Kendrick Lamar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kendrick Lamar
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Lamar at the 2018 Pulitzer Prize ceremony
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Kendrick Lamar Duckworth
June 17, 1987 Compton, California, U.S.
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| Other names | K.Dot |
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| Years active | 2003–present |
| Organization | PGLang |
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| Partner(s) | Whitney Alford (eng. 2015) |
| Children | 2 |
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| Awards | Full list |
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Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper. He is regarded as one of the most influential hip-hop artists of his generation. He was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first musician outside of the classical and jazz genres to receive the honor.
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Early life
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born in Compton, California on June 17, 1987, the son of a couple from Chicago. Although not in a gang himself, he grew up around gang members.
At the age of eight, Lamar witnessed Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre film the music video for their single "California Love", which proved to be a significant moment in his life. As a child, he attended McNair Elementary and Vanguard Learning Center in the Compton Unified School District. Lamar was further educated at Centennial High School, where he graduated from in 2005 as a straight A student.
Career
In 2003, at the age of 16, Lamar released his first mixtape under the pseudonym K.Dot. The mixtape was released under Konkrete Jungle Muzik and garnered local recognition for Lamar. The mixtape led to Lamar securing a recording contract with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), a newly founded independent record label based in Carson, California. He began recording material with the label and subsequently released a 26-track mixtape two years later, titled Training Day (2005).
Throughout 2006 and 2007, Lamar would appear alongside other up-and-coming West Coast rappers, such as Jay Rock and Ya Boy, as opening acts for veteran West Coast rapper The Game.
After becoming a founding member of the hip hop supergroup Black Hippy, Lamar dropped his stage name 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)" and "Backseat Freestyle".
Lamar's major-label debut, good kid, m.A.A.d city, was released on October 22, 2012. The album debuted at number two in the US, selling 242,100 copies in its first week. Later that year, Fuse TV listed Lamar's single, "Backseat Freestyle" among the top 40 songs of 2012. In a few months' time, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). HipHopDX named Lamar "Emcee of the Year" for their 2012 Year-End honors.
On October 15, 2013, Lamar won five 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). In November 2013, he was named GQ's "Rapper of the Year," and was featured on the cover of the magazine's "Men of the Year" issue.
Lamar received a total of seven Grammy nominations at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards (2014), including Best New Artist, Album of the Year, and Best Rap Song, but did not win in any category.
A visit to South Africa inspired Lamar’s jazz-flavored third studio album, which was released in 2015. It received universal acclaim and became his first number-one album on the Billboard 200.
On May 17, 2015, Lamar featured on the official remix of American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift's song "Bad Blood", as well as appearing in the music video. The original song is in Swift's fifth studio album 1989. The single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the music video won them a Grammy Award for Best Music Video and a MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year.
Lamar experimented with R&B, pop and psychedelic soul in his fourth studio album. 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.
On March 4, 2016, Lamar released a compilation album Untitled Unmastered, containing eight untitled tracks. The compilation album debuted atop the US Billboard 200.
Following a four-year hiatus, Lamar released his minimalist 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.
In support of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Lamar embarked on the Big Steppers Tour, which ran from July 2022 to March 2024. The tour grossed $110.9 million in worldwide revenue, becoming the highest-grossing rap tour ever at the time.
Artistry
Influences
Lamar cites Tupac Shakur as his biggest influence, noting that he has impacted his music and everyday life. He has stated that Shakur, the Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Nas and Eminem are his top five favorite rappers.
Musical style and rapping technique
Lamar's musical style is known to be "anti-flamboyant, interior and complex." His work is generally categorized as progressive rap due to his contributions of broadening the genre's audience to reach mainstream listeners. He's stated in an interview that "You really can't categorize my music, it's human music."
Songwriting
Lamar's songwriting is often based on his personal life. Lamar's writing often contain political and social commentary centered around African American life and culture.
Other ventures
Acting and filmmaking
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Lamar began his filmmaking career by writing the music video for his song "Ignorance Is Bliss". He made his directorial debut with the music video for "Backseat Freestyle". Since then, he has directed several of his music videos alongside his creative partner Dave Free under the collective name The Little Homies. In 2014, Lamar produced and was featured in M.A.A.D, a short film inspired by his second studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. In December 2015, he co-directed, edited and starred in the short film God Is Gangsta. He began executive producing music videos in 2020 with Baby Keem's "Hooligan". In January 2022, Lamar and Free announced that they will be producing an untitled comedy film with South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker.
In July 2018, Lamar made his acting debut in the fifth season of the Starz drama series Power. His casting stemmed from his friendship with rapper 50 Cent, who stars in and executive produces the series. Lamar wanted to portray a character that did not resemble his musical persona, and drew inspiration from various people he knew when growing up in Compton. He also compared his acting preparation to his songwriting, saying that he prefers to "always have that open space to evolve". Lamar's performance was praised by critics and viewers, and earned him an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Performance in a Comedy or Drama Series.
Business and fashion
Lamar owns a percentage of his former record label Top Dawg Entertainment. In December 2014, he was announced as a brand ambassador for sportswear brand Reebok, and designed six sneakers with the company. After ending his ambassadorship with Reebok in 2017, Lamar began a partnership with Nike and collaborated on five sneakers. In 2022, he collaborated with Converse on two sneakers.
Impact
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Lamar's work has earned universal acclaim from music critics, industry peers, and cultural figures. He has been named by numerous media outlets as one of the most influential artists of the 2010s, with Billboard listing him as one of the greatest rappers of all time. He has been credited by NPR Music with the revival of jazz rap, which waned after the 1990s.
Multiple artists have cited his work as an inspiration, including Khalid, Roddy Ricch, Christine and the Queens, Jhené Aiko, Cordae, Car Seat Headrest and Dua Lipa.
Achievements
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Lamar has received various accolades throughout his career, including 22 Grammy Awards (the third-most won by a rapper). During the 65th ceremony, he became the first artist from any genre to be nominated for Album of the Year with four consecutive lead studio albums since Billy Joel (1979–1983).
Lamar has won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Brit Award, four American Music Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, 11 MTV Video Music Awards (including two Video of the Year wins), and 37 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.
Personal life
While attending Centennial High School, Lamar began dating beautician Whitney Alford. In April 2015, during an interview with The Breakfast Club, Lamar revealed that they were engaged. The couple have two children together: daughter Uzi (born July 2019), and son Enoch.
Interesting facts about Kendrick Lamar
- His first name was given to him by his mother, Paula Oliver, in honor of singer-songwriter Eddie Kendricks of The Temptations.
- Lamar grew up on welfare and in Section 8 housing.
- He has admitted to being quiet and shy in school.
- Lamar possesses a versatile tenor vocal range and a raspy, half-shout timbre.
- He is a devout Christian.
- Lamar is a notable fan of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Rams.
- He frequently refers to himself as the "Greatest Rapper Alive" and has once declared himself the "King of New York".
Discography
Studio albums
- Section.80 (2011)
- Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012)
- To ... a Butterfly (2015)
- Damn (2017)
- Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022)
- GNX (2024)
Filmography
- Lennon or McCartney (2014)
- God Is Gangsta (2015)
- Quincy (2018)
- Kendrick Lamar Live: The Big Steppers Tour (2022)
- Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé (2023)
- Piece by Piece (2024)
- Untitled Trey Parker film (2025)
See also
In Spanish: Kendrick Lamar para niños
- List of American Grammy Award winners and nominees
- 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 black Golden Globe Award winners and nominees
- Music of California
