Kendrick Lamar's Career and Why He's the Most Influential Rapper of His Generation

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Since his mainstream breakthrough in 2012 with Good Kid, Mad City

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Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born in Compton, California, on June 17, 1987, the son of a couple from Chicago. Although he was never in a gang himself, he grew up around gang members, with his closest friends being the Westside Peruvian Bloods and his father, Kenny Duckworth, a member of the gangster Disciples. His mother gave him his first name in honor of American singer-songwriter Eddie Kendricks of the band The Temptations.

Kendrick grew up on welfare and in Section 8 housing. In 1995, at the age of eight, Lamar watched his inspirations Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre film the music video for their single "California Love," which proved to be a pivotal moment in his life. As a child, Lamar attended McNair Elementary and Vanguard Learning Center in the Compton Unified School District.

Kendrick admitted to being quiet and shy in school, and even his mother confirmed that he was a "loner" until the age of seven. As a teenager, he attended Centennial High School in Compton, where he achieved high grades.

Lamar is considered one of the most influential rappers of his generation. Aside from his solo career, he is also known as a member of the hip-hop supergroup Black Hippie, alongside fellow Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) members A.B.-Soul, Jay-Rock, and Skullboy Q.

Lamar grew up in Compton, California, and began his musical career as a teenager under the stage name K-Dot, releasing a mixtape that gained local attention and led to his signing with the independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment. He began gaining recognition in 2010 with his first retail release, Overly Dedicated. The following year, he independently released his debut album, Section 80, which featured his debut single, "High Power." By then, he had amassed a large online following and collaborated with numerous prominent hip-hop artists.

Under his own record label, his debut album, Good Kid, Mad City, was released in 2012 to critical acclaim. It was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His third album, To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), incorporated elements of funk, soul, jazz, and spoken word. It became his first number-one album on the Billboard 200 and was the most critically acclaimed album of the 2010s, according to Metacritic. It was followed by Untitled Unmastered (2016), a collection of unreleased demos that originated during the recording sessions for To Pimp a Butterfly. He released his fourth album, Damn (2017), to further acclaim; its lead single, "Humble," topped the US Billboard Hot 100, while the album became the first non-classical, non-jazz album to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Music.

In 2018, he wrote and produced 14 songs for the soundtrack to the superhero film Black Panther, which also received critical acclaim.

Lamar has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including 13 Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, a BRIT Award, 11 MTV Video Music Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, and an Academy Award nomination. In 2012, MTV named him the Best MC in the Game on its annual list. Time named him one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2016. In 2015, he received the Generational Icon Award from the California State Senate. Three of his studio albums were included in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2020).

In September 2013, Drake's third album, Nothing Was the Same, was released. Publications such as Complex speculated that Drake had made subtle insults toward Lamar in the song "The Language." In an interview with Pitchfork a day later, Drake expressed his disapproval of "Control," saying he wasn't a fan of it and adding, "Mind you, it's gonna keep happening—Complex and Rap Radar (radio show) are gonna give it like, a millennium clip and all that shit or whatever." Drake later said his only competition was Kanye West, after being asked about Kendrick when he said he was killing his rival. Lamar further heightened tensions at the 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards when he referenced Drake during his speech in code, saying, "Yeah, and ain't nothing changed since they dropped 'Control'/And sent the sensitive rapper back in his pajamas." Stereogum noted that Lamar was referring to Drake's third studio album, Nothing Was the Same, and media outlets have described Drake as being overly sensitive.

In December 2014, it was announced that Lamar had begun a partnership with sportswear brand Reebok. In 2017, it was announced that Lamar had entered into a collaboration with Nike.

On March 5, 2020, Kendrick Lamar and Dave Freeh announced the launch of pgLang, described as a multilingual, artist-friendly services company. In a press release, Dave Freeh claimed the company is "not a record label, film studio, or publishing house. That's something new. In this hyper-stimulated time, we're focused on cultivating raw expression through grassroots partnerships." The announcement also included "The Visual Mission Statement," a four-minute short film starring Lamar, Baby Kim, Jorja Smith, and Yara Shahidi.

In April 2015, Lamar became engaged to his high school girlfriend, makeup artist Whitney Alford. Alford is a cousin of NBA player Nick Young and rapper Baby Kim.

Lamar is a devout Christian, a belief that came after the death of his friend. He has spoken openly about his faith in his music and interviews. He announced to the audience during Kanye West's Jezus tour that he was baptized in 2013. Lamar credits God for his fame and his "salvation" from the crime that plagued the Compton area in the 1990s. He also believes that his career is inspired by God and that he has a greater purpose to serve humanity, saying in a 2014 interview with Complex, "I've got a greater purpose. God has put something in my heart to express, and that's what I'm going to focus on using my voice as an instrument and doing what needs to be done." The opening lines of his 2012 album, Good Kid, Mad City, include a form of the Sinner's Prayer.

studio albums Section 80 (2011) Good Kid, Mad City (2012) To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) Dam (2017) Mr. Moral and the Big Steppers (2022)