Case Study - Kendrick Lamar

Introduction

As stated in my EPK, Compton rapper, songwriter and record producer Kendrick Lamar has massively influenced me. Kendrick started rapping as a teenager under the stage name K. Dot. He released a mixtape titled "Overly Dedicated", which garnered local attention and got him signed to record label Top Dawg Entertainment (other signees for TDE include Jay Rock, Isaiah Rashad and SZA) and started gaining popularity in 2010 following the release of "Overly Dedicated". Since then he has released four albums: "Section.80" (2011), "good kid, m.A.A.d city" (2012), "To Pimp A Butterfly" (2015) and "DAMN." (2017), all to critical acclaim and commercial success. He was creating professional standard music when he started due to being signed as a professional rapper. 

Career

Lamar had been rapping since 2004, but it wasn't until 2010 until he got recognised by major label TDE (Top Dawg Entertainment) after releasing his mixtape "Overly Dedicated". He got a co-sign from Lil Wayne and was recognised by hip-hop legend Dr. Dre after he heard "Ignorance Is Bliss" from the mixtape - it was the lyrics highlighting gangsta rap and street crime that made Dre want to work with Lamar. In 2011 he was featured on XXL's annual Freshman List along with big-name rappers such as Meek Mill, Big K.R.I.T., and the late Mac Miller. The same year, he released his debut studio album Section.80 in July - the album contains emotional track "Keisha's Song (Her Pain)", a song which tells the tragic story about a woman who has a traumatising history offering services, which leads up to her abrupt death. 

The following year, Lamar & Dr. Dre released "The Recipe" as a single. This track was set to be released as the lead single from Lamar's second studio album "good kid, m.A.A.d city", but it ended up on the deluxe version of the album instead. The album, released in October 2012 to universal acclaim, is a concept album which details Lamar growing up around gang members and explores topics such as peer pressure, drinking, a failed attempt to meet up with a crush, death, and religion. In 2013, Lamar made waves by featuring on Big Sean's track "Control", where he spits an epic verse - the verse contains lyrics about Lamar going out of his way to "murder" his competition - he namechecks J. Cole, Meek Mill, Drake, Big K.R.I.T, Wale, Pusha T, A$AP Rocky, Tyler, The Creator, and Mac Miller. In the same verse, he proclaims himself to be "the king of New York" and "king of the [West] Coast". The verse made 23 rappers write diss tracks on him, however following the release of "Control", Lamar's Twitter account saw a 510% increase in followers.

Lamar released his third studio album "To Pimp A Butterfly" in 2015. The album explores other genres such as jazz and soul, and explores themes such as police brutality, institutionalised racism, depression, self-love, and politics. "To Pimp A Butterfly" received rave reviews from critics and appeared near the top of multiple decade-end album lists. Lamar performed pro-black anthem "Alright", taken from the album, at the 15th BET Awards. The performance was met with backlash from Fox News reporter Geraldo Rivera, where he stated "Hip-hop has done more damage to African Americans than racism in recent years". Lamar responded, stating "How can you take a message of hope and turn it into hate?"

In 2017, Lamar returned with "HUMBLE.", taken from his fourth studio album "DAMN.", which was released in April 2017. The album contains guest appearances from Rihanna, Zacari and U2, and like his previous albums, received rave reviews from critics. On album track "DNA.", Lamar takes shots at Rivera after he slammed his BET Awards performance of "Alright". In 2018, he contributed to the "Black Panther" soundtrack, featuring on every track, though with most of them his features are uncredited. Lamar went on hiatus after the soundtrack before returning as a feature on cousin Baby Keem's "family ties", taken from Keem's album "The Melodic Blue". Lamar teased his final album under the TDE label on oklama.com along with multiple social media posts. In February 2022, Lamar performed at the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and 50 Cent - he performed "m.A.A.d city" and "Alright".

In April 2022, Lamar quoted a tweet joking about how he is "officially retired" and surprise announced his fifth studio album "Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers", set to be released on May 13, 2022. The album will be his last with TDE after being signed to the label for 17 years.

Conclusion

Lamar's impact on modern rap, and hip-hop as a whole, has made many deem him to be one of the greatest of all-time, myself included. Personally I think all hip-hop should sound similar to Lamar - outstanding beats, a perfect delivery and flow, and lyrics showcasing similar issues to what Lamar has rapped about throughout his career. You could throw any rap artist at me - even Kanye West, Dave, A$AP Rocky, Tyler The Creator, Lil Baby, Juice WRLD, Polo G, Drake, J. Cole, Jay Z, Stormzy, Roddy Ricch and The Notorious BIG - and as much as I adore their music I would still prefer Kendrick Lamar.