Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987), simply known as Kendrick Lamar, is an American hip hop recording artist. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation and one of the greatest rappers of all time. Born and raised in Compton, California, Lamar began his career as a teenager performing under the stage name K.Dot. He quickly garnered local attention which led to him signing a recording contract with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2005.
After becoming a founding member of the hip hop supergroup Black Hippy, Lamar dropped his former stage name of K.Dot and started using his first and middle names professionally. In 2011, he released his debut studio album Section.80, a conscious hip hop record. The album was met with positive reviews and included his debut single "HiiiiPower". In 2012, Lamar secured a record deal with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, under the aegis of Interscope Records, and released his second studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. The West Coast and gangsta rap influenced album garnered widespread critical recognition and commercial success, while including the singles "Swimming Pools (Drank)", "Backseat Freestyle", and "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe".
A visit to South Africa inspired Lamar's jazz-flavored third studio album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). It received universal acclaim and became his first number-one album on the Billboard 200. The same year, he topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time with the remix of "Bad Blood" by Taylor Swift. Lamar experimented with R&B, pop and psychedelic soul in his fourth studio album Damn (2017). It spawned his first solo number-one single "Humble" and became the first non-classical and non-jazz work to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Following a four-year hiatus, Lamar released his fifth studio album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022), which served as his swan song from TDE. He has directed and produced several music videos and films with his creative partner Dave Free, with whom he founded the creative collective PGLang.
Having sold over 70 million records in the United States alone, all of Lamar's studio albums have been certified platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including 17 Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, two American Music Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, 11 MTV Video Music Awards, a Brit Award, and a nomination for an Academy Award. He was named MTV's Hottest MC in the Game in 2012. In 2015, Lamar received the California State Senate's Generational Icon Award. He has been featured in listicles such as the Time 100 and Forbes 30 Under 30. Three of his studio albums were included on Rolling Stone's 2020 ranking of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Lamar made his musical guest debut on Saturday Night Live on January 26, 2013, the twelfth episode of Season 38, hosted by lead singer and vocalist of pop rock band Maroon 5, Adam Levine, star and coach of NBC's longest-running singing reality competition television series The Voice. He performed "Swimming Pools (Drank)" and "Poetic Justice" and he also appeared in the SNL Digital Short: YOLO.
Two seasons later, he returned to Saturday Night Live for his 2nd musical guest appearance on November 15, 2014, the sixth episode of Season 40, hosted by actor Woody Harrelson, which he returned to host for the 3rd time and his first appearance in 22 years, 5 months and 30 days. He performed the two songs "i" and "Pay For It" with Jay Rock.
Lamar also made his guest appearances on February 1, 2014, the thirteenth episode of Season 39, hosted by actress Melissa McCarthy, joining musical guests Imagine Dragons during their musical number "Radioactive" and on December 1, 2018, during Anderson .Paak's song "Tints".
He returned to Saturday Night Live for his 3rd musical guest appearance on October 1, 2022, which is the season premiere of Season 48 of Satutday Night Live, hosted by actor Miles Teller, star of the 2022 hit action film Top Gun: Maverick; which coincidentally, was the first episode for new cast members Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker. He performed a medley of "Rich Spirit" and "N95" for his first set and "Father Time" with Sampha for his second.
Lamar's major-label debut album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, was released in 2012, garnering him widespread critical recognition and mainstream success. His third album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), which incorporated elements of funk, soul, jazz, and spoken word, predominantly centred around the Black-American experience. It became his first number-one album on the US Billboard 200 and was an enormous critical success. His fourth album, Damn (2017), saw continued acclaim, becoming the first non-classical and non-jazz album to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music. It also yielded his first number-one single, "Humble", on the US Billboard Hot 100. Lamar curated the soundtrack to the superhero film Black Panther (2018) and in 2022, released his fifth and last album with TDE, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, which received critical acclaim.
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