Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he is the only musician outside of the classical and jazz genres to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Publications widely believe that his regular infusion of political criticism and social commentary influenced a rise of social consciousness within his generation.
For his self-titled EP, see Kendrick Lamar (EP).
Kendrick Lamar
- K.Dot
- Oklama
- Rapper
- singer-songwriter
- record producer
- filmmaker
- businessman
2003–present
- Co-founder of PGLang
- Minority shareholder of Top Dawg Entertainment
Whitney Alford (eng. 2015)
2
- Baby Keem (cousin)
- Nick Young (cousin)
- Pulitzer Prize for Music (2018)
- (for others, see full list)
Lamar began releasing music under the stage name K.Dot while he was attending high school. He signed with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2005, where he co-founded the hip hop supergroup Black Hippy. Following the success of his alternative rap debut album Section.80 (2011), Lamar secured a joint contract with Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. He rose to prominence with his gangsta rap-influenced second album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012) and its top 40 singles "Swimming Pools (Drank)", "Poetic Justice" and "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe". It is the longest-charting hip hop studio album on the Billboard 200, spending over ten consecutive years on the chart.
Inspired by a visit to South Africa, Lamar embraced jazz and G-funk styles on his third album, To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). It became his first of four consecutive number-one albums in the U.S., and was one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the 2010s. His work on the remix of "Bad Blood" (by Taylor Swift) garnered his first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. Lamar's critical and commercial success continued with his R&B and pop-leaning fourth album Damn (2017), yielding his second chart-topping single "Humble". He curated the soundtrack album for the film Black Panther (2018), left TDE through Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022), and scored his third number-one single with "Like That" (2024; with Future and Metro Boomin).
Lamar has received various accolades throughout his career, including one Primetime Emmy Award, one Brit Award, four American Music Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, 11 MTV Video Music Awards (including two Video of the Year wins), 17 Grammy Awards (the third-most won by a rapper), and 29 BET Hip Hop Awards (the most won by any artist). Time listed him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016. Two of his concert tours, the Damn Tour (2017–2018) and the Big Steppers Tour (2022–2023), are amongst the highest-grossing rap tours in history. Three of his works were included in Rolling Stone's 2020 revision of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Outside of music, Lamar co-founded the creative company PGLang and ventured into filmmaking with his creative partner, Dave Free. He has worked with various charities and advocates for racial equality and mental health awareness.
Life and career
Early life
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born on June 17, 1987, in Compton, California.[1] He is the first child of Kenneth "Kenny" Duckworth, a former gang hustler who previously worked at KFC,[2] and Paula Oliver, a hairdresser who previously worked at McDonald's.[2] Both of his parents are African Americans from the South Side of Chicago.[2] When they were teenagers, they relocated to Compton in 1984, due to his father's affiliation with the Gangster Disciples.[3] Lamar was named after singer-songwriter Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations.[4] He was an only child until the age of seven and was described as a loner by his mother.[2][5] Eventually, his parents had his two younger brothers and younger sister, businesswoman Kayla Sawyer (née Duckworth).[6] His cousins include basketball player Nick Young and rapper Baby Keem.[7][8]
Studio albums
Headlining
Co-headlining
