''I Don't Slight None of the Acknowledgements''
4:30PM ET December 7th, 2012
Contributor : Martin James
A Rocky Williform Company

The success of Kendrick Lamar's acclaimed debut album good kid, m.A.A.d. city has put the Compton rhymer at the forefront of a revitalized West Coast hip hop scene. Lamar spoke to BET's T.J. Holmes about carrying the torch as "King of the West Coast" right now, and revealed that he is absolutely unafraid of accepting that praise and that kind of title.

"Definitely," he said. "I put in a lot of years doing music. I don't slight none of the acknowledgements I'm getting now because I put in that grind and that effort years before the world knew who Kendrick Lamar was."

"One particular moment in my life changed everything to where I started thinking different. That positivity led to me doing music," he explained. "The moment was [discussed on] 'I'm Dying of Thirst']. A situation happened with one of my homeboys passing. This lady straight out asked us, 'What do you believe in? Do you believe in the higher power or are you gonna keep believing in these guns and drugs the rest of your life?' That was it."