Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is

an American hip hop recording artist from Compton,
California. Lamar embarked on his musical career as a
teenager under the moniker K-Dot, released a mixtape
which garnered local attention and led to his signing with
Carson-based independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). Lamar began to gain major recognition in 2010 after his rst retail release, Overly Dedicated. The following year, he released Section.80, his
rst independent album, exclusively through iTunes. The
album included Lamars debut single, "HiiiPoWeR". By
that time, Lamar had amassed a large internet following
and had already worked with several prominent artists in
the hip hop industry, including The Game, Snoop Dogg,
and Busta Rhymes.

was given to him by his mother in honor of singer Eddie

Kendricks.[5] In 1995, at the age of eight, Lamar witnessed his idols, Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre, lm the
music video for their hit single "California Love", which
later proved to be a very signicant moment in his life.[6]
As a teenager, Lamar attended Centennial High School
in Compton, where he was a straight-A student.[4][7]
In 2003, at the age of 16, Lamar released his rst fulllength project, a mixtape titled Youngest Head Nigga in
Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year), under
the pseudonym K-Dot.[8] The mixtape was released under Konkrete Jungle Muzik and garnered local recognition for Lamar.[9] The mixtape led to Lamar securing a
recording contract with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE),
a newly founded indie record label, based in Carson,
California.[8] He began recording material with the label and subsequently released a 26 track mixtape two
years later, titled Training Day (2005).[10] Throughout
2006 and 2007, Lamar would appear alongside other upand-coming West Coast rappers, such as Jay Rock and
Ya Boy, as opening acts for veteran West Coast rapper
The Game. Under the moniker K-Dot, Lamar was also
featured on The Games songs The Cypha and Cali
Niggaz.[11][12]

Lamar secured a recording contract with Aftermath and

Interscope Records in 2012. His major-label debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, was released in October
2012 to universal acclaim. The record contained the top
40 singles "Swimming Pools (Drank)", "Bitch, Don't Kill
My Vibe", and "Poetic Justice". Upon its release, the album debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200
chart and was later certied platinum by the Recording
Industry Association of America (RIAA). In early 2013,
MTV named Lamar the No. 1 Hottest MC in the Game In 2008, Lamar was prominently featured throughout
on their annual list.[2]
the music video for Jay Rocks commercial debut single,
In 2015, Lamar released his third studio album To Pimp "All My Life (In the Ghetto)", which features American
a Buttery, incorporating elements of funk, spoken word hip hop superstar Lil Wayne and was backed by Warner
poetry and jazz in the hip hop record it debuted atop Bros. Records. Lamar garnered further recognition afthe charts in the U.S. and the UK. The album was pre- ter a video of a live performance of a Charles Hamilton
ceded by its lead single "i", which earned him his rst two show surfaced, in which Hamilton battled fellow rappers
Grammy Awards at the 2015 ceremony: Best Rap Per- who were in the audience. Lamar did not hesitate and beformance and Best Rap Song. Later that year, Lamar and gan rapping a verse over the instrumental to Miilkbone's
Taylor Swift's collaboration "Bad Blood" reached number Keep It Real, which would later appear on a track titled
one on the Billboard Hot 100. Apart from his solo career, West Coast Wu-Tang.[6]
Lamar is also known as a member of the West Coast hip After receiving a co-sign from Lil Wayne, Lamar released
hop supergroup Black Hippy, alongside his TDE label- his third mixtape in 2009, titled C4, which was heavily
mates and fellow South Los Angeles-based rappers Ab- themed around Waynes Tha Carter III LP.[13] Soon after,
Soul, Jay Rock and Schoolboy Q.[3]
Lamar decided to drop K-Dot as his stage name and go

1
1.1

by his birth name. He subsequently released a self-titled

extended play in late 2009.[14] That same year, Lamar
formed Black Hippy, a hip hop supergroup, with his TDE
label-mates: Jay Rock, Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q.

Biography
19872009: Early life and career beginnings

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born in Compton, California, to parents from Chicago, Illinois.[4] His birth name
1

1.2

1 BIOGRAPHY

201011: Overly Dedicated and Sec- my leftover songs you all can have them. I'm going to put
my best out. My best eort. I'm trying to look for an altion.80

Main articles: Overly Dedicated and Section.80

bum in 2012.[28] In June 2011, Lamar released Ronald

Reagan Era (His Evils)", a cut from Section.80, featuring
Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA.[29] On July 2, 2011, Lamar
released Section.80, his rst independent album, to critical acclaim. The album features guest appearances from
GLC, Colin Munroe, Schoolboy Q, and Ab-Soul, while
the production was handled by Top Dawg in-house production team Digi+Phonics as well as Wyldfyer, Terrace
Martin and J. Cole. Section.80 went on to sell 5,300
digital copies in its rst abbreviated week, without any
television or radio coverage and received mostly positive
reviews.[30]

Throughout 2010, Lamar toured with Tech N9ne and Jay

Rock on The Independent Grind tour.[8] On September
14, 2010, he released the visuals for P&P 1.5, a song
taken from Overly Dedicated, featuring his Black Hippy
cohort Ab-Soul.[15] On the same date, Lamar released
Overly Dedicated to digital retailers under Top Dawg Entertainment, and later on September 23, released it for
free online.[16][17] The project fared well enough to enter
the United States Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
In August 2011, while performing at a West Los Anchart, where it peaked at number 72.[18]
geles concert, Lamar was named the New King of the
The highly acclaimed mixtape includes a song titled Ig- West Coast onstage by Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and
norance Is Bliss, in which Lamar highlights gangsta Game.[31][32] On August 24, 2011, Lamar released the
rap and street crime, but ends each verse with igno- music video for the popular Section.80 track, "A.D.H.D".
rance is bliss, giving the message we know not what The video was directed by Vashtie Kola who had this
we do;"[19][20] it was this song specically that made hip to say of the video: Inspired by A.D.H.Ds dark beat
hop producer Dr. Dre want to work with Lamar af- and melancholy lyrics which explore a generation in conter seeing the music video on YouTube.[21] This led to ict, we nd Kendrick Lamar in a video that illustrates
Lamar working with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg on Dres the songs[sic] universal and age-old theme of apathetic
often-delayed Detox album, as well as speculation of youth. Shot in New York City during the sweltering July
Lamar signing to Dr. Dres record label, Aftermath En- Summer heat, A.D.H.D is the third video to be retertainment.[8][22][23] In December 2010, Complex maga- leased from Kendrick Lamars album Section.80.[33] In
zine spotlighted Lamar in an edition of their Indie Intro October 2011, Lamar appeared alongside fellow Ameriseries.[24]
can rappers B.o.B, Tech N9ne, MGK, and Big K.R.I.T.,
in a cypher at the BET Hip Hop Awards.[34] Also in
October, Lamar partnered with Windows Phone, and
crafted an original song with producer Nosaj Thing entitled Cloud 10, to promote Microsofts new product.[35]
During 2011, Lamar appeared on several high-prole albums including Games The R.E.D. Album, Tech N9nes
All 6s and 7s, 9th Wonder's The Wonder Years and Canadian recording artist Drake's Grammy Award-winning
Take Care, which featured Lamar on a solo track.[36]
Kendrick Lamar performing in Toronto on June 16, 2011

1.3 201213: good kid, m.A.A.d city and

controversies
In January 2011, Lamar stated his next project was 90%
nished.[8] In early 2011, Lamar was included in XXL's
annual Top 10 Freshman Class, and was featured on
the cover alongside fellow up-and-coming rappers Cyhi
the Prynce, Meek Mill, Mac Miller, Yelawolf and Big
K.R.I.T., among others.[25] On April 11, 2011, Lamar
announced the title of his next full-length project to
be Section.80,[26] and the following day the rst single
"HiiiPoWeR" was released, the concept of which was to
further explain the HiiiPoWeR movement.[27] The song
was produced by fellow American rapper J. Cole, marking their rst of many collaborations to come.[27]
On the topic of whether his next project would be an
album or a mixtape, Lamar answered: I treat every
project like its an album anyway. Its not going to be
nothing leftover. I never do nothing like that. These are

Main article: good kid, m.A.A.d city

On February 15, 2012, a song by Lamar titled Cartoon
& Cereal, featuring fellow American rapper Gunplay,
was leaked online.[37] Lamar later revealed that the track
was for his major-label debut studio album and that he
had plans to shoot a video for it.[38] Although the song
would later be ranked #2 in Complex's Best 50 Songs of
2012 list, it would ultimately fail to appear on Lamars
debut.[39] In February 2012, it was announced that Fader
had enlisted both Kendrick Lamar and Detroit-based
rapper Danny Brown, to appear on the cover of the
magazines Spring Style issue.[40] In February, Lamar
also embarked on Drakes Club Paradise Tour, opening

1.3

201213: good kid, m.A.A.d city and controversies

along with fellow American rappers, ASAP Rocky and 2 106 & Park. The song peaked at number 17 on the BillChainz.
board Hot 100 in its thirteenth week of gradually climbing up the chart. On August 15, 2012, singer Lady Gaga
announced via Twitter that both had recorded a song titled PartyNauseous for his debut album.[46] However,
Gaga withdrew from participation in the last moment, citing that it was due to artistic dierences and has nothing
to do with Lamar.[47] On August 17, 2012, Lamar released a song titled Westside, Right on Time, featuring
Southern rapper Young Jeezy.[48] The song was released
as part of the Top Dawg Entertainment Fam Appreciation Week. During 2012, Lamar also toured with the
rest of Black Hippy and MMG rapper, Stalley, on BET's
Music Matters Tour.[49]

Lamar performing in 2012

In March 2012, MTV announced that Lamar had signed
a deal with Interscope Records and Aftermath Entertainment, marking the end of his career as an independent
artist. Under the new deal, Lamars projects, including
his album good kid, m.A.A.d city, would be jointly released via Top Dawg, Aftermath, and Interscope.[41] Also
in March, Lamar appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly,
where he spoke on Dr. Dre and his hometown of Compton, California.[42] On April 2, 2012, Lamar premiered
his commercial debut single "The Recipe", on Big Boys
Neighborhood at Power 106. The song, which serves as
the rst single from his good kid, m.A.A.d city, was released for digital download the following day. The song
was produced by West Coast producer Scoop DeVille and
features vocals from his mentor Dr. Dre, who also mixed
the record.
On May 14, 2012, J. Cole again spoke on his collaborative eort with Lamar. In an interview with Bootleg Kev,
Cole stated: I just started working with Kendrick the
other day. We got it in, nally, again. We got maybe four
or ve [songs] together.[43] On May 21, Lamar made his
106 & Park debut alongside Ace Hood, joining Birdman
and Mack Maine on stage to perform B Boyz. Lamar
also talked about his style and sound, Dr. Dre and Snoop
Dogg, and his upcoming collaborative LP with J. Cole.[44]
On the same date, Lamar released War Is My Love,
an original song written and recorded for the video game
Tom Clancys Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, for which he
appeared in a mini promotional clip earlier that month.[45]
On July 31, 2012, Top Dawg, Aftermath, and Interscope
serviced "Swimming Pools (Drank)" as the lead single
from Lamars debut album. The songs music video, directed by Jerome D, premiered on August 3, 2012, on

Lamars major-label debut, good kid, m.A.A.d city, was

released on October 22, 2012. The album was met with
critical acclaim and debuted at number two in the U.S.,
selling 242,100 copies in its rst week.[50] Later that
year, Fuse TV listed Lamars single, "Backseat Freestyle"
among the top 40 songs of 2012.[51] In a few months
time, the album was certied gold by the Recording
Industry Association of America (RIAA). HipHopDX
named Lamar Emcee of the Year for their 2012 YearEnd honors.[52] In November, after Cole posted pictures
of himself and Lamar working in the studio, the latter revealed that the two are still working on a project, but an
exact release date wasn't given for the joint album: We
are going to drop that out the sky though. I don't want
to give dates. Im just going to let it fall in an interview
with the LA Leakers.[53]

Lamar performing in 2013

On January 26, 2013, Lamar performed the albums rst

singles Swimming Pools (Drank)" and "Poetic Justice"
on NBC's sketch comedy and variety show, Saturday
Night Live. In the same episode, Lamar also appeared
alongside guest host Adam Levine and comedy band
The Lonely Island, in an SNL Digital Short, which
spawned the single "YOLO".[54][55][56] On February 22,
2013, Lamar released the video for Poetic Justice, the
Janet Jackson-sampling collaboration with Canadian rapper Drake.[57] On February 26, Lamar performed Poetic
Justice on the Late Show with David Letterman.[58] Just
nine months after its release, good kid, m.A.A.d city was

1 BIOGRAPHY

certied platinum by the RIAA, Lamars rst platinum terview, he stated that he would begin recording his seccertication.[59]
ond major-label studio album in January 2014.[73] FolIn August 2013, Lamars verse on the Big Sean track lowing the issues release, TDE's CEO Anthony Top
"Control", made waves across the hip-hop industry. In Dawg Tith pulled Kendrick Lamar from performing at
the verse, Lamar vows to lyrically murder every other GQ 's party that accompanies the issue, calling out writer
Lamar: Rapper of the
up-and-coming rapper, namely J. Cole, Big K.R.I.T., Steve Marshs prole, Kendrick[74][75][76][77]
Year,
for
its
racial
overtones.
GQ editorWale, Pusha T, Meek Mill, ASAP Rocky, Drake, Big
in-chief
Jim
Nelson
responded
with
the
following
stateSean, Jay Electronica, Tyler, The Creator and Mac
ment: Kendrick Lamar is one of the most talented new
Miller. During the song, Lamar also calls himself the
King of New York, which caused controversy among musicians to arrive on the scene in years. Thats the reason we chose to celebrate him, wrote an incredibly posiseveral New York-based rappers.[60] Many New York
rappers, including Papoose, The Mad Rapper, Mickey tive article declaring him the next King of Rap, and gave
him our highest honor: putting him on the cover of our
Factz, JR Writer, Mysonne, Joell Ortiz and more, took
oense to this. Furthermore, fellow American rappers Men of the Year issue. I'm not sure how you can spin
that into a bad thing, and I encourage anyone interested
such as Meek Mill, Lupe Fiasco, Cassidy, Joe Budden,
[78][79]
King L, Bizarre and B.o.B, among many others, released to read the story and see for themselves.
a response or diss track, within a week.[61] In the days fol- Lamar received a total of seven Grammy nominations at
lowing the tracks release, Lamars Twitter account saw a the 56th Annual Grammy Awards (2014), including Best
510% increase in followers.[62]
New Artist, Album of the Year, and Best Rap Song,[80]
but did not receive any of the awards. Many publications felt that The Recording Academy snubbed Lamar,
as well as Seattle-based rapper Macklemore, who won
Best Rap Album category for which Lamar was also
nominated.[81][82][83] At the ceremony, Lamar performed
"M.A.A.D City" and a remix of "Radioactive" in a mashup with American rock band Imagine Dragons at the
awards ceremony.[84] The remix was again performed by
Lamar and the band on February 1, 2014, during the airing of Saturday Night Live, marking Lamars second appearance on the show.[85]

1.4 2014present: To Pimp a Buttery

Lamar performing "Money Trees" during the Yeezus Tour

Main article: To Pimp a Buttery

On September 6, 2013, American recording artist and

record producer Kanye West announced he would be
headlining his rst solo tour in ve years, in support
of his sixth album Yeezus (2013), with Kendrick Lamar
accompanying him on tour. The Yeezus Tour began
in October.[63][64] In October, it was also revealed that
Lamar would be featured on Eminem's eighth studio album The Marshall Mathers LP 2.[65] On October 15,
2013, Lamar won ve awards at the BET Hip Hop
Awards, including Album of the Year and Lyricist of
the Year (the latter of which he had also won the year
before).[66] At the award show, Lamar performed "Money
Trees", and was also featured in a cypher alongside his
Top Dawg label-mates Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q, Isaiah
Rashad, and Ab-Soul.[67][68] During an October 2013 interview with XXL, Lamar revealed that following The
Yeezus Tour, he would begin to start working on his next
album.[69]

In an interview with Billboard in February 2014, Lamar

stated he was planning to put out a new album the next
September.[86] During the same interview, which also included Schoolboy Q, Anthony Top Dawg Tith, and
Dave Free, the possibility of a debut eort from the Black
Hippy collective appearing in 2014 was announced.[86]
On July 31, 2014, it was announced that Lamar would
premiere his short lm m.A.A.d at Sundances inaugural
NEXT Fest in Los Angeles on August 9.[87] The lm is
inspired by good kid, m.A.A.d city, and was directed by
Kahlil Joseph, who had previously worked with Lamar
on the Yeezus Tour.[87]

On September 23, 2014, Lamar released "i" as the rst

single from his third album.[88] On November 15, 2014,
Lamar once again appeared on Saturday Night Live as
the musical guest, where he performed i and "Pay For
It", appearing alongside Jay Rock.[89] Through his appearance, with blackout contacts and his braids partly
In November 2013, he was named GQ's Rapper of out, Lamar paid homage to New York-based rapper
the Year, and was featured on the cover of the maga- Method Man, whose debut album Tical celebrated its
zines Men of the Year issue.[70][71][72] During the in- 20th anniversary that day.[90][91] In December 2014, it

2.2

Musical style

was announced that Lamar had started a partnership with

sportswear brand Reebok.[92] On December 17, 2014,
Lamar debuted a new untitled song on one of the nal
episodes of The Colbert Report.[93][94]

stated Detroit-based rapper Eminem inuenced a lot of

my style and has since credited Eminem for his own aggression, on records such as "Backseat Freestyle".[108][109]
Lamar also gave Lil Wayne's work in Hot Boyz credit for
[110]
He has
In early 2015, Lamar won Best Rap Performance and inuencing his style and praised his longevity.
said
that
he
also
grew
up
listening
to
Rakim,
Dr.
Dre,
and
Best Rap Song for his song "i" at the 57th Annual
[111]
Tha
Dogg
Pound.
[95]
On February 9, 2015, he released
Grammy Awards.
his third albums second single, titled "The Blacker the In a 2011 interview with Rolling Stone, Lamar mentioned
Berry".[96] Originally expected to be released on March Mos Def and Snoop Dogg, as rappers that he listened
23, 2015, his new album To Pimp a Buttery was released to and took inuence from during his early years.[112]
a week early on March 16, 2015.[97] The album debuted He also cites Yonkers-based rapper DMX as an inuatop the U.S. Billboard 200 chart selling 324,000 copies ence: "[DMX] really [got me started] on music, exin its rst week,[98] and established Spotify's global rst- plained Lamar in an interview with Philadelphias Power
day streaming record (9.6 million).[99]
99. That rst album [Its Dark and Hell Is Hot] is clas[113]
In January 2013,
On May 17, 2015, Lamar featured on the ocial remix sic, [so he had an inuence on me].
when
asked
to
name
three
rappers
that
have
played a role
of Taylor Swift's song "Bad Blood", as well as appearin
his
style,
Lamar
said:
Its
probably
more
of a west
[100]
The single reached number
ing in the music video.
coast
inuence.
A
little
bit
of
Kurupt,
Pac,
with
some
[101]
one on the Billboard Hot 100.
To Pimp a Buttery
[114]
of
the
content
of
Cube.
In
a
November
2013
interproduced other three singles with accompanying music
videos, "King Kunta", "Alright" and "These Walls". The view with GQ, when asked The Four MCs That Made
Dr. Dre,
music video for Alright received four nominations at Kendrick Lamar?", he answered Tupac Shakur,[115]
Snoop
Dogg
and
Mobb
Deep,
namely
Prodigy.
the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of
the Year and Best Male Video.[102] The song "For Free?
(Interlude)" also featured a music video.[103] In Octo- 2.2 Musical style
ber 2015, Lamar announced the Kuntas Groove Sessions
Tour, which included eight shows in eight cities.[104]
On the topic of his music genre, Lamar has said: You reLamar received 11 nominations at the 58th Grammy ally can't categorize my music, its human music.[116][117]
Awards, including Album of the Year, Song of the Year Lamars projects are usually concept albums. His third
studio album, To Pimp a Buttery, incorporates elements
and Best Rap Album.[105]
of funk, spoken word poetry and jazz.[118]

2
2.1

Artistry
Inuences

3 Recognition
See also: List of awards and nominations received by
Kendrick Lamar
Lamar received a total of seven nominations at the 2014
Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. A year
later, at the 57th Grammy Awards, he won Best Rap
Song and Best Rap Performance for his song "i". Lamar
received his second Album of the Year nomination at
the 58th Grammy Awards, also leading the list with 11
categories.[105] For the latter, he went on to pass Eminem
as the rapper with the most nominations in a single night,
and second overall behind Michael Jackson, who holds
the record of 12 nominations in 1984.[119]

Lamar performing 2Pac's "Hail Mary"

Lamar has stated that Tupac Shakur, The Notorious

B.I.G., Jay Z, Nas, and Eminem are his top ve favorite
rappers. Tupac Shakur is his biggest inuence, and has
inuenced not only his music, but his day-to-day lifestyle
as well.[8][106][107] In a September 2012 interview, Lamar

On May 11, 2015, Lamar received the California

State Senate's Generational Icon Award from State
Senator Isadore Hall III (DCompton) who represents
Californias 35th district. From the senate oor, Lamar
told the legislature, Being from the City of Compton
and knowing the parks that I played at and the neighborhoods, I always thought how great the opportunity would
be to give back to my community o of what I do in
music.[120]

REFERENCES

To Pimp a Buttery was ranked by several publications, including Rolling Stone, as the best album of
2015.[121][122] Producer Tony Visconti stated David
Bowie's album Blackstar (2016) was inuenced by
Lamars work, we were listening to a lot of Kendrick
Lamar [...] we loved the fact Kendrick was so openminded and he didn't do a straight-up hip-hop record.
He threw everything on there, and thats exactly what
we wanted to do.[123] The same year, Complex ranked
Lamar atop its The 20 Best Rappers in Their 20s annual list.[124]

[2] Kendrick Lamar Brings Crown To Compton As 'Hottest

MC In The Game. MTV. March 7, 2013. Retrieved
March 7, 2013.

[6] (2011-08-31) Kendrick Lamar: Origins Of Excellence Pt.

3. YouTube. Retrieved September 12, 2011.

Personal life

In April 2015, he got engaged to his girlfriend Whitney

Alford.[125] One of his cousins is Nick Young, who currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.[126] Lamar is
a Christian,[127] and the introductory lines to his album
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City include a form of the Sinners
Prayer.[128] The rappers song "i" discusses his Christian
faith.[129]

Discography

Main articles: Kendrick Lamar discography and Black

Hippy discography

[3] Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q

form quasi-supergroup Black Hippy. Los Angeles Times.
(August 17, 2010). Retrieved May 3, 2011.
[4] Born and raised in Compton, Kendrick Lamar Hides a
Poets Soul Behind Pussy & Patron. LA Weekly (January 20, 2011). Retrieved May 3, 2011.
[5] (2013-09-18) Kendrick Lamar Reacts to Ice Cubes
Praise & Discusses Life in Compton with Arsenio.
YouTube. Retrieved January 7, 2014.

[7] Kendrick Lamar Talks J. Cole, XXL Freshman 2011,

KiD CuDi, etc (Video)". 2Dopeboyz. Complex Music.
December 31, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
[8] Graham, Nadine. (January 6, 2011) Kendrick Lamar:
The West Coast Got Somethin' To Say | Rappers Talk Hip
Hop Beef & Old School Hip Hop. HipHop DX. Retrieved
May 3, 2011.
[9] Kendrick Lamar - Track 1 (Hova Intro Freestyle)". That
New Jam. 2013-03-05. Retrieved 2015-10-14.
[10] Ozone Magazine Issue #84 Patiently Waiting Issue #84
Patiently Waiting: Kendrick Lamar. Ozonemag.com
(June 23, 2010). Retrieved May 3, 2011.
[11] "The Black Wall Street Journal, Vol. 1 Game >
Overview. AllMusic. Retrieved December 22, 2012.

Section.80 (2011)
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012)
To Pimp a Buttery (2015)

See also
List of artists who reached number one in the United
States
List of artists who reached number one on the U.S.
Rhythmic chart
List of hip hop musicians
List of people from California
Music of California

References

[1] Denney, Alex (March 18, 2015). NME Reviews Kendrick Lamar - 'To Pimp a Buttery'". NME. Retrieved
December 15, 2015.

[12] You Know What It Is Vol. 4: Murda Game Chronicles

(track listing). Game. The Black Wall Street Records.
2007.
[13] Kendrick Lamar C4 Mixtape DatPi (January 30, 2009)
DatPi. Retrieved July 8, 2011
[14] Kendrick Lamar - Kendrick Lamar (EP) [2009]. 2dopeboyz (September 14, 2010). Retrieved May 3, 2011.
[15] Kendrick Lamar P&P 1.5 f. Ab-Soul (Video)".
2Dopeboyz. Complex Music. September 14, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
[16] Overly Dedicated (Explicit):
Kendrick Lamar.
Amazon.com. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
[17] Kendrick Lamar O.D. (Mixtape)". 2Dopeboyz. Complex Music. September 23, 2010. Retrieved March 10,
2013.
[18] Kendrick Lamar Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
[19] Hanna, Mitchell. (September 27, 2010) Mixtape Release
Dates: Kendrick Lamar, K-Os, Terrace Martin, Sheek
Louch | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip
Hop Album Sales. HipHop DX. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
[20] Double G News Network: GGN Ep. 2 - Special Super
Hard Hitting Interview with Kendrick Lamar. YouTube.
Retrieved August 28, 2011.

[21] Jacobs, Allen. (December 17, 2010) Dr. Dre Says In

2011, Hes Focusing On West Coast Hip Hop Kendrick
Lamar, Slim da Mobster | Get The Latest Hip Hop News,
Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales. HipHop DX. Retrieved May 3, 2011.

[39] Martin, Andrew (December 11, 2012). Kendrick Lamar

f/ Gunplay Cartoon & Cereal - The 50 Best Songs of
2012 - Complex. Complex.
[40] Kendrick Lamar & Danny Brown Cover FADER.
2Dopeboyz. Complex Music. February 20, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2013.

[22] Paine, Jake.

(December 25, 2010) http:
//www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.13463/title.
kendrick-lamar-reacts-to-dr-dres-cosign-considering-aftermath
[41] Alexis, Nadeska (March 8, 2012). Kendrick Lamar,
Kendrick
Black Hippy Ink Deals With Interscope And Aftermath.
MTV. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
[23] Kendrick Lamar Says J. Cole Collabo Mixtape is Gonna
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10

[124] Complex sta (August 7, 2015). The 20 Best Rappers

in Their 20s (Right Now)". Complex Media. Retrieved
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[127] Kendrick Lamar: All I Am Is a Vessel, Doing His
Work."". Relevant Magazine. 16 March 2015. Retrieved
15 September 2015. He talks about how he became a
Christian (a friends grandmother led him to Christ in the
parking lot of a Food 4 Less), his vices (or lack thereof
he rarely drinks or smokes) and how he perceives himself. For many fans, I'm the closest thing to a preacher
that they have, Mr. Lamar, 27, said from the couch of a
Santa Monica studio where he recorded much of the new
album. I know that from being on tour kids are living
by my music. However, he added: My word will never
be as strong as Gods word. All I am is just a vessel, doing
his work.
[128] Borquaye, Isaac (2015). 8 mainstream artists you never
knew were Christian. Premier. Retrieved 15 September
2015.
[129] Funaro, Vincent (12 January 2015). "'We're in the Last
Days, I Truly in My Heart Believe That,' Says Kendrick
Lamar. The Christian Post. Retrieved 15 September
2015. Lamar exploded on the hip-hop scene in 2012
when he released his critically acclaimed album Good Kid
M.A.A.D City. It became an instant classic among many
listeners and his follow-up is expected out some time this
year even though no release date has been conrmed. The
debut featured a good amount of Christian content, including a skit where Kendrick and his friends are baptized
into the faith by proclaiming Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Toward the end of last year he released the rst single o
the album titled "i" which also touches on Christian faith.

External links
Ocial website

EXTERNAL LINKS

11

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Kendrick Lamar Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendrick_Lamar?oldid=697896187 Contributors: Andrewman327, Auric,

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