Show the origins of greatness in a documentary-style film bringing 7-time GRAMMY Award winner, Kendrick Lamar, back to his hometown of Compton to celebrate the community that inspired him to become the artist he is today.

We traveled around Compton capturing real residents, some of which were childhood friends or mentors of his, speaking the lyrics to “Alright," a powerful, positive song about struggle and survival that speaks to not just Kendrick's own experience but black people everywhere, culminating with the chorus "we gon’ be alright."

The shoot ended with a surprise appearance from Kendrick Lamar, performing the song live in front of the community that admires, loves, and continues to support him.

We had only one full shoot day to capture real residents spread across Compton before ending the day on a live, surprise performance by Kendrick Lamar in front of hundreds of unsuspecting people.

The film was launched online strategically during a usual lull of GRAMMYs attention and chatter (the weeks in between nominee announcements and the actual show), creating enormous buzz in social media and the mainstream press.

We struck a chord with people and the reaction was overwhelmingly positive, with fans and media passionately praising the GRAMMYs for telling such a compelling and relevant story. With no paid media behind the video, it garnered over 77k mentions, more than 1.3 million views and over 1000 news articles in prestigious publications like the NYTimes, Billboard and Washington Post. But most telling was the narrative praising GRAMMYs for embracing diversity and calling out “the gulf that separates GRAMMYs and Oscars when it comes to inclusiveness” - LA Times.

Using Kendrick Larmar’s hit song Alright, we created a piece that was neither just another music video nor simply an ad for the GRAMMYs. It was both and much more. An inspiring, powerful film about hope, the power of music, and hard work to overcome all else. Kendrick’s words and struggle coming from the mouths of the very people and community who made him who he is today.

The GRAMMYs needed to speak to music lovers of all demographics and tastes. Within that, we wanted to increase relevance with millennials, a progressive generation that embraces diversity and blurs the lines between genres. Establishing an authentic connection with this new generation of music fans was critical.

Two days before the release, we began seeding teaser videos on GRAMMYs social platforms, building intrigue and giving fans a taste of what was to come. Credibiity was critical so we gave Complex.com exclusive rights to the story on the morning of January 28th, which began to generate buzz amongst a young, influential, hip-hop-centric audience. The video was made public and posted on GRAMMYs owned social three hours later, setting off a resounding song of praise from media, influencers and the public alike.

The agency tasked us with creating something that would not just promote the show but also connect to music and youth culture. They, like many other awards shows, had at times been criticized for being out of touch with popular tastes and for lacking in diversity. We set out to create something that could speak to all demographics and tastes; something that spoke to the power behind the music, whatever genre that may be.