Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born on June 17, 1987, in Compton, California. He is a rapper best known for his critical and commercial success, as well as infusing his music with jazz and other genres and his lyrics with political messaging. Lamar started his career by signing with Top Dawg Entertainment in 2005, as well as founding the group Black Hippy, which also includes rappers Ab-Soul, Jay Rock and Schoolboy Q. In 2011, Lamar independently released "Section.80," his debut album. It gained the attention of superproducer Dr. Dre, which caused Lamar to sign with Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. As a result of this partnership, his second album, 2012's "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City," was a critical and commercial smash.

Lamar took that momentum and released a series of chart-topping, critically acclaimed records which were also celebrated at industry award ceremonies. His third album, 2015's "To Pimp a Butterfly," expanded his sonic palette even further, and topped the Billboard 200 upon its debut and won Best Rap Album at the Grammys. His fourth album, 2017's "Damn," was released days before his headlining set at that year's Coachella. In addition to its chart and Grammys success, "Damn" was also awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music. After this album, he curated and performed on the soundtrack to the 2018 Marvel smash movie "Black Panther." His fifth album, 2022's "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers," was his final project for TDE and Aftermath, as he has since moved his work to his own company, PGLang, which he co-founded with Dave Free. In 2024, he was engaged in a high-profile feud with the rapper Drake, out of which came two chart-topping songs for Lamar: "Like That" and "Not Like Us."

In addition to recording, Lamar has headlined some of the most successful hip-hop tours of all time, including 2017's The Damn Tour and 2022's The Big Steppers Tour. Lamar also co-headlined the Super Bowl LVI halftime show in 2022 with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Mary J. Blige, which earned him a Primetime Emmy. Beyond music, Lamar is producing a live-action comedy film with "South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker.