Kendrick Lamar

Born and raised in Compton, Kendrick Lamar was enraptured with rap at a young age. At 16, he released his first mixtape, entitled Youngest Head N****a in Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year) . The album got around, and soon, Lamar was signed to the indie rap record label Top Dawg Entertainment. He appeared around the area and gained notoriety. At the age of 20, he was featured on Jay Rock's first single "All My Life (In the Ghetto)," which got Lamar noticed by Lil Wayne. Alongside Lil Wayne, Lamar released his next mixtape, called C4. But before Lamar's solo career took off, he toured with Jay Rock and others, forming the group Black Hippy. The band never released an album, but the notoriety of their talent went viral, boosting Lamar's 2010 mixtape Overly Dedicated. After that, Lamar released his first full-length album Section.80 in 2011. The record was well received but wasn't the breakthrough success some expected. However, Lamar's notoriety rose and he was signed to Interscope Records for his next album, 2012's good kid, m.A.A.d city. Featuring a who's who of rap producers including Dr. Dre and Pharrell Williams, the album quickly became a huge hit, backed by singles including "Poetic Justice" and "Swimming Pools (Drank)." After that, Lamar became a major player in the rap scene and his follow-up album, 2015's To Pimp a Butterfly, was one of the most anticipated rap albums in a while. It was a huge success, selling more than a million copies across the world. To Pimp a Butterfly earned Lamar numerous awards, including five Grammys. He followed it up in 2016 with untitled unmastered. A release of unfinished demos from his previous album. Lamar's fourth studio album, "Damn," was released in April 2017 to almost unviersally positive reviews, and was certified Platinum by RIAA. Lamar was nominated for seven Grammy awards at the 2018 ceremony, ultimately winning five: Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, Best Music Video, and Best Rap/Sung Performance. Following this, he produced the soundtrack album for the massive worldwide hit "Black Panther" (Marvel Studios, 2018), entitled "Black Panther: The Album - Music From and Inspired By," which was also a huge success. In April 2018, Lamar was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his album "Damn." He was the first non-jazz or classical artist to win this award.