Kendrick Lamar is having arguably the best year of his career, and he hasn’t even dropped or announced an album. Despite the hiatuses he’s had between albums and the constant questions on whether he’s prepared to hold the crown as the “King of Hip-Hop,” K. Dot’s longtime fans aren’t at all surprised at his supremacy — they’ve always known he had it in him to be a legend.
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While many rappers focus on commercial appeal and numbers. Lamar has always prioritized quality and culture, and in the process has become the undisputed top dog in rap.
Before he was known as “Kung Fu Kenny” or the “Boogeyman,” Lamar was simply a battle rapper out of Compton battling any and everyone who was up to the challenge. Without knowing it, he was preparing himself for one of the biggest moments in the genre’s history.
Coming up in The Blog Era, where there were so many talented artists from across the world fighting for the ears of young hip-hop listeners across the internet, Lamar found a way to stand out.
Initially, he was like any other artist — looking to find his sound and crowd. In 2009, he released his third mixtape, “C4,” which is essentially a tribute project to Lil Wayne’s 2008 mega album, “Tha Carter III.” While it showcased his raw talent, fans didn’t truly get who the man behind the music was.
That changed later that year with the release of “Kendrick Lamar,” a self-titled EP on which he first referred to himself as his government name. From that point on, Lamar attacked tracks with an intricate and descriptive pen that was able to tell a story in a way that felt like you could almost see it.
The projects that followed included “Overly Dedicated” in 2010 and “Section.80” in 2011. While they weren’t commercially successful, they set the blueprint for what would be a historic four-album run for Lamar, which includes “good kid, m.A.A.d. City,” “To Pimp a Butterfly,” “DAMN” and “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.”
While each album sounds different sonically and touches on different subject matter, Dot is the same MC he always was — precise and true to himself.
Those skills he sharpened along the way prepared him for this incredible victory lap he’s on now — where instead of introducing a nuanced concept, he’s dissecting his biggest rival (hey, Drake) with meticulous precision.
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