More than an artist and activist, Kendrick Lamar is the voice of the culture.

Last Monday night, Kendrick Lamar took a moment at his New York stop of the Kunta’s Groove Sessions tour to explain To Pimp A Butterfly and thank his fans. As the shows are intended to bring Kendrick into a more intimate setting with his fans, he started his speech by saying, “Making this motherfucking album was therapy, not only for you, but for me.” Recalling how his entire life changed for good in a matter of six months after he dropped good kid, m.a.a.d city, he went on to say, “I’m a low-key n*gga, and I’m not scared of the world.”

Kendrick spoke to the audience freely about maintaining his allure, his love for his day-one fans, and how the success of TPAB couldn’t have topped the charts without them. “Music is not something that you can market all the time, this shit belongs to you, and you only.”

Watch Kendrick’s spoken-word speech below, and details about the remaining show stops here.