Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is an American rapper widely recognized as one of the most influential hip-hop artists of his era. In 2018, he made history as the first non-classical and non-jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Born and raised in Compton, California, Lamar began his musical journey under the moniker K.Dot while still in high school. In 2005, he signed with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and later co-founded the hip-hop collective Black Hippy.
His 2011 debut album, *Section.80*, an alternative rap project, led to a joint deal with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. His breakthrough came with *Good Kid, M.A.A.D City* (2012), a gangsta rap-inspired concept album that became the longest-charting hip-hop studio album in Billboard 200 history. Rolling Stone later named it the greatest concept album of all time. In 2015, Lamar achieved his first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single as a featured artist on Taylor Swift’s *Bad Blood* remix and released *To Pimp a Butterfly*, an album blending jazz, funk, and soul with hip-hop, marking his first of five consecutive number-one albums. Lamar continued his dominance with *Damn* (2017), incorporating R&B and pop influences. The album produced his second Hot 100 chart-topper, *Humble*. He later curated the *Black Panther* (2018) soundtrack, earning an Academy Award nomination for *All the Stars*.
In 2022, he released *Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers*, a double album that marked his departure from TDE and Aftermath. His highly publicized feud with Drake culminated in the release of *GNX* (2024), which produced the number-one hits *Like That* and *Squabble Up*, as well as *Not Like Us*, which set a Grammy record with five wins, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Throughout his career, Lamar has amassed an impressive list of accolades, including 22 Grammy Awards (the third-most for a rapper), a Primetime Emmy Award, a Brit Award, four American Music Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, and 11 MTV Video Music Awards, with two Video of the Year wins. He also holds the record for the most BET Hip Hop Awards, with 37 wins. In 2016, *Time* named him one of the world’s 100 most influential people. His *Damn Tour* (2017–2018) and *Big Steppers Tour* (2022–2024) rank among the highest-grossing rap tours in history, and three of his albums were featured in *Rolling Stone’s* 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Beyond music, Lamar co-founded the creative company PGLang and expanded into filmmaking with longtime collaborator Dave Free.