Van Lyrics and Profile

Kendrick Lamar initially signed to independent label Top Dawg Entertainment and then in 2012 the record label penned a deal with Aftermath Records and Interscope Records, meaning that he was then on a major label. To get to that point, however, Lamar had to gain some exposure in the hip-hop music scene. It was in 2010 that he first experienced fame, as his fourth mixtape Overly Dedicated caught the eye of the press and music fans. This gave him the platform to work towards his debut album, Section.80, which was released independently by the rapper in 2011.

With his debut album being ranked as one of the top digital releases of the year, this gave rise to the project of producing and creating his major label debut studio album, good kid, m.A.A.d city. This was completed towards the end of 2012 and spawned top ten hits such as Swimming Pools (Drank) and Poetic Justice. The latter track featured material from fellow rapper Drake, which eventually peaked at a respectable number 26 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart. On the whole, the album has received positive feedback, selling 242,122 copies in its first week. To date, the album has achieved the Gold certification by selling 746,000 copies - the first of Lamar’s releases to do so. Lamar's latest album, To Pimp a Butterfly, was released a week earlier than scheduled in March 2015, much to fans' delight.

The widely acclaimed rapper has been sought after for numerous collaborations, the most notable being for A$AP Rocky’s 2012 track F**kin Problems. Featuring alongside Drake and 2 Chainz, the single peaked at number two on both the US Rap Songs Chart and the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart. In May 2015, Lamar also features on the official remix of Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.