Kendrick Lamar performed 'The Recipe' (the hometown ode to his native state of California), at the 2012 BET Hip-Hop Awards. Behind a video screen flicking images of his Los Angeles, Lamar gave the crowd a tour of his beloved left coast.

Dressed in a bandana shirt, black jeans and Timberland boots, K.Dot then segued into 'Swimming Pools (Drank),' his haunting cautionary ode to drinking. Sadly, his performance was extremely short, understandably, since there are time constraints in a show that is only two hours long. Nevertheless, it was noteworthy because Lamar is one of the top rappers to the game and this was a big moment for him.

In the end, it was a big night for the Compton, Calif. rapper. Earlier Lamar won the prestigious Lyricist of the Year Award, beating out top contenders Jay-Z, J.Cole and Kanye West. In addition, he also performed on the Cypher with west coast legends Snoop Dogg, E-40, DJ Quik, Kurupt and Xzibit.

Kendrick Lamar's second album ‘good Kid m.A.A.d City’ is due to hit stores on Oct. 22. The 17-track collection boasts appearances from Drake ('Poetic Justice'), Mary J. Blige ('Now or Never') and Jay Rock ('Money Trees').

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