About Kendrick Lamar
“Now I done grew up ‘round some people livin’ their life in bottles,” Kendrick Lamar on his song Swimming Pools (Drank),
this shows us about Kendrick’s early life surrounded by adults who were alcoholics and a lot of their activities
revolved around alcohol, eventually he would himself being those adults. Kendrick Lamar or his full name Kendrick Lamar
Duckworth, is a musician who was born in Compton, California, on June 17, 1987.
He is notorious for his lyrics and putting into poems and lyrics in his music about the hardships of growing in the mean streets of Compton where he grew up. Kendrick from a young age started rapping under the name K-Dot and releasing mixtapes that became gradationally popular among some people. His first debuting album under a record label was released on July 2, 2011, named Section.80 released by the record label Top Dawg Entertainment.
With Kendrick’s increase in popularity his music was brought to the attention of Dr. Dre’s label. After a year, he released his first major-record debut album on October 22, 2012, named good kid, m.A.A.d city under Dr. Dre’s label. His albums are profound, putting into poems and music lyrics his struggles of life, the hardships of living in a gang ridden place, the struggles of a broken household, and many more issues, hence why this section of this page will talk a bit about his life.
Before his birth, Kendrick’s parents had moved to Compton from Chicago, because of the gang presence in the city even though his father was involved with a well-known Chicago gang called Gangster Disciples. They wanted away from that crime ridden place, so they moved. However, as time passed gang presence on the West Coast of the United States grew and with the 1980’s crack trade, Kendrick’s early life revolved around shady activity on the streets, but rather than being harmed by them he was influenced.
His writing creativity started with poems and stories that he would write at a young age during school. Even though his circumstances weren’t favorable since his family was still affected by gang violence, he remained a soft-spoken, thoughtful person that observed and thought from the sides. At the age of 16, in 2003 he began rapping and creating music under the name K-Dot and would later release his first mixtape called Youngest Head N*gga in Charge, this mixtape would garner a bit of fame in California and other States. In addition, enough fame to garner the attention of Top Dawg Entertainment, with them he would release more mixtapes called Training Day released in 2005 and C4 released in 2009. With them he would release his first LP Section.80.
After being signed with the Dr. Dre’s record label he would release good kid, m.A.A.d city, To Pimp a Butterfly, DAMN., and Mr. Morale and The Good Steppers, all critically acclaimed albums one even making history by winning the Pulitzer award and one being considered one of the best albums of all time. To Pimp a Butterfly is his highest rated album in his discography and is considered hip hops greatest album of all time, it was an ambitious album combining elements of funk, jazz, soul and other genres made by the African American community.
He was nominated 11 grammy awards for this album. From this album came certain songs for Untitled Unmastered, were Kendrick releases songs he was working on during the recording of TPAB, this compilation album hit the tops of the U.S Billboards. Moreover, DAMN. was his next release in 2017, this album was another hit for Kendrick and even winning him a Pulitzer award, making Kendrick the first hip hop album to win this award.
The people that awarded him with the Pulitzer award even called 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,” this was a great deal because it was a first that an artist that isn’t a jazz or classical musician wins the award.
