Kendrick Lamar: 24 Facts You Didn't Know About The 'Not Like Us' Rapper
Here's everything you need to know about Kendrick Lamar.
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1. How old is Kendrick Lamar?
Kendrick Lamar was born on 17th June 1987, making him 37 years old.
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2. What is Kendrick Lamar's real name?
His real name is Kendrick Lamar Duckworth. Picture: Getty
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3. What is Kendrick Lamar's net worth?
According to various reports, Kendrick Lamar is worth around $140 million dollars. Picture: Getty
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4. How tall is Kendrick Lamar?
Kendrick Lamar is among the shortest rappers in Hip-Hop, standing at 5 feat 6 inches.
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5. When did Kendrick Lamar and Big Sean's beef start?
Kendrick Lamar and Big Sean's beef appeared to start after the pair collaborated on a song called 'Control'. Kendrick dissed a number of rappers including Big Sean - on his own song! Since that moment the rappers have sent a series of subliminal disses to each other in a number of songs. Picture: Getty
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6. How many songs does Kendrick Lamar have with Kanye West?
Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West famously collaborated on album 'The Life Of Pablo'. Kanye released a song called 'No More Parties In LA' alongside Kendrick, then later admitted the pair have more than 40 songs together. However more songs are yet to surface.
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7. When was Kendrick Lamar's 'Black Panther' album released?
Kendrick Lamar and TDE released the official soundtrack for the 'Black Panther' movie on 9th February 2018. The project features collaborations with The Weekend, Travis Scott, Future and more. Picture: Getty
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8. What are Kendrick Lamar's best songs?
Kendrick Lamar's best commercially performing songs include 'HUMBLE', 'Alright', 'Swimming Pools', 'i' and 'DNA'. However the rapper's discography is filled with huge songs. His diss track against Drake called 'Not Like Us' has gone down in history as a legendary track. Picture: Getty
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9. Where is Kendrick Lamar from?
Kendrick Lamar is actually from Compton, Los Angeles. However the rapper has now travelled the world thanks to his hugely successful career. Picture: PA
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10. His 'Damn Tour’ has taken him across the world from North America to Europe.
The US leg ran from July-September 2017. The European leg kicks off in Dublin, Ireland on February 7, 2018 and makes stops in Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, and London before heading into mainland Europe.
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11. Dr Dre wanted to work with Kendrick after hearing 'Ignorance Is Bliss'.
Dr Dre tracked Lamar down after hearing the song 'Ignorance Is Bliss' - the standout track from the rapper's mixtape 'Overly Addicted'.
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12. A joint album between J. Cole and Kendrick has been rumoured for years.
Fans of the long-time friends have been anticipating a collaborative record since rumours began. A joint track entitled 'Temptation' leaked in 2011, but an album is yet to materialise. Picture: Instagram
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13. His fourth studio album 'DAMN.' earned him his third consecutive number-one album in the US.
It received widespread acclaim from critics. In July 2017, three months after its release, the album achieved double platinum certification. Picture: Instagram
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14. 'DAMN.' saw Kendrick introduce his new alter ego, Kung Fu Kenny.
Kendrick based Kung Fu Kenny off Don Cheadle’s character Kenny in Rush Hour 2, who owned a Chinese food restaurant and studied martial arts. Despite starring in the music video for 'DNA.', Cheadle failed to make the connection until Kendrick debuted a short karate film, The Damn Legend of Kung Fu Kenny, at his Coachella headline set in 2017.
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15. Kendrick attended the same school as Dr. Dre.
The rappers credentials go back a long way - he attended Centennial High School in Compton, the same school as Dr Dre. Lamar was a straight A student during his time at the school.
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16. The original title to 'To Pimp A Butterfly' was 'Tu Pimp A Caterpillar'.
The rapper revealed that his 2015 album was initially going to act as a tribute to the late rapper Tupac Shakur, as the abbreviation was "Tu-P-A-C.” Picture: Getty
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17. Kendrick was on the set of the video shoot for Tupac and Dr Dre's 'California Love'.
Perhaps Lamar got his taste for hip-hop and interest of Tupac after the video for the rapper's Dr Dre collaboration 'California Love' was shot near his house.
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18. He has been in a relationship with his high school sweetheart, Whitney Alford, for over a decade.
The pair became engaged in April 2015. Lamar says he is “loyal to the soil" to his long-term girlfriend. Picture: Getty
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19. Lady Gaga is a big fan.
It's official, Lamar's biggest fan is Lady Gaga and, at one point, it looked as though Mother Monster might have a track on Lamar's debut album 'Good Kid, MAAD City'. The admiration is mutual, with Lamar describing Lady Gaga as a "beautiful person".
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20. DMX's 'It's Dark And Hell Is Hot' is one of Kendrick's favourite albums.
Released in 1998, 'It's Dark And Hell Is Hot' is officially one of Lamar's favourite albums and thought to be a big influence behind his music.
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21. He wanted to be Michael Jordan when he was young.
Lamar wanted to follow in the footsteps of the legendary basketball player but "I’m a small guy—I only grew to 5-6. I deferred my dreams to write in rhymes, and I pinned [that dream] somewhere else".
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22. Kendrick really loves sugary cereal.
The song 'Cartoon And Cereal' isn't called that for nothing. Kendrick loves cereal, but don't get him started on the healthy cereals! "You pick that up in the aisle and you come talk to me, I'm liable to punch you in the face if you're my cousin," he joked. (Picture: Complex)