Kendrick Lamar

is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation and one of the greatest rappers of all time. Born and raised in Compton, California, Lamar began his career as a teenager performing under the stage name K.Dot. He quickly garnered local attention which led to him signing a recording contract with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2005.

After becoming a founding member of the hip hop supergroup Black Hippy, Lamar dropped his former stage name of **K.Dot** and started using his first and middle names professionally. In 2011, he released his debut studio album *Section.80*, a conscious hip hop record. The album was met with positive reviews and included his debut single "HiiiiPower". In 2012, Lamar secured a record deal with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, under the aegis of Interscope Records, and released his second studio album *Good Kid, M.A.A.D City*. The West Coast and gangsta rap influenced album garnered widespread critical recognition and commercial success, while including the singles "Swimming Pools (Drank)", "Backseat Freestyle", and "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe".

A visit to South Africa inspired Lamar's jazz-flavored third studio album *To Pimp a Butterfly* (2015). It received universal acclaim and became his first number-one album on the *Billboard* 200. The same year, he topped the *Billboard* Hot 100 for the first time with the remix of "Bad Blood" by Taylor Swift. Lamar experimented with R&B, pop and psychedelic soul in his fourth studio album *Damn* (2017). It spawned his first solo number-one single "Humble" and became the first non-classical and non-jazz work to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Following a four-year hiatus, Lamar released his fifth studio album *Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers* (2022), which served as his swan song from TDE. He has directed and produced several music videos and films with his creative partner Dave Free, with whom he founded the creative collective PGLang.

Having sold over 70 million records in the United States alone, all of Lamar's studio albums have been certified platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including 17 Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, two American Music Awards, six *Billboard* Music Awards, 11 MTV Video Music Awards, a Brit Award, and a nomination for an Academy Award. He was named MTV's Hottest MC in the Game in 2012. In 2015, Lamar received the California State Senate's Generational Icon Award. He has been featured in listicles such as the *Time* 100 and *Forbes* 30 Under 30. Three of his studio albums were included on *Rolling Stone*'s 2020 ranking of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

### Early Life

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born on June 17, 1987, in Compton, California, to Paula Oliver, a McDonald's worker, and Kenneth "Kenny" Duckworth, a KFC worker. His parents were from the South Side of Chicago and relocated to Compton three years before his birth due to his father's affiliation with the Gangster Disciples. Lamar is the eldest of four children and was named after singer-songwriter Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations. He was raised in a working class African American family, lived in Section 8 housing, and was reliant on welfare. Although he wasn't a member of a gang, he grew up among close affiliates of the Westside Piru Bloods.

Lamar developed an interest in music when he was four years old after listening to the hip hop records his parents would play at their house parties. Some of his earliest childhood memories included watching his father and uncles rob stores during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. He credits the riots for giving him a better understanding of police brutality after learning about the beating of Rodney King. He was given the nickname "Man-Man" as a child because he carried himself as an adult. This nickname would later be used as a reference to his childhood in HUMBLE. and Family Ties. When he was five years old, Lamar witnessed his first murder while sitting outside of his apartment unit. He admitted during an interview with NPR Music that it "done something to me right then and there. It let me know that this is not only something that I'm looking at, but it's something that maybe I have to get used to." Three years later, he witnessed his second murder as he was walking home from Ronald E. McNair Elementary School.

When he was eight years old, Lamar saw rappers Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre film the music video for their single "California Love" in his neighborhood. The experience inspired him to pursue a recording career and he began freestyling soon after. He described himself as being quiet, shy, and observant in school; his mother stated that he was a loner until the age of seven. When he was a seventh-grade student at Vanguard Learning Center, Lamar was introduced to poetry by his English teacher Regis Inge, who connected the literary form to hip hop. The class had a notable impact on him; as it opened up "an avenue to unpack his feelings" and "helped him navigate the social dynamics of his neighborhood." He credits Inge for playing "a major role in his intellectual growth." He graduated from Centennial High School in 2005 as a straight-A student.