Kendrick Lamar Success Story

Kendrick Lamar was born on 17 June, 1987 in Compton, California. He studied at the Centennial High School, Compton. Lamar idolised Tupac Shakur and Dr De. He was greatly influenced watching them shoot their musical video.

Early Career

Kendrick Lamar embarked upon his musical career with his first release, 'Youngest Head Nigga in Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year)' in 2003, at the age of 16. A 'full-length mixtape' project, it won him the recording contract with Top Dawg Entertainment. Lamar used the pseudonym K-Dot. He worked with rappers from the West-coast; Ya Boy and Jay Rock.

Lamar came into the limelight with his major role in Jay rock's music video, “All My Life (In the Ghetto)”. Lamar's third mixtape. “C4” hit the stands in 2009. In the same year, he launched an 'extended-play'. He made is own hip hop super group, 'Black Hippy'.

Heights

Kendrick Lamar tasted success following the launch of “Overly Dedicated”, his first retail release. He had a strong fan-following. Lamar launched his first independent album in 2011. Lamar signed a contract with Aftermath and Interscope Records. He won critical acclaim for “Good Kid, m.A.A.d city”, his debut album. The album featured in the 'Number Two' position on 'Billboard 200 US chart'. It was recognised at the 'platinum' level by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Lamar's rise in the world of music was meteoric. He was declared the No.1 “Hottest MC in the Game” on the MTV annual list. Lamar's studio album, “To Pimp A Butterfly” made it to the top of the charts in the US and the UK and made a record sale in the first week itself. He won the Grammy Award 2015 in the categories, “Best Rap Performance” and “Best Rap Song” for his album, “i”.

Lamar was given the title of “New King of the West Coast” during his performance at a concert in Los Angeles. He created a promotional song, 'Cloud 10' in a joint venture with Windows Phone for Microsoft's new product.

Lamar launched a song, "Westside, Right on Time", to commemorate the "Top Dawg Entertainment Fam Appreciation Week". He went on several tours with is Black Hippy group. Lamar's single album, “Backseat Freestyle” was rated among the 'Top 40 Songs' 2012 by Fuse TV and credited 'gold' by RIAA. Kendrick Lamar was declared “Emcee of the Year” by HipHopDX in their year-end honours 2012. Lamar was selected “Rapper of the Year” 2013 by GQ and appeared on the “Men of the Year” issue of the magazine.

Lamar's music video, “Alright” was nominated in four categories in the MTV Video Music Awards 2015.

Personal Life

Kendrick Lamar is engaged to Whitney Alford, his girlfriend. His fvourite rappers are; Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Jay Z, Nas and Eminem. He is greatly inspired by Tupac Shakur in his music and his life.

Recognition

Kendrick Lamar won the prestigious Grammy Award for 'Best Rap Performance' and 'Best Rap Song' for his song “i” at the 57^th Annual Grammy Awards, 2015.

He was nominated for seven categories at the 56^th Annual Grammy Awards, 2014 and 11 categories at the 58^th Annual Grammy Awards. He stands second after Michael Jackson as a rapper with 'most nominations in a single night'.

Lamar was bestowed California State Senate's 'Generational Icon Award' in 2015. His album 'To Pimp a Butterfly' was rated as the best album of 2015 by Rolling Stone and other publications. Lamar featured at the top of "The 20 Best Rappers in Their 20s" on Complex's annual list. Lamar was declared “Emcee of the Year” by HipHopDX in their year-end honours 2012. Lamar was selected “Rapper of the Year” 2013 by GQ and appeared on the “Men of the Year” issue of the magazine.

Kendrick Lamar speaks to Peter Rosenberg