Popular Music Today: Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar (Kendrick Lamar Duckworth) was born in Compton, California on June 17, 1987. Despite growing up in a gang stricken area, he was a great student and enjoyed writing stories and poems which then turned into writing lyrics. Kendrick Lamar’s father was associated with the streets and his family was touched by the crime. In spite of his environment he remained thoughtful and soft-spoken. In 2003 he began rapping under the name K-Dot and released his first mixtape called Youngest Head Nigga in Charge. That mixtape became popular in southern California and even reached a little beyond. That mixtape gave Kendrick the recognition he needed to get a record deal with an independent label, Top Dawg Entertainment,
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He ended up dropping the name K-Dot and went by his name Kendrick Lamar. He ended up releasing a mixtape and his first album Section.80. With the release of his album he began touring and working with popular artists like Young Jeezy, The Game, and Lil Wayne. The turning point in Kendrick’s career happened when Dr. Dre took him under his wing and began mentoring him in the music and business industry. Dr. Dre ended up signing him to his Aftermath Entertainment label which was associated with the big Universal Music label. This label had the resources to take Kendrick Lamar’s career to new heights. “Now the quiet, observant kid who made good grades in school was poised to become rap's newest superstar,” (biography.com).
In 2012, Kendrick really put his name on the map when he released good kid, m.A.A.d city. This album attracted a wide fan base for Lamar. He attracted hard-core hip hop fans, teens and college students, as well as fans of alternative rock. Kendrick Lamar’s most popular song to be released was on this album and is “Swimming Pools (Drank).” His album helped revive the authentic hip hop feel and got him to be called the “Hottest MC” by MTV. That was huge for Kendrick Lamar because it put his in comparison with some of hip hop’s greats; Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Kanye