In front of the Compton’s Martin Luther King Jr. monument adjacent to City Hall thousands turned out Saturday to see two-time Grammy winner and Compton native Kendrick Lamar receive the Key to the City from Mayor Aja Brown and the City Council. The hometown honor comes ahead of the Monday’s Grammy ceremony where Lamar is nominated for eleven Grammys for his latest album, To Pimp a Butterfly.

“Kendrick Lamar is a phenomenal artist whose work has served as a catalyst to raise a new level of consciousness for this generation,” said Compton Mayor Aja Brown. “His message challenges the status quo and motivates listeners to rethink our society’s institutions. He has a consciousness, and he realizes music is not just for entertainment but it’s for messaging.”

Speaking on receiving the Key to the City Lamar said, “It’s the biggest thing. It’s really not about how famous I get, it’s really about me utilizing my platform and giving it back to these kids because that’s what I wanted as a kid. Everything that I do is a reflection of how I felt when I was younger.”

Lamar still spends much of his time in Compton, contributing to schools and programs to help the community. Notables in attendance at the event included fellow rapper and Compton native YG, hip-hop radio personalities Big Boy (The Real 92.3) and J Cruz (Power 106).