Kendrick Lamar's Compton Murals Repeatedly Vandalized Despite Community Support

Kendrick Lamar's Compton Murals Repeatedly Vandalized Despite Community Support

By Marcus Bennett

December 23, 2024 at 06:44 AM

Two Kendrick Lamar murals in Compton have been repeatedly vandalized, with one incident directly inspiring a track on his latest album GNX. The first mural, painted by Mike Norice at Tam's Burgers, was defaced last month. The second mural, created by artists Sloe Motion and Gustavo Zemeño Jr. on Mi Sabor restaurant, has suffered multiple instances of vandalism.

Kendrick Lamar vandalized mural in Compton

Kendrick Lamar vandalized mural in Compton

The vandalism inspired Lamar's track "wacced out murals" from GNX, opening with the lines "Yesterday, somebody whacked out my mural / That energy'll make you n—as move to Europe." The Mi Sabor mural artists shared security footage of the vandalism on Instagram, finding some consolation in their work being immortalized in Lamar's song.

Mexican mariachi singer Deyra Barrera, who performs the Spanish vocals in "wacced out murals," revealed her connection to the incident in a Billboard interview. She mentioned being invited to appear in Mike Norice's upcoming YouTube series Art & Soul to discuss the mural's significance.

While the motivation behind the vandalism remains unclear, some speculate it may be connected to the ongoing public feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, who recently filed a lawsuit against UMG regarding Lamar's diss track "Not Like Us."

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