Kendrick Lamar's first ever concert experience was at his own show

Rapper Kendrick Lamar had never been to a concert until he opened for The Game on tour in 2006.

The Humble. hitmaker grew up in poverty in Compton, California, so it wasn't until he scored his first gig as a support act for fellow hometown hero The Game that he got to attend a live performance.

"I didn't even get to go to a show (during my youth)," he explains in a new cover interview with Billboard magazine. "Back then, we didn't have the money for it. When I went on tour with The Game, that was my first show."

Now Kendrick is headlining his own tours around the world, he's making up for all the concerts he missed out on as a kid and goes above and beyond to create the best experience possible for his fans.

"Me being onstage is me fulfilling two ­different things - performing and getting to enjoy it like the people enjoying it (sic)," he says.

Elsewhere in his Billboard chat, for which he was joined by his Top Dawg Entertainment label boss Anthony 'Top Dawg' Tiffith, the hip-hop star admits they reworked his groundbreaking album good kid, m.A.A.d city, multiple times before releasing it to the masses.

"We did good kid about three, four times before the world got to it... New songs, new ­everything," Kendrick shares of the 2012 project, on which he raps about growing up surrounded by drugs and gangs.

"I wanted to tell that story, but I had to execute it," he continued. "My whole thing is about execution. The songs can be great, the hooks can be great, but if it's not executed well, then it's not a great album."

The extra work paid off - Kendrick earned seven Grammy Awards nominations in 2013, including Album of The Year and Best Rap Album for good kid, m.A.A.d city.