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We all start somewhere. Everyone from Kurt Cobain to Charlemagne Tha God had humble beginnings. Before you hit the big time, you have to go through that awkward phase of finding your voice, your style and trying not to fuck it up in the process.

I can imagine it would be like going through puberty in your 20s, albeit void of ‘talks’ with your parents which leave a lasting cringe.

Hell, even GOATs go through ‘artistic puberty’. In the above video, we have a baby-faced Kendrick Lamar freestyling over the top of Kanye’s ‘So Appalled’ from his 2010 magnum opus My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

It’s funny to think that while one GOAT was riding the gravy train with biscuit wheels, the other was still a struggling artist with bills to pay, and who probably had to eat biscuits for dinner.

However, that only shows how hungry the young Compton MC was for exposure and artistic breakthrough. While it is by no means a ground-breaking freestyle, Kendrick Lamar – who, at the time had recently abandoned his ‘K-Dot’ pseudonym – showcases his easy flow, lyrical clarity and composed attack.

He doesn’t slur any words and he doesn’t clump arbitrary rhymes together. Instead, he uses valuable minutes to outline his artistic mission and to distinguish himself from the mannerisms of the former K-Dot.  

“He changed his name he’s a conscious rapper/ Nah motherfucker I’m just Compton’s rapper”.

This alone shows how volatile and influential this small-timer would be in years to come. See for yourself how much things can change in eight years. Check out the video in the gallery above.

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