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Kendrick Lamar · S9 E7
Legacy
Five classic albums, a Pulitzer, and the argument for the greatest rapper alive
Six studio albums. A Pulitzer Prize. A Super Bowl halftime show. And the argument for the greatest rapper alive is no longer an argument.
Kendrick Lamar, Purple Hearts (live in Paris, Big Steppers Tour, 2022). Kendrick performing alongside Summer Walker and Ghostface Killah: three generations of hip-hop and R&B sharing one stage. This is what legacy looks like in real time. The kid who studied Tupac, who was mentored by Dre, is now the one passing the torch.
Purple Hearts, Kendrick Lamar, Summer Walker & Ghostface Killah (2022)
Three artists from three different eras and three different genres on one track. Ghostface Killah represents the Wu-Tang generation, Summer Walker represents modern R&B, and Kendrick sits in the middle, connecting them. Listen for how each voice occupies a completely different emotional register. The song is a time capsule of everything Kendrick has absorbed across his career.
Sources
Kendrick Lamar. "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers." pgLang / Aftermath / Interscope, 2022.
The Case for Greatest
Section.80 announced him. GKMC made him famous, TPAB made him an artist, DAMN. made him a Pulitzer winner. Mr. Morale made him honest. GNX made him free.
Sources
Kendrick Lamar discography, 2011-2024
“Kendrick Lamar is one of the greatest to ever pick up a microphone. Period.”
— J. Cole on Kendrick Lamar, Dreamville Festival, April 2024
TAP TO REVEAL: What has Kendrick achieved that no other rapper in history has?
How many studio albums has Kendrick Lamar released (through GNX)?
gnx, Kendrick Lamar ft. Hitta J3, YoungThreat & Peysoh (2024)
The title track of his most recent album. Kendrick surrounded by Compton voices, rapping about the city and the car that inspired the album name. After nine seasons of this deepdive, this is where the story stands: a kid from Compton who became the greatest rapper of his generation, still making music that sounds like nobody else.
gnx, Kendrick Lamar ft. Hitta J3, YoungThreat & Peysoh (2024)
Read the lyrics while you listen. Kendrick returns to his roots: Compton, his crew, the streets that made him. After therapy, a Pulitzer, and a Super Bowl, the title track of GNX is Kendrick reminding you where all of it started. The final listen in this deepdive begins and ends in the same place.
Legacy: By the Numbers
From burned CDs in a Compton bedroom to the Super Bowl halftime stage. Nine seasons, 63 episodes, one kid who never stopped writing. This is the Kendrick Lamar story. So far.
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