With the 56th annual Grammy Awards approaching, Kendrick Lamar has lots to be excited for. 

Lamar is up for seven nods Grammy night (Jan. 26), and he spoke on the accolades and revealed a bit about his musical motivation and his creative process for the Grammys' "Day in the Life" video series. His feature posted online Tuesday (Jan. 14).

"The reality of my existence now, I kind of had an idea of what it would be like, but it's definitely a lot more work than what the eye could see," he said.

Needless to say, Lamar's hard work has its benefits. Last year, the 25-year-old earned a platinum plaque for good kid, m.A.A.d city,  lit up the Internet with his verse on Big Sean's "Control" track, headlined an international tour and hit the road for Kanye West.

What keeps him going are the fans, the Compton rapper said. "I always go back to just the thought of one person listening to my mixtape or demo or song to get your community to listen to it, or your neighborhood, your state, the West Coast, the East Coast and build up all the way to Grammy nominations." 

He continued, "Believe it or not, years ago I was afraid to say I was from Compton, California, and I'm finna' have my story. My story is a little bit different, so to actually come out and do that, it took a whole lotta courage."

These days, the TDE star is pretty much always working. "You have to be ahead of the game each and every day. You have to live, sleep, breathe what you do," Lamar said, detailing a typical day, which can take him from the studio to the stage.

The busy schedule has allowed him to meet new people and has changed the way he creates. "The process now, it's so spontaneous," he said. "It's whatever I get my hands on. Whenever an idea approaches, I gotta write it down, I gotta keep a mental note. Whether its a napkin, whether it's my phone, book or anything … inspiration is everywhere."  

BET.com is your #1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest in the world of hip hop and R&B music.  

Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

(Photo: The Grammys via YouTube)