Kendrick Lamar

**Kendrick Lamar** was a contestant on Season 1 of *XVoice*. He was a part of Team Danger, and was eliminated in 10th place.

## Background

Kendrick Lamar is an American rapper and songwriter. Raised in Compton, California, Lamar embarked on his musical career as a teenager under the stage name K-Dot, releasing a mixtape that garnered local attention and led to his signing with indie record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). He began to gain recognition in 2010, after his first retail release, Overly Dedicated. The following year, he independently released his first studio album, Section.80, which included his debut single, "HiiiPoWeR". By that time, he had amassed a large online following and collaborated with several prominent artists in the hip hop industry, including The Game, Busta Rhymes, and Snoop Dogg. Lamar won his first Grammy Award for "i", the lead single from his critically acclaimed third album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). The album, drawing on free jazz, funk, soul, and spoken word, debuted atop the charts in the US and the UK, and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 58th ceremony. In 2016, Lamar released Untitled Unmastered, a collection of unreleased demos that originated during the recording sessions for Butterfly. He released his fourth album Damn in 2017 to further acclaim; its lead single "Humble" topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.Lamar has received a number of accolades over the course of his career, including seven Grammy Awards. In early 2013, MTV named him the number one "Hottest MC in the Game", on their annual list. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016. Aside from his solo career, Lamar is also known as a member of the West Coast hip hop supergroup Black Hippy, alongside his TDE label-mates and fellow South Los Angeles-based rappers Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and Schoolboy Q. [1]

## Blind Audition

For Kendrick Lamar's audition in Episode 102, he performed his song "Humble". Xboy and Danger both turned their chairs. Kendrick chose to be on Team Danger.

## Battle Rounds

For the Battle Rounds in Episode 109, Kendrick Lamar was paired up against Nick Cannon. He performed his song, "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe". Danger chose Kendrick as the winner, sending him to the Knockout Rounds.

## Knockout Rounds

For the Knockout Rounds in Episode 111, Kendrick Lamar was paired up against Devvon Terrell. He performed his song, "Swimming Pools (Drank)". Danger chose Kendrick as the winner, sending him to the Live Playoffs.

## Live Playoffs

For the Live Playoffs in Episode 113, Kendrick Lamar performed another original song. Xboy, Danger, and James gave him standing ovations. Kendrick Lamar's performance was strong enough for Danger to send him through to the Top 12 along with Devvon Terrell and Vera Lynn, instead of Javier Colon, John Legend, and Parson James.

## Top 12

Kendrick Lamar's Top 12 performance in Episode 114 consisted of performing his song, "DNA". Xboy, Danger, and James all gave him standing ovations. Kendrick Lamar received enough votes to be sent to the Top 10.

## Top 10

Kendrick Lamar's Top 10 performance in Episode 115 consisted of him performing. Xboy, Danger, and James all gave him standing ovations. Kendrick Lamar landed into the bottom 3, and was revealed to have the lowest amount of votes of the night, eliminating him from the competition immediately after.

## Finale

Danger brought back Kendrick Lamar as a guest performer for the finale in Episode 118. His performance consisted of him performing his songs, "DNA" and "HUMBLE.".