Dr. Dre Presents Kendrick Lamar With ASCAP Vanguard Award

[NelsonG]

(Kendrick talks BET Awards performance on ASCAP red carpet)

By Sowmya Krishnamurthy

Things came full circle for Kendrick Lamar on Thursday night (June 27). The Compton native was presented with a Vanguard Award at the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Awards last night by his mentor Dr. Dre. In his speech, Dre praised the young rapper and dubbed him "ahead of the trends." Dre shared that the two went to the same high school and he couldn't be prouder.

“Kendrick Lamar is a class act,” said Dre. “I’m proud to know him. I’m proud to work with him and he is an important part of the new generation of hip-hop, and it’s definitely continuing the legacy of Compton. Believe.”

During the red carpet for the awards show, K Dot spoke to MTV News about what he has up his sleeve for his 2013 BET Awards performance this weekend. "I'm just going out there to have fun man," he said. "Ain't nothing to it, ain't nothing over-the-top where I've gotta think about it, so I'm just enjoying myself."

Kendrick Lamar is nominated for Best New Artist, Best Collaboration and Video of the Year for "Poetic Justice" (featuring Drake). Other performers slated to appear at the BET Awards include Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Mariah Carey, A$AP Rocky and Justin Timberlake.

The 2013 BET Awards kick off live from Los Angeles on Sunday, June 30, at 8 p.m. ET. MTV News has got you covered on the red carpet, show highlights, winners and more!

[url=http://rapfix.mtv.com/2013/06/28/dr-dre-presents-kendrick-lamar-with-ascap-vanguard-award/]View the full article[/url]