Kendrick Lamar släpper nytt album – fem år efter ”Damn”

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Lamar's music has particularly been lauded for its vivid and powerful narration of his life, socially conscious commentary and incorporation of jazz in commercially successful music. Lamar has been regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation and one of the greatest rappers of all time. Aside from his solo career, he is also known as a member of the hip hop supergroup Black Hippy alongside his Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) labelmates Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and Schoolboy Q. Raised in Compton, California, Lamar embarked on his musical career as a teenager under the stage name K.Dot, releasing a mixtape titled Y.H.N.I.C. (Hub City Threat Minor of the Year) that garnered local attention and led to his signing with indie record label TDE. He began to gain recognition in 2010 after his first retail release, Overly Dedicated. The following year, he independently released his first studio album, Section.80, which included his debut single "HiiiPoWeR". By that time, he had amassed a large online following and collaborated with several prominent hip hop artists. Subsequently, he secured a record deal with high-profile music producer Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, under the aegis of Interscope Records. Lamar's major-label debut album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, was released in 2012, garnering him widespread critical recognition and mainstream success. His third album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), which incorporated elements of funk, soul, jazz, and spoken word, predominantly centred around social issues concerning Black-Americans. It became his first number one album on the US Billboard 200 and was an enormous critical success. His fourth album, Damn (2017), continued acclaim for him and produced his first number one song, "Humble", on the US Billboard Hot 100. The album became the first non-classical and non-jazz album to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music. In 2018, he wrote and produced 14 songs for the soundtrack to the superhero film Black Panther. In May 2022, Lamar released his fifth and last album with TDE, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.Lamar has certified sales of over 70 million records in the US alone, and all of his albums have been certified platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He has received many accolades over the course of his career, including 14 Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, a Brit Award, 11 MTV Video Music Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, and an Academy Award nomination. In 2012, MTV named him the Hottest MC in the Game on their annual list. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016. In 2015, he received the California State Senate's Generational Icon Award. Three of his studio albums have been listed in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2020).