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 is a highly acclaimed American rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer, widely considered one of the greatest rappers ever. He made history by winning the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, a first for a non-classical or jazz musician. His work is deeply rooted in West Coast hip-hop, characterized by conscious and introspective lyrics often delivering political criticism and social commentary focused on African-American culture.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Legacy & Impact

1996: Influence of Shakur's Album

In 1996, Tupac Shakur's "The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory" influenced Kendrick Lamar's artistic direction.

1997: Influence of The Notorious B.I.G.'s Album

In 1997, The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Life After Death" influenced Kendrick Lamar's artistic direction.

1998: Influence of DMX's Album

In 1998, DMX's "It's Dark and Hell Is Hot" influenced Kendrick Lamar's artistic direction.

2000: Eminem's Album Influence

In 2000, Eminem's "The Marshall Mathers LP" introduced Kendrick Lamar to songwriting elements like ad-libs.

2001: Training day mixtape concept.

In 2007, Kendrick Lamar released his second mixtape, Training Day, which was based on the 2001 film Training Day.

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2004: Earliest mixtape release

In 2004 Kendrick Lamar released his first mixtape, Youngest Head Nigga in Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year).

2005: Start of mixtape releases.

In 2005, Kendrick Lamar began releasing mixtapes and caught the attention of Dave Free. His first mixtape Youngest Head Nigga in Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year) was released either in 2004 or 2005.

2005: Signing with TDE and Joining Jay Rock

In 2005, Kendrick Lamar was offered a recording contract by Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) after an audition and joined Jay Rock as the label's first signees. He also purchased a minority stake in the label.

2005: Signing with Top Dawg Entertainment

In 2005, Kendrick Lamar, who was performing under the stage name K.Dot at the time, signed with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE).

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. He also heavily contributed to Jay Rock's mixtapes.

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.

2007: Release of Training Day mixtape

In 2007, Kendrick Lamar released his second mixtape, Training Day.

2008: C4 Mixtape Tribute

On January 30, 2009, Kendrick Lamar released his third mixtape C4, a tribute project to Lil Wayne's 2008 album Tha Carter III.

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: Worked with Sounwave Since 2009

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.

July 2, 2011: Release of Section.80

On July 2, 2011, Kendrick Lamar released his debut commercial mixtape, Section.80, supported by the lead single "HiiiPower".

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2011: Promoted Windows Phone

In 2011, Kendrick Lamar crafted an original song with record producer Nosaj Thing to promote Microsoft's Windows Phone.

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.

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October 2012: BET Music Matters Tour

From September to October 2012, Kendrick Lamar headlined the BET Music Matters Tour with Black Hippy and Stalley.

October 22, 2012: Good Kid, M.A.A.D City Release

On October 22, 2012, Kendrick Lamar's debut album "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City" was released. It featured producers such as Pharrell Williams and Hit-Boy and was heavily influenced by gangsta rap.

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: Commended Frank Ocean

In 2012, Kendrick Lamar commended Frank Ocean for coming out.

2012: Release of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City

In 2012, Kendrick Lamar released his sophomore album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, a gangsta rap–influenced album. It became the longest-charting hip hop studio album on the Billboard 200.

2012: Genreless Music

In a 2012 interview, Kendrick Lamar stated that his music is genreless, calling it "human music."

December 2013: Yeezus Tour Opening

From October to December 2013, Kendrick Lamar opened for Kanye West on his Yeezus Tour, despite disapproval from his label and management team.

December 2013: Donation to Centennial High School

In December 2013, Kendrick Lamar donated $50,000 to his alma mater, Centennial High School, in support of its music department.

July 2014: Rapture Tour

From February to July 2014, Lamar opened for Eminem on the Rapture Tour.

December 2014: The Colbert Report Performance

In December 2014, Kendrick Lamar performed untitled songs on The Colbert Report.

2014: Donation to 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

In 2014, Kendrick Lamar performed with Prince at Paisley Park to celebrate the release of Prince's albums Plectrumelectrum and Art Official Age.

2014: Marketing Campaign for Bacardi

In 2014, Kendrick Lamar starred alongside DJ Calvin Harris and singer Ellie Goulding in a marketing campaign for Bacardi.

March 15, 2015: To Pimp a Butterfly Album Release

On March 15, 2015, Kendrick Lamar released "To Pimp a Butterfly", incorporating genres like jazz, funk, and soul and collaborating with producers like Sounwave and Pharrell Williams. The album became Lamar's first number-one album on the Billboard 200.

May 2015: Declared a generational icon

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

In support of To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar embarked on the Kunta's Groove Sessions Tour, which ran from October to November 2015 in select intimate venues across the U.S.

2015: First Billboard Hot 100 Number One Single and To Pimp a Butterfly Release

In 2015, Kendrick Lamar achieved his first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single with the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood". He also released his third album, To Pimp a Butterfly.

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January 2016: The Tonight Show Performance

In January 2016, Kendrick Lamar performed untitled songs on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

March 4, 2016: Untitled Unmastered Release

On March 4, 2016, Kendrick Lamar released his first compilation album, "Untitled Unmastered". It contained eight untitled, dated, unfinished, and entirely self-written tracks that were intended to be included on "To Pimp a Butterfly".

2016: Blackstar Inspiration

David Bowie's final album, Blackstar (2016), was inspired by Kendrick Lamar's *To Pimp a Butterfly*.

2016: Use of music as protest anthems

Throughout the Black Lives Matter movement and events following the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Kendrick Lamar's work has been used as protest anthems.

March 1, 2017: Damn Album Confirmation

On March 1, 2017, Kendrick Lamar confirmed that he was working on his third album, Damn.

July 2017: Damn Tour Start

In July 2017, Kendrick Lamar embarked on the Damn Tour, his first headlining arena tour.

July 2017: Purchase of wheelchair-accessible van

In July 2017, Kendrick Lamar purchased a wheelchair-accessible van for a quadriplegic fan.

2017: Release of Damn

In 2017, Kendrick Lamar released his fourth album, Damn, which featured his second US number-one single, "Humble".

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January 4, 2018: Black Panther: The Album Announcement

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.

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April 16, 2018: Pulitzer Prize for Damn

On April 16, 2018, Damn won the Pulitzer Prize for Music, marking the first time a musical composition outside of the classical and jazz genres received the honor.

June 2018: Gold Certification for Every Song on Damn

By June 2018, Damn became the first album by a rapper or solo artist to have every song featured earn a gold certification or higher from the Recording Industry Association of America.

June 2018: Championship Tour

From May to June 2018, Kendrick Lamar co-headlined the Championship Tour with several TDE artists.

July 2018: Damn Tour End

From July 2017 to July 2018, Kendrick Lamar embarked on the Damn Tour. It grossed $62.7 million in worldwide revenue.

2018: Black Panther Soundtrack Contribution

In 2018, Kendrick Lamar contributed to the soundtrack of the film Black Panther, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "All the Stars".

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2019: Contributions During Hiatus

In 2019, after his two concert tours ended, Kendrick Lamar contributed to Beyoncé's The Lion King: The Gift, Schoolboy Q's Crash Talk, and Sir's Chasing Summer.

March 5, 2020: PGLang Launch

On March 5, 2020, Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free launched the creative entity PGLang, which was 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: Final Album Announcement Under TDE

In August 2021, Kendrick Lamar announced that he was in the process of producing his final album under TDE.

January 2022: Comedy Feature Production

In January 2022, Kendrick Lamar signed on to produce a comedy feature with Free, Trey Parker and Matt Stone for Paramount Pictures, slated to be released on March 20, 2026.

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.

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 and commercially successful, becoming his fourth consecutive number-one album on the Billboard 200.

July 2022: The Big Steppers Tour Launch

In July 2022, Kendrick Lamar embarked on the Big Steppers Tour in support of "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.

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October 2022: Good Kid, M.A.A.D City Milestone

In October 2022, "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, which concluded his tenure with TDE and Aftermath.

2022: Big Steppers Tour Start

The Big Steppers Tour, spanning 2022-2024, became one of the highest-grossing hip hop tours of all time.

May 2023: Featured on Beyoncé's "America Has a Problem"

In May 2023, Kendrick Lamar was featured on the standalone version of Beyoncé's single "America Has a Problem".

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2023: Worked with Grace Wales Bonner

For her Autumn/Winter 2023 collection, Twilight Reverie, Kendrick Lamar worked with Bonner to create the show's soundtrack with Sampha and Duval Timothy.

March 2024: Surprise Appearance on "Like That"

In March 2024, Kendrick Lamar made a surprise appearance on Future and Metro Boomin's track "Like That", which became his third number-one single.

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March 2024: End of The Big Steppers Tour

The Big Steppers Tour, in support of "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers", concluded in March 2024 after grossing $110.9 million worldwide.

June 7, 2024: Compton College Commencement Speaker

On June 7, 2024, Kendrick Lamar served as Compton College's surprise commencement speaker.

June 2024: $200,000 donation to Los Angeles charities

In June 2024, Kendrick Lamar spearheaded a $200,000 donation to 20 charities and community initiatives based in Los Angeles.

2024: Feud with Drake and Release of GNX

In 2024, Kendrick Lamar's highly publicized feud with Drake and sixth album GNX spawned the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Like That", "Not Like Us", "Squabble Up", and "Luther".

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2024: Composed Score for Chanel's Collection

Through PGLang, Kendrick Lamar composed the score and co-designed the stage for Chanel's Spring/Summer 2024 haute couture collection.

February 9, 2025: Lamar Headlines Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show

On February 9, 2025, Kendrick Lamar headlined the Super Bowl LIX halftime show with SZA, Samuel L. Jackson, Serena Williams, and Mustard, becoming the most-watched Super Bowl performance ever with 133.5 million viewers.

March 14, 2025: Featured on Playboi Carti's Album Music

On March 14, 2025, Kendrick Lamar was featured on three tracks of Playboi Carti's album "Music": "Backd00r", "Good Credit", and "Mojo Jojo".

April 2025: Grand National Tour with SZA Begins

In April 2025, Kendrick Lamar and SZA embarked on the Grand National Tour in support of GNX and Lana, which broke the record for highest-grossing co-headlining tour.

2025: Grand National Tour with SZA

In 2025, Kendrick Lamar's Grand National Tour with SZA became the highest-grossing co-headlining tour in history.

March 20, 2026: Comedy Feature Release Date

Kendrick Lamar's comedy feature film, which he is producing with Dave Free, Trey Parker and Matt Stone for Paramount Pictures, is slated to be released on March 20, 2026.