Kendrick Lamar takes viewers on an affirmational tour of his Compton hometown in a new commercial for Reebok, which features a brand new, three-minute-long a cappella freestyle from the West Coast MC. “I Am” sees the rapper walking through black and white streets and interacting with several local teens — revealed in a press release to be students from Centennial High School, Lamar’s alma mater. The verse celebrates the potential Lamar sees in these kids, and encourages them to be inspired and live up to that potential.
“Reebok has a history of helping kids in the community realize their potential is limitless,” the “i” rapper said. “I saw what the brand was doing, and I wanted to be a part of it and make it even stronger. It’s as simple as that. Kids that listen to my music are looking for inspiration.” Watch it above.
Lamar will also design a limited edition capsule collection for the sneaker company, set to debut sometime in late 2015. The Reebok commercial isn’t the only place where Lamar’s soulful rapping popped up this morning: K-Dot sings the hook on “25,” a new song by his label boss Punch, which you can hear below.
