Kendrick’s Upbringing
June 17, 1987, in Compton, California, Kendrick Lamar was brought into the world. Lamar was born into a poor family, they lived off of section 8 and food stamps. His father was a former ‘gang hustler,’ so Kendrick was affiliated with certain gangs growing up. Despite the hardships, Kendrick reportedly remembered having a lot of good memories growing up. His love and interest in hip-hop music came from his upbringing, specifically his father. Though he grew up pretty rough, he still later managed to become a Grammy-winning artist with other rewards.
Start Of His Career
Lamar first started putting songs out under a stage name (K.Dot) while still in high school. His debut album, Section.80, was released in 2011. He soon rose to fame when he released his second album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, which Rollng Stone “named the greatest concept album of all time.” He achieved his first Billboard Hot 100 when he partook in Taylor Swift’s ‘Bad Blood.’ Lamar always includes messages in his music, which is the main reason his songs are so popular. His messages are deep and specific, mainly about social and racial injustice.
Lamar’s Career Today
In 2024, Kendrick sparked up in popularity due to his beef with Drake. This spawned some of Lamar’s most popular songs, like Song Of The Year, Not Like Us. Today, Kendrick is regarded as ‘one of the greatest rappers of all time.’ Lamar recently released his new 2025 album ‘GNX,’ which included two number one singles. Most people liked this album, yet Medium thought differently and stated “GNX doesn’t always hit the mark. Some songs, like “peekaboo” or “gnx,” feel less impactful.” Which demonstrates that not everyone will appreciate you, no matter how prominent you are. Yet, Kendrick is too busy to care due to his recent Super Bowl performance.
His Super Bowl Experience
There are many opinions about his performance. The Fairfield Mirror thought Kendrick was “the perfect man for the job.” Others, like Cincinnati, had different opinions, stating, “Throughout the show, I was in disbelief. With all the great singers and dancers in this country, was Lamar and his entourage worthy of the Super Bowl spotlight? I’ve seen infinitely more talent at high school plays and variety shows.” Despite the negative opinions, Lamar’s 2025 halftime show was the most-watched Super Bowl performance in history with 133.5 million viewers. Which was more viewers than the Super Bowl had itself. Kendrick added messages in his performance, like he does in his music. His message was a critique on social and racial injustice, he used symbolic imagery to challenge audiences to reflect on America’s past and current issues.
Post-Super Bowl; What’s Next?
Though he’s already made his legacy with his endless awards and performances, he plans to change conversation again throughout the rest of 2025. It’s been recognized that Lamar is teaming up with ‘South Park’ creators Matt Parker and Trey Stone for a live action comedy that opens in July 2025. Though his life is practically based around music, his end goal is not music. Lamar disclosed in his interview with NME that he wants to meet people smarter than him. He wants to talk to them. He just wants to be fulfilled with whatever this world has to offer. Kendrick seems goal-oriented, he has plenty coming for him. He will most likely just get bigger over the years.
