##Kendrick Lamar is a Grammy and Pulitzer Prize–winning rapper. His singles “Alright,” “HUMBLE.” and “Like That.” have made him a household name.
1987-present
***Kendrick Lamar News: Surprising Album by Rapper Dominates Charts Following Announcement of 2025 Tour Dates
On November 22, Kendrick Lamar suddenly released GNX, his sixth studio album. The rapper’s surprise album surfaced on streaming sites around midday, after a short preview on YouTube.
Following the success of his Grammy-winning 2022 record, Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, the new album has 12 new songs, featuring collaborations with other artists including as SZA.The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and included the chart-topper “squabble up” and the contemplative tune “heart pt. 6.”
GNX marks the conclusion of a successful year for Lamar. After making headlines for his continuing battle with Drake, the 37-year-old earned two No. 1 songs this spring with the diss tunes “Like That,” featuring Future and Metro Boomin and “Not Like Us.” Both songs got nominations for 2025 Grammys earlier this month, including Song and Record of the Year.
Next year promises to be just as hectic for Lamar. He is scheduled to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show in February 2025 and will then tour with SZA in the spring.
| Attribute | Details |
| Full Name | Kendrick Lamar Duckworth |
| Date of Birth | June 17, 1987 (age 37) |
| Birthplace | Compton, California, U.S. |
| Other Names | K.Dot |
| Occupations | Rapper, songwriter, filmmaker, entrepreneur, philanthropist |
| Years Active | 2003–present |
| Organization | PGLang |
| Works | Albums, singles, songs, videos, performances |
| Partner | Whitney Alford (engaged since 2015) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Baby Keem (cousin), Nick Young (cousin) |
| Awards | [Full list available] |
| Musical Career | |
| Genres | West Coast hip hop, progressive rap, jazz rap, conscious hip hop |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels | Interscope, Top Dawg, Aftermath, PGLang |
| Formerly Of | Black Hippy |
Who Is Kendrick Lamar?
Kendrick Lamar is one of hip-hop’s most prominent rappers, best known for his songs “Alright,” “HUMBLE,” and “Not Like Us.” After creating tales as a youngster, the Southern California native who began rapping under the moniker K-Dot set music to words about the tough Compton neighbourhoods where he grew up. Lamar’s 2012 first studio album, good kid, m.A.A.d City, received widespread recognition, and his plaudits have only risen since. The 17-time Grammy winner has three Best Rap Album wins and made history in 2018 with his album DAMN., which became the first of its genre to receive a Pulitzer Prize. In November 2024, Lamar surprised fans with the release of his sixth studio album, GNX.
Personal Facts
FULL NAME: Kendrick Lamar Duckworth
BORN: June 17, 1987
BIRTHPLACE: Compton, California
CHILDREN: Uzi and Enoch
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Gemini
Where Is Kendrick Lamar From?
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born in Compton, California on June 17, 1987. He is named after Eddie Kendricks of the R&B/Soul group The Temptations. His mother, Paula Oliver, was a hairdresser, and his father, Kenneth “Kenny” Duckworth, was a manual labourer.
Kendrick’s parents relocated to Compton from Chicago to escape the city’s gang lifestyle, where Kenny was a member of the famed Gangster Disciples group. Growing up, Kendrick and his family, which included his three younger siblings, lived in Section 8 housing and were briefly homeless.
The young kid excelled academically but remained silent owing to his stammer. He loved writing and later became interested in poetry and creative writing owing to his seventh-grade instructor, Mr. Inge. He was then captivated by rhymes, metaphors, and multiple meanings.
After seeing gang violence and police brutality at a young age, Kendrick dealt with his experience by penning tales and poetry before transitioning to songs. “You could put all your feelings down on a sheet of paper, and they’d make sense to you,” he told Rolling Stone in June 2015. “I liked that.” Some of his songs featured obscenity, which surprised his parents, but they never stopped him from writing.
In high school, Kendrick went under the name K-Dot and started performing his rhymes as a rapper. Around the same time, he began having encounters with the police. Although he was never a member of a gang, the aspiring rapper associates with a nasty crowd that often breaks into and robs people’s houses. His parents previously booted him out of the home for two days after authorities claimed he participated in a local incident. As a result, these events inspired his music.
Songs
Kendrick Lamar rose to prominence as one of today’s top hip-hop artists with the release of his first album in 2012.
At the age of 16, Lamar released his debut mixtape, 2003’s Y.H.N.I.C. (Hub City Threat: Minor Of The Year), under the moniker K-Dot. The effort, which sparked a lot of attention in and outside Southern California, landed him a record contract with the indie label Top Dawg Entertainment.
Another critically lauded mixtape, Training Day, was released in December 2005, and Lamar continued to collaborate with other rising West Coast rappers, including Jay Rock, with whom he collaborated on the 2007 mixtape No Sleep ‘Til NYC. The next year, he and Jay Rock joined rappers Ab-Soul and ScHoolboy Q to establish the group Black Hippy. Lamar released another solo mixtape, C4, in January 2009, before renouncing the K-Dot moniker for good and returning to his given name. “The name change was just me basically developing myself,” he later said to Hard Knock TV. “I want people to know who I am as a person and what I represent.”
In September 2010, Lamar released his fourth mixtape, Overly Dedicated, the first under his own name. The project debuted on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums list and was eventually discovered by prominent rapper and producer Dr. Dre, who invited Lamar to participate on his still-unreleased album Detox.
While working with Dr. Dre, the aspiring rapper released his first studio album, Section.80, in July 2011. The album, which was only available on iTunes, debuted on the Billboard 200 and garnered largely good reviews from reviewers. The concept album, which included the songs “A.D.H.D.” and “Ronald Reagan Era (His Vices),” delves into subjects such as racism, brutality, and addiction.
Following the release of Section.80, Lamar continued to write songs while travelling and working with increasingly well-known recording artists, including Drake, Young Jeezy, The Game, Talib Kweli, Busta Rhymes, and Lil Wayne. As the hype grew, Dr. Dre took the young musician under his wing and signed him to his record company, Aftermath Entertainment, a joint venture with Interscope Records. Top Dawg Entertainment remains Lamar’s principal label. With Aftermath’s huge resources, he was ready to become rap’s newest superstar.
Mainstream Success with good kid, m.A.A.d city
In October 2012, Lamar’s highly anticipated major-label first album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, was released to critical acclaim. Hit singles like “Swimming Pools (Drank)” and “Poetic Justice,” as well as the rapper’s emergence as a talent to watch, paved the way for him to appear on major television shows such as Saturday Night Live, Late Night With David Letterman, and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to promote the album. This strengthened his following base, which included not just hardcore hip-hop enthusiasts, but also college students and alternative music lovers.
Kendrick Lamar has returned to Saturday Night Live as a musical guest twice since his original appearance in January 2013.
Lamar became well-known for his keen observations of street culture, which often focused on the psyche of crime victims. “That’s the most interesting story for me,” he told The Guardian in December 2012. “At first, I was afraid to display fear because you never know how others may see you. But I challenged myself to stand out.”
His appeal to the public did not end there. Hip-hop reviewers were also drawn to his first album because of the thought-provoking lyrics it included. MTV awarded him the Hottest MC of 2012, joining prior winners such as Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, and Kanye West. Lamar subsequently received seven Grammy Award nominations, including Best Rap Album and Album of the Year for Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.
As a featured artist on Big Sean’s 2013 single “Control,” Lamar delivered a 62-bar stanza that surprised critics. Although the music was written by another artist, his piece garnered notice because he challenged numerous other well-known hip-hop artists, including Drake, J. Cole, and Big Sean himself. The brazen assertions in the contentious stanza Lamar delivered created a feeling reminiscent of the vintage hip-hop period, earning praise from critics, musicians, and fans.
To Pimp a Butterfly and First Grammys
To Pimp a Butterfly, Lamar’s follow-up album, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in March 2015, marking his first such achievement. He had already released the lead song “i,” which earned him his first Grammys for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance one month before the whole album was released. The album was another critically lauded release, recognised for its funk-infused blend of bravura, community politics, and sensitivity, and included musicians such as Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams.
Three months after releasing his second album, Lamar scored his first No. 1 single with Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” remix. Lamar’s banner year continues with 11 Grammy nominations.
Lamar was one of the major stars at the February 2016 awards presentation. He pulled the house down with a politicised rendition of “The Blacker the Berry” and “Alright” that included spoken word, live jazz, traditional African dancing, and a nod to the killing of Trayvon Martin. To Pimp a Butterfly won Best Rap Album, “Alright” won Best Rap Song, and the “Bad Blood” remix won Best Music Video.
Lamar then released untitled unmastered, a collection of unfinished recordings from To Pimp a Butterfly. The March 2016 effort also topped the Billboard 200.
Pulitzer Prize for DAMN
The musician continues to wow fans with the release of DAMN. in April 2017. The No. 1 album included the chart-topping song “HUMBLE.” as well as the popular single “LOYALTY.” featuring Rihanna. In addition to reaching double platinum status in three months, DAMN. was selected critics’ favourite album of 2017, according to a BBC News compilation of year-end surveys.
Lamar, who has seven Grammy nominations, opened the 2018 awards broadcast with another politically heated performance including Dave Chappelle, U2’s Bono, and the Edge. Kendrick Lamar went on to sweep the rap categories, winning Best Rap Album for DAMN. and Best Rap Song for “HUMBLE.,” for a total of five Grammys on the night.
Later that year, Lamar made history when DAMN. received the Pulitzer honour for Music, becoming not only the first person to win a Pulitzer for a hip-hop album, but also the first artist to win the honour for music other than classical or jazz. The jury at the Pulitzer Prize considered it “a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life.”
Black Panther Soundtrack
In addition to creating his own music, Kendrick Lamar arranged and produced the soundtrack for the 2018 movie Black Panther. The rapper’s sole Oscar nomination to date came for Best Original Song for “All The Stars” from the soundtrack of the Marvel film. Black Panther: The Album also received numerous Grammy nominations and one victory, with “King’s Dead” being selected Best Rap Performance.
Lamar was asked to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ music section in June 2018, demonstrating his growing prominence. The following month, he made his acting debut in 50 Cent’s murder thriller Power.
Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
A five-year stretch passed before the rapper’s next album of original music arrived. Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, released in May 2022, was a double-sided concept album that centered on personal themes of growth, self-reflection, Lamar’s childhood, and his experiences with generational trauma. His fourth record to debut atop the Billboard 200 featured the top 10 singles “N95,” “Silent Hill” with Kodak Black, “United In Grief,” and the Blxst and Amanda Reifer collaboration “Die Hard.”
Kendrick Lamar’s Big Steppers Tour is one of the highest-grossing rap tours in history.
Lamar promoted the album with The Big Steppers Tour, starting that July, which consisted of more than 70 shows across multiple countries. The concert series set a new record for highest-grossing tour by a headlining rapper at $110.9 million, according to Touring Data. (Drake has since eclipsed this mark.) Later in 2022, Lamar released a concert film of his Paris show on Amazon Prime Video.
More hardware from the Grammy Awards was in store for the rapper at the 2023 ceremony. Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers was named Best Rap Album, while the track “The Heart Part 5” won two trophies for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance.
GNX
In the first half of 2024, Kendrick Lamar had his third and fourth No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. “Like That,” a duet with Future and Metro Boomin, and “Not Like Us” became viral during Lamar’s reignited spat with Drake.
His hot run continued with the unexpected release of his sixth studio album, GNX, in late November 2024. The surprise record debuted on music streaming sites and quickly rose to the top of the Billboard 200. GNX’s 12 songs include “squabble,” another number-one smash, and the contemplative “heart pt. 6.” The album also includes collaborations with numerous artists, like as SZA on “Luther” and “Gloria” and Lefty Gunplay on the No. 2 single “TV Off.”
Some of these new songs might make it into Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime concert on February 9, 2025, in New Orleans. He previously performed in Super Bowl LVI in 2022, but this will be his first appearance as the halftime show’s headliner. After that, the rapper will join SZA on the Grand National Tour in the spring.
Grammys Kendrick Lamar Have?
Lamar, a famous and respected performer, has received 57 Grammy nominations and won 17 of them. This comprises seven nominees for the 2025 award event.
The hip-hop singer was initially nominated in an astonishing seven categories at the 56th Grammy Awards in 2014. This includes Best New Artist and Album of the Year for “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.” However, Lamar did not get any accolades until 2015, when his single “i” won Best Rap single and Best Rap Performance.
Lamar has won five Grammy awards in two consecutive events, in 2016 and 2018. He has won Best Rap Album three times: To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), DAMN. (2017), and Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022). Lamar has also won four Oscars for Best Rap Song—”i,” “Alright,” “HUMBLE,” and “The Heart Part 5″—and six prizes for Best Rap Performance, his most successful category.
Despite receiving several nominations for Album, Song, and Record of the Year awards, the rapper has failed to win any of them.
Whitney Alford and Children
Lamar has been in a relationship with his fiancée, Whitney Alford, since they were teenagers. The couple met at Centennial High School in Compton, California, and immediately became friends before dating. Although their relationship has mostly remained quiet, Lamar confirmed that he proposed to Alford in 2015.
“I wouldn’t even call her my girl,” he told Billboard back then. “That is my best buddy. I don’t even like the word that society has given to companionship—she’s someone I can convey my anxieties to.”
The couple has two children together. They had their daughter, Uzi, in July 2019. The media reported her birth, but Lamar did not divulge her name until May 2022, when his album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers was released. It was then that he revealed that Alford had discreetly given birth to their second child, a boy called Enoch. Lamar and his family appear on the album’s cover image.
Net Worth
Celebrity Net Worth estimates Lamar’s net worth at ***$140 million. In addition to his music sales and concert tours, he runs the creative communications firm PGLang and has endorsement relationships with Nike and American Express.
Feud With Drake
Aside from his music and critical praise, Lamar has garnered notoriety for his ongoing rap fight with fellow musician Drake, which began in 2013. However, Lamar and Drake weren’t always at conflict; they were previously pals and partners. As a teenage rapper, Lamar appeared on Drake’s 2011 album Take Care and opened for him on his Club Paradise Tour the following year. They also collaborated on Lamar’s early smash “Poetic Justice” off his first album.
Things began to deteriorate when Kendrick Lamar slammed Drake and other rappers during his extended vocal on Big Sean’s song “Control” in 2013. While Drake didn’t respond much, calling it a “ambitious thought,” Lamar retaliated at the rapper at the BET Hip-Hop Awards in October. He labelled Drake “sensitive” and “fake” after hearing the instrumental for J. Cole’s “Shook Ones.” Drake responded to Lamar on “The Language” and subsequently told VIBE Magazine that he was “being baited” but had “no real issue.”
While the two continued to verbally attack one other throughout the years, nothing significant happened until Drake and J. Cole’s 2023 collaboration on “First Person Shooter,” in which they referenced Lamar’s former rap moniker, K-Dot. Five months later, in March 2024, Lamar went on the offensive against Drake with “Like That,” a duet with Future and Metro Boomin. “F– sneak dissin’, first-person shooter/ I hope they came with three switches,” the song’s lyrics continue. Three days later, Drake addressed the track at a tour stop, assuring the crowd he was proud of himself.
In April 2024, Drake released the trash tunes “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle,” causing Lamar to respond with his six-minute diss track “Euphoria.” The return song included multiple jabs at Drake, describing him as a “degenerate.” The two continued to feud over the following month, with Lamar releasing three additional diss singles, including “Not Like Us,” which immediately topped the Billboard Hot 100. Drake sued Universal Music Group in November for allegedly collaborating with Spotify to “artificially inflate” the song’s popularity, and then filed a defamation claim the following day.
