Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born on the 17th of June 1987, in Compton, California. He grew up in Section 8 housing and relied on welfare and food stamps during his childhood. His parents relocated to the city from Chicago in 1984 due to his father's affiliation with the Gangster Disciples gang. At age five, he witnessed a drive-by shooting where a teenage drug dealer was killed outside their apartment unit. This event left a lasting impact on him as he later admitted it made him realize such violence was something he might have to get used to. Despite these hardships, he remembered having good memories of his childhood that sparked his interest in hip hop music. He often sneaked into his parents' house parties and found spiritual satisfaction through discovering more truth than what he heard in empty sermons. His mother described him as a loner until he turned seven years old when his two younger brothers and sister were born. The nickname Man-Man given by his parents reflected his precocious behavior but also put a stigma on how others expected him to react as a child.
During high school, Kendrick adopted the stage name K.Dot and began freestyling at Centennial High School. His performances caught the attention of fellow student Dave Free who traveled from Inglewood to watch him rap. They formed a friendship over their shared love of hip-hop and the television sitcom Martin. They recorded music together at Free's makeshift garage studio and at his older brother's Hyde Park apartment. Lamar released his first mixtape Youngest Head Nigga in Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year) in 2004 or 2005 through Konkrete Jungle Musik. Record producer Anthony Top Dawg Tiffith was introduced to this project while attempting to repair a computer for Free. Tiffith invited Lamar to audition for his newly established independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment. During the audition process which lasted two hours, Lamar freestyled for both Tiffith and record executive Terrence Punch Henderson. He secured a recording contract with TDE in 2005 joining Jay Rock as one of the label's first signings. Upon signing he purchased a minority stake in the label for an undisclosed amount. Later that year he released Training Day as his second mixtape before eventually retiring the K.Dot persona.
Good Kid M.A.A.D City arrived on the 22nd of October 2012 marking Lamar's debut under a major record label. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 selling 242,000 copies in its first week. It surpassed The Eminem Show to become the longest-charting hip-hop studio album on the chart. By October 2022 it became the first hip-hop studio album to spend over ten consecutive years on the chart. Critics praised its nonlinear songwriting and thematic scope while Greg Kot noted how it gave gangsta tropes a twist or sometimes upended them completely. To Pimp A Butterfly followed on the 15th of March 2015 incorporating jazz funk and soul into its sound. Selling 324,000 copies in its first week it became Lamar's first number-one album on both the Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart. Rolling Stone described Damn released the 14th of April 2017 as a brilliant combination of timeless and modern elements. That album spent four non-consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200 debuting with 603,000 units sold. All fourteen songs from Damn debuted on the Hot 100 including top-20 singles Loyalty and Love. By June 2018 it became the first album by a rapper or solo artist to have every song earn gold certification or higher.
On the 16th of April 2018 Kendrick Lamar won the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his album Damn. This marked the first time a musical composition outside classical and jazz genres received the honor. The win signaled formal recognition of hip hop as a legitimate artistic medium by American cultural elites. Critics considered Black Panther: The Album which he curated and executive produced a milestone achievement. It spent two consecutive weeks at number one earning the most single-week streams for any soundtrack album in history. Lamar opened the 60th Annual Grammy Awards with a critically acclaimed medley that included tracks from Damn. He won five awards during the ceremony including Best Rap Album for Damn and multiple honors for Humble. His work on the project earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for All the Stars. Time magazine listed him among the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016 while Ebony featured him on its Power 100 list honoring leaders within the African American community. In May 2015 the California State Senate declared him a generational icon for his contributions to music and philanthropy.
Lamar's conflict with Drake re-escalated in March 2024 through his surprise appearance on Future and Metro Boomin's track Like That. The song spent three consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 becoming his third number-one single. From April to May he released several Drake-aimed diss singles including Euphoria 6:16 in LA Meet the Grahams and Not Like Us. Not Like Us went on to win five awards at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards held the 2nd of February 2025. Lamar released GNX exclusively on YouTube on the 22nd of November 2024 followed by a streaming release that same day. The record spawned successful singles Squabble Up and Luther which became his longest charting number-one song spending thirteen non-consecutive weeks at the top of the Hot 100. On December 17 he released Money Without Me rumored to be from Section.80 sessions. His Grand National Tour with SZA starting April 2025 broke records as the highest-grossing co-headlining tour in history. He also headlined the Super Bowl LIX halftime show on the 9th of February 2025 featuring performances from SZA Samuel L Jackson Serena Williams and Mustard.
Lamar launched creative entity PGLang on the 5th of March 2020 alongside Dave Free describing it as multilingual artist-friendly service company. He signed a worldwide administration agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group in October 2020. His real estate portfolio includes properties located in California and New York. In 2011 he crafted an original song with producer Nosaj Thing to promote Microsoft's Windows Phone. Lamar partnered with American Express on advertising campaigns for Art Basel and Small Business Saturday serving as angel investor for EngineEars music creation platform. As brand ambassador he designed sneakers for Reebok and Nike Inc developing relationships with Grace Wales Bonner and Martine Rose. Through PGLang he composed scores and co-designed stages for Chanel's Spring/Summer 2024 haute couture collection. He donated $50,000 to Centennial High School in December 2013 supporting its music department. In June 2024 he spearheaded a $200,000 donation to twenty charities and community initiatives based in Los Angeles. Lamar also purchased a wheelchair-accessible van for a quadriplegic fan in July 2017 while regularly performing at TDE's annual holiday toy drive.
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Common questions
When was Kendrick Lamar born and where did he grow up?
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born on the 17th of June 1987 in Compton, California. He grew up in Section 8 housing and relied on welfare and food stamps during his childhood.
What year did Kendrick Lamar sign with Top Dawg Entertainment?
Kendrick Lamar secured a recording contract with Top Dawg Entertainment in 2005 after an audition that lasted two hours. He joined Jay Rock as one of the label's first signings and purchased a minority stake in the label for an undisclosed amount.
Which album by Kendrick Lamar won the Pulitzer Prize for Music?
Kendrick Lamar won the Pulitzer Prize for Music on the 16th of April 2018 for his album Damn. This marked the first time a musical composition outside classical and jazz genres received the honor.
How many Grammy Awards did Not Like Us win at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards?
Not Like Us went on to win five awards at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards held the 2nd of February 2025. The song spent three consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 becoming his third number-one single.
When was Kendrick Lamar's Grand National Tour scheduled to start?
His Grand National Tour with SZA started April 2025 and broke records as the highest-grossing co-headlining tour in history. He also headlined the Super Bowl LIX halftime show on the 9th of February 2025 featuring performances from SZA Samuel L Jackson Serena Williams and Mustard.