In the race for the title of "most important rapper of the present day," Kendrick Lamar is more than a hot contender. Sales figures in the triple-digit millions, millions of streams per month, an impressive Grammy collection and a Pulitzer Prize for the album "DAMN" are impressive proof of this. Since his debut album "Section.80", the "HUMBLE" rapper has been tirelessly climbing the ladder of success. Among his companions are greats like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Drake, Rihanna, SZA, The Weeknd and U2. And his fans include former U.S. President Barack Obama. Fans, critics and music business greats all love Kendrick Lamar, and for good reason.
Born in 1987, Kendrick Lamar grew up in Compton, a Los Angeles neighborhood notorious for gang violence. Instead of joining a gang, the youngster prefers to try his hand as a rapper named K. Dot. Already the first mixtape "Youngest Head Nigga in Charge" shows that this was an excellent idea. In the years that followed, Kendrick Lamar put out more mixtapes and was active as part of the hip-hop collective Black Hippy with Ab-Soul, Schoolboy Q and Jay Rock. Back on the road as a solo artist, the debut album "Section.80" is released in 2011 via Top Dawg Entertainment on iTunes. And from then on, Lamar's path leads steeply upward. On the second album, the first to be available everywhere, "Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City," Dr. Dre and Drake make guest appearances, as does Mary J. Blige on a bonus track. Conversely, fellow musicians are literally clamoring to work with the acclaimed newcomer. The album reaches #2 on the U.S. charts and goes platinum several times over. And yet, this is still just the beginning.
"DAMN", that Kendrick Lamar!
Somehow the high-flyer manages to go one better with each new release. "To Pimp a Butterfly" is highly praised by critics and, among other things, he collects the Grammy for the rap album of the year. But even with this, Kendrick Lamar has not yet reached the end of the line. "DAMN" is even more successful than its predecessor, landing at #6 on the album charts in this country. In the U.S., almost every track on the work receives a gold record. And "DAMN" is the first rap album ever to win a Pulitzer Prize. The creativity of Kendrick Lamar seems to know no bounds. Less than a year after the fourth long player, the soundtrack to the Marvel film "Black Panther" is released, for which Lamar is largely responsible. Thus, he took over the production and contributed, among others, the tracks "All the Stars" with SZA, "Pray for Me" with The Weeknd and "Big Shot" with Travis Scott.
After five years of waiting, fans can finally look forward to a new Kendrick Lamar album in May 2022. "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers" comes as a double album and features guests like Summer Walker, Ghostface Killah and Beth Gibbons from Portishead. Already the cover indicates that Kendrick Lamar has once again delivered an incomparably profound rap album, as only he can do. And it makes clear once again: Kendrick Lamar is one of the greatest artists of his generation.
