Booking Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar Biography

Kendrick Lamar was born in 1987 in Compton, California. By the time he was a teenager, young Kendrick had already spent years idolizing such notable artists as Dr. Dre and Tupac Shakur, and their influence had a profound effect on Kendrick’s eventually choice of profession. Despite a stellar high school academic record, Kendrick set his sights on a career as a performer, and released his first mixtape when he was only sixteen. Youngest Head Nigga in Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year) arrived initially under a pseudonym, but after garnering attention from Top Dawg Entertainment, Kendrick released Training Day (2005), a second mixtape.

For the next few years, Lamar toured alongside some of the biggest names in rap and hip hop, and by 2009, he released his first EP under his own name. Additional mixtapes followed, until he released his major label debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, in 2012. The album was a smash success, earning young Lamar critical acclaim and spawning the hit singles “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe,” “Swimming Pools (Drank),” and “Poetic Justice,” all of which rose into the top forty on the charts. Eventually, good kid, m.A.A.d city reached number two on the charts, reached platinum status, and earned Kendrick MTV’s recognition as the number one Hottest MC in the Game for 2013. He also earned multiple BET Awards, for Best Collaboration (for “Problems”), Best Male Hip-Hop Artist, and Best New Artist, and awards in the Hip Hop specific categories for Lyricist of the Year and Album of the Year, in addition to multiple other nominations.

Most recently, Kendrick Lamar collaborated with Big Sean on the single “Control” and announced that he would be touring alongside Kanye West in the coming months. Lamar is definitely a star on the rise, and has plans for additional performances and album releases in the coming years.