Kendrick Lamar stars in the music video for “not like us”, a song directed at Canadian rapper Drake, has hundreds of fans surrounding the Pulitzer Prize and Grammy winner outside Compton City Hall.
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They rap with an infectious chorus as the energetic crowd jumps on the floor and dances.
“We don’t like them, we don’t like them, we don’t like them“.
It’s a powerful sentiment that goes far beyond rap or hip-hop in general. Rather, it perfectly illuminates the spirit of Compton and its people: despite violent depictions in pop culture images, Compton residents shrug off these misconceptions and claim their city with pride.
“Compton has always been my future,” Lamar said during his unexpected appearance at the door. Compton College Graduation Ceremony in June, about a month before the major video. The Compton native has long made the city a focal point for his music and visual iconography. “I think we’re raising some of the most incredible people, creators, and intellectuals… I’ve traveled all over the world, there’s no place like it.”
Over the decades, Compton has given the world icons and influencers such as business mogul Dr. Dre, tennis greats Serena and Venus Williams, and actor Anthony Anderson.
Compton is located southeast of Los Angeles and is known as the “Central City” because it is roughly in the center of Los Angeles County. The city was founded in 1888 and is the eighth largest city in the country. Before the 1950s, Compton was predominantly white, even as black families moved to Los Angeles from the South, both to escape Jim Crow and in search of better manufacturing jobs. Ragreements that restrict housing It banned black and other nonwhite families from living in desirable neighborhoods and suburbs like Compton. Then, in the 1960s, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that these arrangements were illegal. Black families moved to Compton and white residents fled. Now, the city is predominantly Latino.
Home to nearly 100,000 residents, Compton is steeped in history. Compton City Hall and Civic Centerwhich in the center of the square features an impressive monument to Martin Luther King Jr. made by the artist Gerald Gladstone in collaboration with Harold L. Williamsa prolific black architect who worked under Paul R. Williams was an apprentice (known for designing buildings such as the Los Angeles Courthouse and the Crescent Wing of the Beverly Hills Hotel). Less than a mile from the 91 Freeway and downtown lies the Richland Farms neighborhood, a deep oasis of mid-20th-century black horse racing and a beloved home. Compton Cowboy. Visitors can drive up “Eazy Street,” which was originally called Auto Drive South but was renamed in 2023 in honor of the rapper and Compton native. Eizi-Ewho helped establish the city with his classic single “Boyz N the Hood.” Head to Rancho Dominguez East Park to see where tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams honed their skills.
But the image many people have of Compton is the image that was popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. For decades, the midsize city of Compton has battled a reputation steeped in American pop culture as a place synonymous with gangs, gunfights and gangsta rap. Albums like N.W.A.’s “Straight Outta Compton” and headlines during a painful period in American history where the drug epidemic disproportionately affected black communities made people wary of the city.
While certain problems persist, such as economic development, problems with law enforcement and homelessnessThe city has achieved great success in recent years, including in reducing the crime rate. The change is visible. On August 24, the city will host for the first time Compton Festivala free event featuring live music performances, panel discussions, and workshops at Compton College. The theme is “Restoring Compton Pride.”
Keith Curry, President and CEO Compton CollegeHe has witnessed the changes in Compton over the years. He knows how far his hometown has progressed.
“I love the community and the people,” he says. “I’m very familiar with it. I know the back streets and I know my way around Compton, so I always feel at home.” As a child, he remembers going to friends’ houses in his neighborhood during the summer when his parents were at work. “The people on my block took care of me… They kept me out of trouble.”
Curry adds that she has a “grievance” about the way some people view Compton. “I always feel like we don’t have enough power,” she says. “There’s always something negative associated with Compton and people don’t talk about the positive aspects, and there are a lot of positive aspects.”
From local farms to family-owned restaurants, colorful murals, open mic nights, an energetic running club and more, this is what Compton is all about.
What is included in this guide
Anyone who has lived in a major metropolis can tell you that neighborhoods are a complicated thing. They are always tangible, and they raise sociological questions about how we frame our homes, neighborhoods, and communities within the same tapestry. In the name of neighborhood generosity, we’ve included gems that may fall outside of technical parameters. Rather than relying on rigid definitions, we hope to celebrate all the things that make us love where we live.
