These upbeat songs have surprisingly dark meanings
Lamar's 2018 win was an enormous victory for a genre that wasn't ever recognized by the institution as a legitimate art form.
Lamar's 2022-2023 'The Big Steppers Tour' was the highest-grossing rap tour of all time, and in 2023 he was honored on Billboard's list of the greatest rappers of all time.
Like many rappers, Lamar was raised in Compton, California, among gang violence and poverty. But unlike many rappers, he's turned his past into a responsibility to the future.
From his 2015 album 'To Pimp a Butterfly,' Lamar chants, "We gon' be alright," sending a message of hope and solidarity which the Black Lives Matter movement embraced.
'The Blacker the Berry' confronts listeners with every racial slur and stereotype about black people, from anatomy and hair to watermelon and chicken, and Lamar says, "This plot is bigger than me, it's generational hatred / It's genocism, it's grimy, little justification."
The hip-hop icon continues to captivate fans and critics alike with his sophisticated lyricism. In a high-profile feud with Drake, Lamar fearlessly addressed his rival's personal life and controversial portrayals of the Black community in his music. Lamar's ability to produce a series of intricately rhymed diss tracks within days solidified his status among fans and critics. As anticipation builds for his new album and upcoming Super Bowl Halftime performance, fans are eagerly awaiting his next musical masterpiece.
See also: Hidden messages in popular songs
Kendrick Lamar’s reputation precedes him, but how much do you really know about the artist and his work? It’s certainly hard to believe he's only in his mid-thirties, since he’s already created the immense legacy that usually takes people’s entire lives—or their too-sudden deaths—to achieve.
There are few artists as respected as K-Dot, being both a rapper’s rapper as well as nearly every pop fan’s choice of hip hop. Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (you can guess why he dropped the last name) maintains the marvel of rap’s lyrical integrity while still providing the bangers that everyone’s body craves.
Born to a father who was embroiled in gangs and a mother who named him after American singer-songwriter Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations, Lamar’s upbringing was a mix of Compton streets and musical expression. He dropped his first full-length project when he was just 16, a mixtape titled ‘Youngest Head N–a in Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year)’ under the pseudonym K-Dot, and was soon signed to Top Dawg Entertainment.
Seventeen years later, Lamar released his final album for Top Dawg Entertainment before embarking on a new era of music with his mysterious 'oklama' website. It wasn't until 2022, five years later, that his next album, 'Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers,' was completed.
With each year, mixtape, album, soundtrack, and feature, Lamar refines his already razor-sharp talent, and his impact on the world of music, politics, and culture is tangible. His deep moral complexity and sharp political wit deserve a closer look, particularly after making history as the first hip-hop artist to win the Pulitzer Prize.
Check out this gallery to see just what makes him such a big deal.
Kendrick Lamar’s hit Drake diss track is up for five Grammys
This brings Lamar’s total nods at the 2025 awards up to seven
MUSIC Rappers
Kendrick Lamar’s reputation precedes him, but how much do you really know about the artist and his work? It’s certainly hard to believe he's only in his mid-thirties, since he’s already created the immense legacy that usually takes people’s entire lives—or their too-sudden deaths—to achieve.
There are few artists as respected as K-Dot, being both a rapper’s rapper as well as nearly every pop fan’s choice of hip hop. Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (you can guess why he dropped the last name) maintains the marvel of rap’s lyrical integrity while still providing the bangers that everyone’s body craves.
Born to a father who was embroiled in gangs and a mother who named him after American singer-songwriter Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations, Lamar’s upbringing was a mix of Compton streets and musical expression. He dropped his first full-length project when he was just 16, a mixtape titled ‘Youngest Head N–a in Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year)’ under the pseudonym K-Dot, and was soon signed to Top Dawg Entertainment.
Seventeen years later, Lamar released his final album for Top Dawg Entertainment before embarking on a new era of music with his mysterious 'oklama' website. It wasn't until 2022, five years later, that his next album, 'Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers,' was completed.
With each year, mixtape, album, soundtrack, and feature, Lamar refines his already razor-sharp talent, and his impact on the world of music, politics, and culture is tangible. His deep moral complexity and sharp political wit deserve a closer look, particularly after making history as the first hip-hop artist to win the Pulitzer Prize.
Check out this gallery to see just what makes him such a big deal.