Hundreds of SoCal fans gathered at a Best Buy in Compton for a surprise Kendrick Lamar album signing on Thursday.
The Compton rapper signed copies of his new album ‘DAMN.’ at 4 p.m. at the Best Buy located at 230 Town Center Drive.
Only the first 3,000 fans who purchased the album at the store by noon and received a wristband were eligible for the signing at 4 p.m.
Many fans were excited to meet the hip-hop star who often praises his hometown of Compton and gives back to the community.
“I’m emotional,” said Mayleen Roman, a fan, with tears in her eyes. “He’s just a true inspiration. Just everything that he’s done, he’s a real big hero to a lot of people. He’s a sign of hope. Never give up on what you want, always give back. He’s just amazing.”
Aja Brown, the mayor of Compton, told KTLA that Lamar has donated time, money and resources to the city. The 29-year-old rapper received a key to the city of Compton last year.
“He’s donated over a million dollars, that I’m aware of, to the Compton Unified School District, to helping the areas of arts and performing arts in the city,” said Brown. “He’s also worked with Habitat for Humanity to donate funding to help build homes in the city of Compton.”
Lamar released ‘DAMN.’ on April 14 and the album is expected to reach around 300,000 in traditional album sales, earning the largest sales week of 2017 for a hip-hop album, according to Billboard.