Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar is a rapper, songwriter and producer from Compton, California, widely seen as one of the most important hip-hop artists of his generation. After mixtapes under the name K.Dot, he released acclaimed albums including good kid, m.A.A.d city, To Pimp a Butterfly and DAMN., which made him the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. GNX (2024) and the diss track "Not Like Us" won a sweep of Grammys, and his 2025 Super Bowl halftime show and stadium tour with SZA made him one of the biggest live acts in the world. His music draws on jazz, funk, soul and West Coast hip-hop, often recorded with live musicians alongside sampled and programmed beats.