Detroit Red Wings

Kendrick Lamar

 

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987), better known as Kendrick Lamar, is an American hip hop recording artist from Compton, California. In 2004, Lamar signed to Carson-based independent record label, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). Lamar would later secure a recording contract with a major-label in 2012, when he signed with Aftermath and Interscope Records. Apart from his solo career, Lamar is also known as a member of Black Hippy, a supergroup of West Coast hip hop artists, alongside his TDE label-mates and fellow South Los Angeles-based rappers Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock, and Ab-Soul.
Lamar began to gain major recognition in 2010, after his first retail release, Overly Dedicated. The following year he released Section.80, his first independent album, exclusively through iTunes. The album received critical acclaim and instantly ranked as one of the top digital hip hop releases of the year. Early in his career, prior to releasing his major-label debut, Lamar had amassed a large Internet following and had already worked with several prominent artists in the music industry, including Dr. Dre, Game, Eminem, Drake, Young Jeezy, Talib Kweli, Busta Rhymes, E-40, Warren G, and Lil Wayne.
Lamar's major-label debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, was released in October 2012 to widespread acclaim. The album contained the Top 40 hits "Swimming Pools (Drank)", "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe", and "Poetic Justice". Upon its release, the album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In early 2013, MTV crowned Lamar the No. 1 "Hottest MC in the Game", on their annual list. Lamar also 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. A year later, at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards (2015), Lamar won Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for his single, "i". In March 2015, Lamar released his third album, To Pimp a Butterfly, to wide acclaim.

Personal

 

Lamar was born in Compton, California, to parents from Chicago, Illinois. His birth name was given to him by his mother in honor of singer Eddie Kendricks. In 1995, at the age of eight, Lamar witnessed his idols, Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre, film the music video for their hit single "California Love", which would later prove to be a very significant moment in Lamar's life. As a teenager, Lamar attended Centennial High School in Compton, where he was a straight-A student.
In April 2015, he got engaged to his girlfriend Whitney Alford.

Artistry

   

Influences

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 five favorite rappers. Tupac Shakur is his biggest influence, and has influenced not only his music, but his day-to-day lifestyle as well. In a September 2012 interview, Lamar stated Detroit-based rapper Eminem "influenced a lot of my style" and has since credited Eminem for Lamar's aggression on records. Lamar also gave Lil Wayne (during his Hot Boyz days) credit for influencing his style and praised his longevity. He has said that he also grew up listening to Rakim, Dr. Dre and Tha Dogg Pound. He also cites Yonkers-based rapper DMX as an influence: "[DMX] really [got me started] on music," explained Lamar in an interview with Philadelphia's Power 99. "That first album [It's Dark and Hell Is Hot] is classic, [so he had an influence on me]." In January 2013, when asked to name three rappers that have played a role in his style, Lamar said: "It's probably more of a west coast influence. A little bit of Kurupt, Pac, with some of the content of Cube.” In a November 2013 interview with GQ, when asked "The Four MC's That Made Kendrick Lamar?", he answered Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Mobb Deep, namely Prodigy.

 

Musical style

On the topic of his music genre, Lamar has said: "You really can't categorize my music, it's human music.”