Famuyiwa grew up near Los Angeles, California in Inglewood. The son of Nigerian immigrants, Famuyiwa is a first-generation American. Reflecting on his time in Inglewood, Famuyiwa recounts, "People come to L.A. and they expect to see a ghetto like the projects, but that's not the way it's set up. Inglewood, in particular, is the furthest thing from a ghetto. It's a middle-class community, but it's gotten a bad rap over the years...because of "Grand Canyon" and "Pulp Fiction" and other films."