Career Timeline of Kendrick Lamar: Major Achievements and Milestones
How Kendrick Lamar built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is a highly acclaimed American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer, widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. His work, deeply rooted in West Coast hip-hop, is characterized by conscious and introspective lyrics, often featuring political criticism and social commentary focused on African-American culture. A significant achievement in his career was winning the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, a historic moment as he was the first non-classical or jazz musician to receive this honor.
1996: Influence of The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory
In 1996, Tupac Shakur's The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory was a significant influence on Kendrick Lamar's artistic direction.
1997: Influence of Life After Death
In 1997, The Notorious B.I.G.'s Life After Death influenced Lamar's artistic direction.
1998: Influence of It's Dark and Hell Is Hot
In 1998, DMX's It's Dark and Hell Is Hot influenced Lamar's artistic direction.
2000: Influence of The Marshall Mathers LP
In 2000, Eminem's album The Marshall Mathers LP introduced Kendrick Lamar to songwriting elements like ad-libs and impacted his aggressive approach to records.
April 15, 2003: Release of Youngest Head Nigga in Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year)
On April 15, 2003, Kendrick Lamar, under the stage name K.Dot, released his first mixtape, Youngest Head Nigga in Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year).
December 30, 2005: Release of Training Day mixtape
On December 30, 2005, Kendrick Lamar released his second mixtape, Training Day.
2005: Signing with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE)
In 2005, Kendrick Lamar signed with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and co-founded the hip hop supergroup Black Hippy.
2006: Signing with Def Jam Recordings
In 2006, Kendrick Lamar signed an artist development deal with Def Jam Recordings and was featured on two singles by the Game.
December 24, 2007: Release of No Sleep 'til NYC
On December 24, 2007, Kendrick Lamar and Jay Rock released a collaborative mixtape, titled No Sleep 'til NYC.
January 30, 2009: Release of C4 mixtape
On January 30, 2009, Kendrick Lamar released his third mixtape C4, a tribute project to Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III.
2009: Begins working with Sounwave
Kendrick Lamar has been working with his longtime producer, Sounwave, since his 2009 self-titled EP.
September 14, 2010: Release of Overly Dedicated
On September 14, 2010, Kendrick Lamar released his fourth mixtape, Overly Dedicated, which was his first project to be purchased through digital retailers.
July 2, 2011: Release of Section.80
On July 2, 2011, Kendrick Lamar released his debut studio album, Section.80, supported by the single "HiiiPower".
2011: Windows Phone Promotion
In 2011, Kendrick Lamar crafted an original song with record producer Nosaj Thing to promote Microsoft's Windows Phone.
2011: Release of Section.80
In 2011, Kendrick Lamar released his alternative rap debut album Section.80.
April 2012: Premiere of The Recipe
In April 2012, Kendrick Lamar's first commercial single, "The Recipe" featuring Dr. Dre, premiered on rhythmic crossover radio.
October 2012: Headlining the BET Music Matters Tour and winning Lyricist of the Year
In October 2012, Kendrick Lamar headlined the BET Music Matters Tour with Black Hippy and Stalley. He also won Lyricist of the Year at the BET Hip Hop Awards during this month.
October 22, 2012: Release of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City
On October 22, 2012, Kendrick Lamar's second album and first under a major record label, "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City", was released. The album featured production from Pharrell Williams, Hit-Boy, and others, blending West Coast hip-hop with gangsta rap influences. The lead single, "Swimming Pools (Drank)", became Lamar's first top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
November 2012: Donation to American Red Cross
In November 2012, Kendrick Lamar donated to the American Red Cross to support victims of Hurricane Sandy.
2012: Release of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City
In 2012, Kendrick Lamar released his gangsta rap-influenced second album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.
December 2013: Donation to Centennial High School
In December 2013, Kendrick Lamar donated $50,000 to his alma mater, Centennial High School, to support its music department.
December 2013: Opening for Kanye West on the Yeezus Tour
In December 2013, Kendrick Lamar opened for Kanye West on his Yeezus Tour, despite disapproval from his label and management team. He opened from October to December 2013.
2013: Named Best Rapper Alive by Complex
In 2013, Complex named Kendrick Lamar the best rapper alive.
January 2014: Grammy Nominations and Performance
In January 2014, Kendrick Lamar received seven nominations at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, and Album of the Year for "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City". During the awards ceremony, he performed a mashup of "M.A.A.D City" and "Radioactive" with Imagine Dragons.
July 2014: End of Rapture Tour
In July 2014, Kendrick Lamar's opening stint for Eminem on the Rapture Tour came to an end.
2014: Concert tour benefitting Habitat for Humanity
In 2014, Kendrick Lamar embarked on a small concert tour and donated all of the revenue to Habitat for Humanity and his hometown.
2014: Performance with Prince at Paisley Park
In 2014, Kendrick Lamar performed with Prince at Paisley Park to celebrate the release of Prince's albums Plectrumelectrum and Art Official Age, influencing his vocal register.
2014: Bacardi Marketing Campaign
In 2014, Kendrick Lamar starred alongside DJ Calvin Harris and singer Ellie Goulding in a marketing campaign for Bacardi.
March 15, 2015: Release of "To Pimp a Butterfly"
On March 15, 2015, Kendrick Lamar released his third album, "To Pimp a Butterfly". It incorporated genres such as jazz, funk, and soul, and featured producers like Sounwave and Pharrell Williams. The album sold 324,000 copies in its first week, becoming Lamar's first number-one album on the Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart.
May 2015: Declared generational icon by the California State Senate
In May 2015, Kendrick Lamar was declared a generational icon by the California State Senate for his contributions to music and philanthropy.
November 2015: Kunta's Groove Sessions Tour
From October to November 2015, Kendrick Lamar embarked on the Kunta's Groove Sessions Tour in support of "To Pimp a Butterfly".
2015: First US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single and Release of To Pimp a Butterfly
In 2015, Kendrick Lamar featured on the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" and scored his first US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single, and released his third album, To Pimp a Butterfly.
March 4, 2016: Release of "Untitled Unmastered"
On March 4, 2016, Kendrick Lamar released his first compilation album, "Untitled Unmastered". The album contained eight untitled, dated, unfinished, and entirely self-written tracks intended for "To Pimp a Butterfly".
2016: Blackstar inspired by To Pimp a Butterfly
David Bowie's final album, Blackstar (2016), was inspired by To Pimp a Butterfly.
2016: Black Lives Matter anthem
Throughout the Black Lives Matter movement and events following the 2016 U.S. presidential election, his work has been used as protest anthems.
March 1, 2017: Confirmation of fourth album
On March 1, 2017, Kendrick Lamar confirmed he was working on his fourth album, "Damn.", during a cover story for T.
July 2017: Start of Damn Tour
In July 2017, Kendrick Lamar embarked on his first headlining arena tour, the Damn Tour, in support of his album, with dates running from July 2017 to July 2018.
July 2017: Purchase of wheelchair-accessible van for fan
In July 2017, Kendrick Lamar purchased a wheelchair-accessible van for a quadriplegic fan.
2017: Named Best Rapper Alive by Complex
In 2017, Complex named Kendrick Lamar the best rapper alive for the second time.
2017: Release of Damn and Humble
In 2017, Kendrick Lamar released his fourth album Damn, which leaned towards R&B and pop, and yielded his second US number one single, "Humble".
January 4, 2018: Announcement of Black Panther: The Album
On January 4, 2018, Kendrick Lamar announced that he would be curating and executive producing "Black Panther: The Album", the soundtrack from the 2018 film. He contributed lead and background vocals to every track and produced on select songs.
June 2018: Co-headlining Championship Tour
From May to June 2018, Kendrick Lamar co-headlined the Championship Tour with several TDE artists. While on tour, he became embroiled in a public dispute with Spotify regarding the streaming service's Hate Content & Hateful Conduct policy.
July 2018: End of Damn Tour
In July 2018, Kendrick Lamar's Damn Tour came to an end. The tour grossed $62.7 million in worldwide revenue.
2018: Black Panther Soundtrack and Academy Award Nomination
In 2018, Kendrick Lamar curated original songs for the soundtrack of the film Black Panther, earning a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "All the Stars".
2018: Pulitzer Prize for Music
In 2018, Kendrick Lamar was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music, marking the first time a musician outside the classical and jazz genres received the award.
2019: Contributions during hiatus
In 2019, during a four-year recording hiatus, Kendrick Lamar contributed to Beyoncé's "The Lion King: The Gift", Schoolboy Q's "Crash Talk", and Sir's "Chasing Summer".
March 5, 2020: Launch of PGLang
On March 5, 2020, Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free launched the creative entity PGLang, described as a multilingual, artist-friendly service company.
June 2020: Peace Walk Participation
In June 2020, Kendrick Lamar joined a peace walk to protest against the murder of George Floyd and the killing of Breonna Taylor.
August 2021: Announcement of final TDE album
In August 2021, Kendrick Lamar announced that he was producing his final album under TDE, confirming his departure to focus on PGLang.
February 13, 2022: Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show
On February 13, 2022, Kendrick Lamar co-headlined the Super Bowl LVI halftime show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, and Mary J. Blige, which later won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live).
May 13, 2022: Release of "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers"
On May 13, 2022, Kendrick Lamar released his fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, a double album influenced by jazz, R&B, trap, and soul. The album was widely acclaimed, with every track charting on the Hot 100, and became his fourth consecutive number-one album on the Billboard 200.
July 2022: Big Steppers Tour Start
In July 2022, Kendrick Lamar started The Big Steppers Tour in support of his album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.
September 2022: Release of "We Cry Together" short film
In September 2022, Kendrick Lamar released the short film adaptation of his song "We Cry Together", for which he wrote, co-directed, and executive produced.
October 2022: "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City" sets record on Billboard 200
In October 2022, Kendrick Lamar's album "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City" became the first hip-hop studio album to spend over ten consecutive years on the Billboard 200 chart.
2022: Release of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
In 2022, Kendrick Lamar released his fifth album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.
2022: Big Steppers Tour
The Big Steppers Tour (2022–2024) is one of the highest-grossing hip hop tours of all time.
May 2023: Featured on "America Has a Problem" and "The Hillbillies"
In May 2023, Kendrick Lamar was featured on Beyoncé's single "America Has a Problem" and Baby Keem's single "The Hillbillies".
2023: Collaboration with Grace Wales Bonner for Twilight Reverie soundtrack
In 2023, Kendrick Lamar collaborated with Grace Wales Bonner to create the soundtrack for her Autumn/Winter 2023 collection, Twilight Reverie, featuring Sampha and Duval Timothy.
March 2024: Appearance on "Like That" and Diss Tracks
In March 2024, Kendrick Lamar appeared on Future and Metro Boomin's track "Like That", which became a number-one single. This reignited his conflict with Drake, leading to the release of diss tracks in the following months.
March 2024: End of Big Steppers Tour
In March 2024, Kendrick Lamar's Big Steppers Tour concluded. The tour grossed $110.9 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing rap tour ever at the time.
June 7, 2024: Commencement Speaker at Compton College
On June 7, 2024, Kendrick Lamar served as Compton College's surprise commencement speaker.
June 2024: $200,000 donation to charities and community initiatives
In June 2024, Kendrick Lamar spearheaded a $200,000 donation to 20 charities and community initiatives based in Los Angeles.
2024: Billboard names Lamar as greatest pop star; Starred in Piece by Piece
In 2024, Billboard listed Lamar as the greatest pop star of the year. Also in 2024, outside of music, Lamar starred in the animated biographical film Piece by Piece.
2024: Feud with Drake and GNX release
In 2024, Kendrick Lamar's feud with Drake and his sixth album GNX led to several US number-one hits, including "Like That", "Not Like Us", "Squabble Up" and "Luther".
2024: Composing for Chanel's Spring/Summer haute couture collection
In 2024, through PGLang, Kendrick Lamar composed the score and co-designed the stage for Chanel's Spring/Summer 2024 haute couture collection.
February 2, 2025: "Not Like Us" Wins at the Grammy Awards
On February 2, 2025, Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" won five awards at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards including "Record of the Year", "Song of the Year", "Best Rap Performance", "Best Rap Song" and "Best Music Video".
February 9, 2025: Super Bowl LIX Halftime Performance
On February 9, 2025, Kendrick Lamar performed at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, featuring cameos and musical performances from SZA, Samuel L. Jackson, Serena Williams, and Mustard. His halftime show broke viewership records, becoming the most-watched Super Bowl performance of all time with 133.5 million viewers.
March 14, 2025: Featured on Music by Playboi Carti
On March 14, 2025, Kendrick Lamar was featured thrice on the album Music by Playboi Carti, appearing on the tracks "Backd00r", "Good Credit", and "Mojo Jojo".
2025: Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show
In 2025, Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl LIX halftime show broke viewership records, reaching 133.5 million viewers domestically.
March 20, 2026: Release of Comedy Feature
Kendrick Lamar is slated to produce a comedy feature with Free, Trey Parker, and Matt Stone for Paramount Pictures, which is slated to be released on March 20, 2026.
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