Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time. A native of Compton, California, Lamar first gained local attention while still in high school under the moniker K.Dot, releasing mixtapes and freestyling in local venues. His lyrical talent and raw storytelling quickly caught the eye of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), where he signed in 2005 and became one of the label's first artists alongside Jay Rock. He later co-founded the acclaimed hip hop supergroup Black Hippy with Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, and Schoolboy Q. Lamar’s breakthrough came with the independently released album Section.80 (2011), which earned critical acclaim and led to a joint deal with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. His 2012 major-label debut, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, blended autobiographical storytelling with gangsta rap themes and became a commercial and critical success. It charted for over a decade and was later named the greatest concept album of all time by Rolling Stone. In 2015, he released To Pimp a Butterfly, a politically charged and sonically innovative album fusing hip-hop with jazz, funk, and soul. That same year, he achieved his first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 through his feature on Taylor Swift’s remix of “Bad Blood.” His next album, Damn (2017), leaned into more mainstream R&B and pop influences, and produced another chart-topping hit, “Humble.” The album won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2018, making Lamar the first artist outside of classical or jazz to receive the honor. In 2018, Lamar curated and contributed to the Black Panther soundtrack, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for “All the Stars.” His 2022 album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers was introspective and marked the end of his time with TDE and Aftermath. Lamar returned in 2024 with GNX, an album that made headlines for its high-profile feud with Drake. The album produced multiple number-one hits including “Like That,” “Not Like Us,” “Squabble Up,” and “Luther.” “Not Like Us” notably won five Grammy Awards, including Song and Record of the Year. Throughout his career, Kendrick Lamar has amassed 22 Grammy Awards—third-most for a rapper—along with a Primetime Emmy, a Brit Award, 4 American Music Awards, 7 Billboard Music Awards, 11 MTV VMAs (including two Video of the Year honors), and a record 37 BET Hip Hop Awards. In 2016, Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Three of his albums appear on Rolling Stone's 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Lamar’s influence extends beyond music. Alongside longtime collaborator Dave Free, he co-founded the creative company PGLang, which has ventured into film and multimedia storytelling. In 2025, he headlined the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, setting a domestic viewership record with 133.5 million viewers. From humble beginnings freestyling in schoolyards and makeshift studios to dominating global stages and award shows, Kendrick Lamar’s career is a testament to artistic evolution, cultural impact, and lyrical excellence.