The Incredible Story of KENDRICK LAMAR

Kendrick Lamar. Why he’s THAT GUY.

Editing by Philip Damico and Christopher Damico
Written by Philip Damico
Music by Lex Villena

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is often cited as one of the most influential rappers of his generation. Aside from his solo career, he is also a member of the hip hop supergroup Black Hippy alongside his former 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 rappers. He subsequently secured a record deal with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, under the aegis of Interscope Records.

00:00 intro
00:40 Kendrick’s backstory
06:07 Kendrick’s early music
07:11 Section.80
09:10 Good kid mad city
12:35 To Pimp a Butterfly
15:15 DAMN.
17:47 Black Panther & Kendrick’s Hiatus
21:00 Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers
23:00 Outro

#kendricklamar #volksgeist #videoessay #hiphop #music

[declanhuber]

One of my favourite things about Kendrick is how he's not interested in blanketly condemning things like violence and drug abuse, but rather he's more interested in exploring *why* people do those things in a very beautiful and nuanced way

[ramennoodles]

Who else is watching this while kdot is absolutely ripping Drake apart?

[Samtastic-rlet]

Wow. I had no idea the old woman on Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst was Maya Angelou. No other artist could be in a position to do that. And it was on his major label debut. That's insane!

[Jamlife]

mad respect that he was part of the protest without taking away from the cause by exposing himself but hiding his face because he understands he needs to be there but doesnt want attention to be taken away from the cause

[Scott-xxib]

The irony of Kendrick's dad moving him out of Chicago to escape the gangs and bad influences and taking him to... Compton

[jansoules]

Thank you. I'm 67 and Kendrick is my favorite artist. HE speaks to this old white girl and touches soul.

[SAMZIRRA]

5 years ago my brother gave me “Damn”. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. it was as if a giant sense of relief washed over me pushing away all the stresses of my life, I am an artist and at that time I hadn’t made any art in almost a year due to depression and other issues. that album literally lifted me out of my chair out of my sadness and gave energy to my motivation to be creative again. I listened to it front to back for days as I painted 8 to 12 hours a day nonstop for months. I should clarify, I listened to Damn only, for one month, and then started getting into his other albums but I did listen to Damn for months mixed in with those other albums. He was just an exquisite storyteller, He is an exquisite storyteller thoughtful caring surprising energetic, almost as if he’s challenging you to do more without bragging about what all the things are he has done. if I ever saw him I just say thank you so much for helping me find a way to get my life back.

[devantes]

Kendrick is an artist at the top of his game everytime & that's hard to do on a global scale but he's mastered it so good, the music speaks for itself.

[droppinggemies]

This is why Drake is so mad.. he has a great catalog and undeniably has made some of the best music of my generation but Kendrick Lamar is the soul of hip hop. He’s the Tupac of my generation and I was 5 in 1996. Been a fan since 2013 ever since I heard Spiteful Chant and Money Trees. He speaks to every part of me from struggles with Christianity and Righteousness ✝️ to Black trauma. DAMN is such a good album I cried at the concert and at the Mr. Morale tour.. I don’t know why tears just came out singing the songs that expressed my pain, beauty and struggles. At one point in 2014 I constantly tweeted his lyrics to him on twitter and he followed me. I don’t idolize but I highly respect this artist. I was so pumped. I said all this to say I am a forever fan.

[RobinZK]

The beef brought me here. And something the author said hit hard and has aged like wine.
“We live in a world where truth is far from encouraged in the art economy.
You can fake your backstory
You can fake your culture and
can fake your personality and you can be perfectly successful with that made up persona but you can only go so far with that.”
And that is the juxtaposition between Kendrick and Drake. Wow.

[Space]

Dear Adonis, look what your daddy did, im watching all Kendrick videos and Interviews

[olamideakinola]

Kendrick is one of music’s greatest artists in history.

[joetheindigo]

The Control verse should have been mentioned in this. That was a complete shake up of the scene at the time and forced so many rappers to bring back that hunger and competitiveness to hip hop again

[theartofpablo]

Solid video. It felt a little condensed, but not in a bad way. I’d say this video should be considered more of a crash course on Kendrick’s mainstream career, the very tip of the iceberg as far as “understanding” Kendrick as an artist. This video is also riddled with very objective opinions, focusing more on the listener’s critical reception of his work and not so much on the actual craft of making his music.

I think the Black Panther Album could’ve been explored a little bit more as a major moment in pop culture as well as black culture, and I think “untitled unmastered” should’ve gotten some attention.

[aniesha]

Mr Morale blew me away. Kendrick is Supernaturally talented with a Beautiful MIND. Nice work on this.

[joelikesthings]

23:01 and those exact words ring truer than ever now

[droughdough]

This legit made me tear up. His insane talent was almost lost in the turmoil and stress of street life. He's truly the best rapper of all time, and time will tell that story. I've been an avid rap fan of everything from the earliest records. He thinks, writes and digests different. But he also challenges his own perspective on his albums like he's trying to decipher his own perspective in front of his fans. Other rappers espouse authority. Kendrick chooses the opposite. He undercuts his own hubris for the sake of exploring himself. I write very different music from Kendrick, but I look to his creative formula to help me write my own songs.

[alexie]

Thank you for giving TPAB and Mr. Morale the love they deserve. ALL of Kendrick’s music is SO deep and layered. There’s so many double and triple entendres, word play, and deep emotional messages within these albums that people tend to overlook on first, second or third listen. There’s always something new to feel or experience when listening to Kendrick’s albums.

Also I agree that DAMN is a more commercial version of his albums BECAUSE it is an easier listen sonically than Mr. Morale or his previous albums. However, the underlying messages and struggles presented are still so deep and emotional and I think that album was a GREAT way for Kendrick to get the general public listening to his music

[clementmatrat]

The editing on this... absolutely fantastic. We can feel the passion you have for Kendrick's music through all the details you've put in the aesthetics and the development of the video. Just an incredible work, thank you for doing this

[phillexstewart]

This video is ridiculously well done, the animation, the research, the in depth looks, just amazing. I watch pretty much all your videos but this one stands out to me as a masterpiece. Very well done.