 Lyrically , the album chronicles Lamar 's experiences in his native Compton , California and its harsh realities , in a nonlinear narrative . The songs address issues such as economic disenfranchisement , retributive gang violence and downtrodden women , while analyzing their residual effects on individuals and families . Lamar introduces various characters and internal conflicts , including the contrast of his homesickness and love for Compton with the city 's plagued condition . Del F. Cowie of Exclaim ! observes a " transformation " by Lamar 's character " from a boisterous , impressionable , girl @-@ craving teenager to more spiritual , hard @-@ fought adulthood , irrevocably shaped by the neighbourhood and familial bonds of his precarious environment . " Slant Magazine 's Mark Collett writes that Lamar executes the character 's transition by " tempering the hedonistic urges of West Coast hip hop with the self @-@ reflective impulses of the East Coast . " David Amidon of PopMatters views that the album provides a " sort of semi @-@ autobiographical character arc " , while MSN Music 's Robert Christgau writes that Lamar " <unk> " enacts a " rap @-@ versus @-@ real dichotomy " . 
