, carry yourself with some integrity and don’t let them see you sweat.’”

In the wake of all the protest, Kendrick chooses to use his words as inspiration to give back. He believes that instead of violence, knowledge will help us move forward.

“I can take inspiration and knowledge from my father and what’s going on in my own life and give it back. Not because I feel like I need to. It’s just something that’s in me, since day one.”

“I have to put that same type of influence on my ‘lil brothers, on the ‘lil homies in the neighborhood,” he continued. “We tend to act in violence all the time, and that’s just something we were brought up to do. Now that I’m more mature, I [can show] them other avenues to go about handling themselves: Being knowledgeable and jumping into a book rather than reaching for a pistol and reacting that way.”

The Compton rapper makes a conscious effort to know what’s going on in the world because the people are starting to recognize too.

“I think that from a creative space artists always recognized [what was going on], but now the world is starting to see it,” he said. “So as long as I continue to say what I wanna say, clarify my reasons for why things are this way, and how we can deal with them— from my opinion, not being preachy, but from my own perspective—you can listen to it or you don’t have to.”

[MTV]