This struggle is only furthered by the fact that he has done a remarkable job switching his style up over the years-from the impossibly detailed storytelling raps on Section.80 and good kid, m.A.A.d city, to the funk-and-jazz infused ruminations on race and life in To Pimp A Butterfly and untitled unmastered., to the pop-rap stylings of DAMN., Kendrick has ensured that almost any rap fan will find something to adore in his catalog. While a critically acclaimed and commercially successful album such as that would be the peak of many artists’ careers, Lamar took this momentum and ran with it, releasing two albums, an EP and a soundtrack to overwhelming accolades in the ensuing years.ĭue to his remarkably consistent output in the 2010s, picking just 20 Kendrick songs is a gargantuan task. While Section.80 showed the immense musical talent Lamar possessed, it wasn't until the release of 2012’s good kid, m.A.A.d city that his popularity exploded 250,000 in first week sales, four Grammy nominations and omnipresence at social outings for the next several years cemented Kendrick as the new savior of West Coast hip-hop, and one of the greatest rappers of his generation. That narrative changed when an unheralded Compton-born rapper going by the name of Kendrick Lamar dropped his first commercial record, Overly Dedicated, in 2010, followed by his debut album Section.80 in 2011. For almost 15 years, the debate wasn't much of a debate at all.
However, in the aftermath of both iconic rappers’ tragic passings, the west coast quickly lost legitimacy in the eyes of most whereas the east coast had Big Pun, Jay Z, Nas, DMX, Wu Tang solo members and 50 Cent in the decade after Biggie's demise, the only rappers making mainstream noise out west during the same period were The Game and Snoop Dogg. Starting with 2011’s “Section.80,” each of Lamar’s albums has surpassed the last, both in terms of sales and prominence: 2015’s “To Pimp a Butterfly,” 2017’s “Damn.” and 2018’s Lamar-led “Black Panther: The Album” all went platinum.During the mid-to-late 90s, the rivalry between Bad Boy Records and Death Row Records-or, as it is more typically discussed nowadays, the Tupac vs Biggie feud-gave new life to the seemingly never-ending debate over which coast was more vital to hip-hop, West or East. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. Lamar has released four studio albums and a soundtrack through Top Dawg, which has a joint venture deal with Dr. Founded in 2004 by CEO Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, TDE remains a rap and R&B powerhouse with a roster that includes SZA, Schoolboy Q and Jay Rock. I go months without a phone,” he writes.Ī few sentences later, the Compton-raised hip-hop star announced that, after 17 years, he would be issuing his final album for Top Dawg Entertainment, the label that helped propel Lamar to become the most acclaimed rapper, writer and artist of his generation.
The morning rides keep me on a hill of silence.
20, the note opens with a snapshot of his world: “I spend most of my days with fleeting thoughts. Like Catholics awaiting chimney smoke that announces a new Pope, Lamar has set social media ablaze with a new post. Kendrick Lamar fans who have eyed the horizon for news of the Pulitzer Prize-winning artist’s forthcoming album have reason to rejoice.