Kendrick Lamar’s ability to relate social issues to everyday life has always been one of his strongest assets. To those that have followed his career, the Compton MC releasing a song that endorses self-love, like “i,” comes as no surprise.

What may surprise them, however, is how relevant the message of the song has become to the overall cultural climate of the United States. With protests arising in virtually every major city as a result of the decisions in the killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, love is definitely warranted.

Kendrick Lamar spoke to MTV News about how “i” was a reflection of situations he’s become familiar with, which many are just now having their eyes opened to.

“It’s something that I’ve been around since the beginning of time. I remember coming up in the city of Compton and [seeing] these same types of ordeals,” he told MTV News. “So when I make a record like “i”, this is not just about me. It’s about what’s going on in real life, actual [facts].”

Lamar claims that his father gave him a lot of his early lessons on how to handle structural racism.

“My father definitely talked to me about that early on—he came from Chicago to Compton, and he dealt with it his whole life,” Kendrick said. “He knew the moment I was born [that] the color of my skin was gonna be put to the test, and that’s just how it is. We have legacy, people who’ve died for it, but [there’s] still that type of negativity out there.”

“He told me, ‘Every day, carry yourself with some integrity and don’t let them see you sweat.’”

This knowledge isn’t something that Lamar looks to keep for himself, either. It can be seen often through his career thus far.

“I can take inspiration and knowledge from my father and what’s going on in my own life and give it back,” he continued. “Not because I feel like I need to. It’s just something that’s in me, since day one.”

“I have to put that same type of influence on my ‘lil brothers, on the ‘lil homies in the neighborhood,” he went on to say. “We tend to act in violence all the time, and that’s just something we were brought up to do. Now that I’m more mature, I [can show] them other avenues to go about handling themselves: Being knowledgeable and jumping into a book rather than reaching for a pistol and reacting that way.”

“I think that from a creative space artists always recognized [what was going on], but now the world is starting to see it,” he said. “So as long as I continue to say what I wanna say, clarify my reasons for why things are this way, and how we can deal with them— from my opinion, not being preachy, but from my own perspective—you can listen to it or you don’t have to.”