Kendrick Lamar. Photo by pgLang.
Kendrick Lamar‘s sweep at the 2025 Grammys — winning five of the five categories that his 2024 song “Not Like Us” was nominated in — capped a triumphant year for the rapper, who managed to make a global smash hit record from a beef with Drake. The song played as he took to the stage for the last time of the night to accept the Song of the Year award, (dressed in a Canadian tuxedo, no less), and as the audio faded on the most controversial lyric of the song (“Tryna strike a chord and it’s prolly A-minor”), viewers at home could hear the entire auditorium sing along.
For his final acceptance speech of the evening, Kendrick Lamar thanked the Los Angeles rappers who inspired him to be the artist he is today. “[Glasses] Malone, Problem, Bad Lucc, K-Boy, Daylyt, Mykestro, these the cats that inspired me to be the MC that I am today.” He also paid homage to his former Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, and Ab-Soul, saying “At the end of the day, nothing more powerful than rap music.”
Lamar’s tribute to the lesser-known veterans of L.A. rap was a perfect bow on the gift “Not Like Us” represents, both to the city and the world who may not be familiar with how deep its rap history runs. Each of the six rappers he named have played their own part in forming L.A. rap history, and it’s only right that we dive a little deeper into what exactly their contributions sound like.
Daylyt
Anyone who’s familiar with Daylyt and who isn’t a fan of battle rap or immersed in West Coast hip-hop probably thinks of him as an ancestor of the clout rap era. Famous for internet-breaking stunts, like pretending to take a shit during a battle, making homoerotic remarks about Diddy, and getting an elaborate face tattoo, Daylyt is a far more skilled lyricist than these stunts would suggest. Like most battle rappers, his talents haven’t translated to much success on wax, though he recently appeared on J.Cole’s “Pi” with Ab-Soul, and is presently signed to Punch, president of Top Dawg Entertainment.
JasonMartin f.k.a. Problem
Easily the most well-known of the five, JasonMartin a.k.a. Problem is a globally recognized and respected staple of Compton rap. He released his debut album, Deal or No Deal, in 2006, but his appearance on E-40’s 2012 single “Function” jump-started his solo career. Other popular tracks include “Like Whaaat” featuring Bad Lucc (which he performed at Kendrick Lamar’s Pop Out concert last year) and his Childish Gambino collaboration “Sweatpants.” Last year he released two full-length projects, the DJ Quik-collaboration Chupacabra and Repack, sporting features from Larry June, Thundercat, Ab-Soul, Sada Baby, and many more.
EastSide K-Boy
Born and raised in the east side of South Central (a.k.a. the Low Bottoms), K-Boy entered rap at the urging of his brother Lil Suge. He began receiving attention as one-half of Block Boys with fellow rapper Ace, but his career came to a halt when he was shot four times on the way to his first paid gig. He spent two years relearning how to walk, and the death of his brother further derailed his passion. But his connections with his set stayed deep and led to a friendship with Nipsey Hussle and collaborations with tons of globally recognized local luminaries including Kendrick Lamar, Problem, and Jay Rock. More recently, K-Boy has flirted with an R&B-inspired sound on projects Blue Valentine and Gangstas Need Love, though his January 2025 single “From the Hood” marked a return to a more traditional West Coast sound.
Mykestro
Mykestro has been rapping for 25 years, releasing his debut mixtape Quality Over Quantity in 2005. But it was after The Source profiled him for their Unsigned Hype series that momentum started to build for the South Central MC. A rapper who’s focused on delivering a classically lyrical listening experience, Mykestro released the projects Emotion On My Sleeve and Adversity Vs. Ambience in 2008 and 2010, respectively. Since then Mykestro has stayed staunchly independent, releasing many of his tapes through Bandcamp. He’s also the brother of Battlecat, a fixture in ’90s West Coast rap production.
Glasses Malone
For a minute, Glasses Malone was one of Compton’s most hotly-tipped rappers. His sophomore mixtape White Lightnin’ was a local hit and featured several collaborations with The Game (who briefly signed Malone to his label, Black Wall Street Records). 2011 brought a signing with Cash Money Records, which released his debut studio album Beach Cruiser and its hit, the Akon-featuring “Certified.” Out of all the rappers Lamar shouted out, Glasses Malone will likely be the most divisive for his exasperating tendency to provoke, something that overshadows his talents. His 2012 song “#Rihanna” prompted a minor outrage over its references to Chris Brown’s assault on the singer; in 2023 he shared the album Cancel Deeez Nuts, an unabashed play for the Tom McDonald rap set.
