Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper. Regard… Read Full Bio ↴Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper. Regarded as one of the most influential hip-hop artists of his generation, and one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first musician outside of the classical and jazz genres to receive the honor.
Born in Compton, California, Lamar began releasing music under the stage name K.Dot while attending high school. He signed with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2005, and co-founded the hip hop supergroup Black Hippy there. Following the 2011 release of his alternative rap debut album Section.80, Lamar secured a joint contract with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. He rose to fame with his gangsta rap-influenced second album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012), which became the longest-charting hip hop studio album in Billboard 200's chart history. In 2015, Lamar scored his first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single, after featuring on the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood", and released his third album, To Pimp a Butterfly, which infused hip-hop with historical African-American music genres such as jazz, funk, and soul, and became his first of five consecutive number-one albums on the Billboard 200 chart.
Lamar's critical and commercial success continued with his R&B and pop-leaning fourth album Damn (2017), yielding his second US number-one single, "Humble". He curated original songs for the soundtrack of the 2018 film Black Panther, earning a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the US top-ten single "All the Stars". Lamar's 2022 double album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers concluded his tenure with TDE and Aftermath. His feud with Drake and subsequent sixth album GNX (2024) spawned the Hot 100 number-ones "Like That" and "Squabble Up", as well as "Not Like Us", which became the most-awarded song in the Grammy Awards history, with five wins, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
Lamar has received various accolades, including 22 Grammy Awards (the third-most won by a rapper), a Primetime Emmy Award, a Brit Award, 4 American Music Awards, 7 Billboard Music Awards, 11 MTV Video Music Awards (including 2 Video of the Year wins), and a record 37 BET Hip Hop Awards. Time listed him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016. Three of his works were included in Rolling Stone's 2020 revision of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Outside of music, Lamar co-founded the creative company PGLang and ventured into film with his longtime creative partner, Dave Free.
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born on June 17, 1987, in Compton, California. He is the first child of former gang hustler Kenneth "Kenny" Duckworth and hairdresser Paula Oliver. Both of his parents are African Americans from the South Side of Chicago. When they were teenagers, they relocated to Compton in 1984, due to his father's affiliation with the Gangster Disciples. Lamar was named after singer-songwriter Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations. He was an only child until the age of seven and was described as a loner by his mother. Eventually, his parents had his two younger brothers and younger sister, businesswoman Kayla Sawyer (née Duckworth). His cousins include basketball player Nick Young and rapper Baby Keem. He considered studying psychology and astronomy in college, but suspended his academic pursuits to focus on his music career.
Tupac Shakur is Lamar's biggest influence, having impacted both his professional and personal lives. One of his earliest childhood memories is watching him and Dr. Dre film the second music video for their single "California Love" with his father at the Compton Swap Meet. Lamar has described himself as an "offspring" of Shakur's artistry and sociopolitical views. Although some publications have regarded him as the Shakur of his generation, he has strived to maintain his individuality.
Lamar maintains a low public profile, and is known to be reserved. He is reluctant to publicly discuss his personal life and generally avoids using social media. He is also decisive when engaging with mainstream media outlets, although journalists have complimented his "Zen-like" calmness and down to earth personality. According to Lamar, he has become "so invested in who I am outside of being famous, sometimes that's all I know. I've always been a person that really didn't dive too headfirst into wanting and needing attention. I mean, we all love attention, but for me, I don't necessarily adore it." His lyrics have been a topic of media scrutiny, leading to both praise and controversy.
Lamar's public perception has also been influenced by the various rap feuds he has been involved with. Although some journalists declared him the winner of his highly publicized conflict with Drake, some felt that his victory was pyrrhic due to the severity of accusations introduced and the spread of online misinformation. Following the release of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, media outlets have described Lamar as the "modern hip hop messiah". Some critics dislike his "grating" political infusions, causing him to be viewed as having a savior complex. However, Lamar has declared himself to be the "greatest rapper alive" due to his personal connection to hip hop. "I'm not doing it to have a good song, or one good rap, or a good hook, or a good bridge," he explained to Zane Lowe. "I want to keep doing it every time, period. And to do it every time, you have to challenge yourself and you have to confirm to yourself—not anybody else, confirm to yourself that you're the best, period. [...] That's my drive and that's my hunger, I will always have".
In November 2024, Kendrick Lamar released his sixth studio album, GNX, marking his first project after departing from Top Dawg Entertainment and Aftermath Entertainment. The album features collaborations with artists such as SZA, Roddy Ricch, and emerging Los Angeles rappers, and includes production contributions from Jack Antonoff. GNX blends elements reminiscent of his previous works, combining mainstream appeal with complex themes, and introduces new influences like the West Coast club sound. The album's release intensified Lamar's ongoing feud with Drake, particularly with the track "Not Like Us," which became a massive hit and won multiple Grammy awards. Following his performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2025, GNX returned to the top of the Billboard 200 chart, solidifying Lamar's status as a dominant force in contemporary hip-hop.
Born in Compton, California, Lamar began releasing music under the stage name K.Dot while attending high school. He signed with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2005, and co-founded the hip hop supergroup Black Hippy there. Following the 2011 release of his alternative rap debut album Section.80, Lamar secured a joint contract with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. He rose to fame with his gangsta rap-influenced second album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012), which became the longest-charting hip hop studio album in Billboard 200's chart history. In 2015, Lamar scored his first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single, after featuring on the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood", and released his third album, To Pimp a Butterfly, which infused hip-hop with historical African-American music genres such as jazz, funk, and soul, and became his first of five consecutive number-one albums on the Billboard 200 chart.
Lamar's critical and commercial success continued with his R&B and pop-leaning fourth album Damn (2017), yielding his second US number-one single, "Humble". He curated original songs for the soundtrack of the 2018 film Black Panther, earning a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the US top-ten single "All the Stars". Lamar's 2022 double album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers concluded his tenure with TDE and Aftermath. His feud with Drake and subsequent sixth album GNX (2024) spawned the Hot 100 number-ones "Like That" and "Squabble Up", as well as "Not Like Us", which became the most-awarded song in the Grammy Awards history, with five wins, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
Lamar has received various accolades, including 22 Grammy Awards (the third-most won by a rapper), a Primetime Emmy Award, a Brit Award, 4 American Music Awards, 7 Billboard Music Awards, 11 MTV Video Music Awards (including 2 Video of the Year wins), and a record 37 BET Hip Hop Awards. Time listed him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016. Three of his works were included in Rolling Stone's 2020 revision of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Outside of music, Lamar co-founded the creative company PGLang and ventured into film with his longtime creative partner, Dave Free.
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born on June 17, 1987, in Compton, California. He is the first child of former gang hustler Kenneth "Kenny" Duckworth and hairdresser Paula Oliver. Both of his parents are African Americans from the South Side of Chicago. When they were teenagers, they relocated to Compton in 1984, due to his father's affiliation with the Gangster Disciples. Lamar was named after singer-songwriter Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations. He was an only child until the age of seven and was described as a loner by his mother. Eventually, his parents had his two younger brothers and younger sister, businesswoman Kayla Sawyer (née Duckworth). His cousins include basketball player Nick Young and rapper Baby Keem. He considered studying psychology and astronomy in college, but suspended his academic pursuits to focus on his music career.
Tupac Shakur is Lamar's biggest influence, having impacted both his professional and personal lives. One of his earliest childhood memories is watching him and Dr. Dre film the second music video for their single "California Love" with his father at the Compton Swap Meet. Lamar has described himself as an "offspring" of Shakur's artistry and sociopolitical views. Although some publications have regarded him as the Shakur of his generation, he has strived to maintain his individuality.
Lamar maintains a low public profile, and is known to be reserved. He is reluctant to publicly discuss his personal life and generally avoids using social media. He is also decisive when engaging with mainstream media outlets, although journalists have complimented his "Zen-like" calmness and down to earth personality. According to Lamar, he has become "so invested in who I am outside of being famous, sometimes that's all I know. I've always been a person that really didn't dive too headfirst into wanting and needing attention. I mean, we all love attention, but for me, I don't necessarily adore it." His lyrics have been a topic of media scrutiny, leading to both praise and controversy.
Lamar's public perception has also been influenced by the various rap feuds he has been involved with. Although some journalists declared him the winner of his highly publicized conflict with Drake, some felt that his victory was pyrrhic due to the severity of accusations introduced and the spread of online misinformation. Following the release of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, media outlets have described Lamar as the "modern hip hop messiah". Some critics dislike his "grating" political infusions, causing him to be viewed as having a savior complex. However, Lamar has declared himself to be the "greatest rapper alive" due to his personal connection to hip hop. "I'm not doing it to have a good song, or one good rap, or a good hook, or a good bridge," he explained to Zane Lowe. "I want to keep doing it every time, period. And to do it every time, you have to challenge yourself and you have to confirm to yourself—not anybody else, confirm to yourself that you're the best, period. [...] That's my drive and that's my hunger, I will always have".
In November 2024, Kendrick Lamar released his sixth studio album, GNX, marking his first project after departing from Top Dawg Entertainment and Aftermath Entertainment. The album features collaborations with artists such as SZA, Roddy Ricch, and emerging Los Angeles rappers, and includes production contributions from Jack Antonoff. GNX blends elements reminiscent of his previous works, combining mainstream appeal with complex themes, and introduces new influences like the West Coast club sound. The album's release intensified Lamar's ongoing feud with Drake, particularly with the track "Not Like Us," which became a massive hit and won multiple Grammy awards. Following his performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2025, GNX returned to the top of the Billboard 200 chart, solidifying Lamar's status as a dominant force in contemporary hip-hop.
Murda
Kendrick Lamar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
How Long you been Banging?
I been banging sense 85
On the real this shit ain't no gimmick
Or no game my nigga! this hit is real live
Thruthful type shit my nigga!
You know what im saying?
On the real my nigga!And I lost a lot of real niggas to this hit
Yeahcoughs
You can smell marijuana in every corna
From South Central to Arizona
You heard the state, the murder rate
The killer cali-California
Cops get caught outside the Compton court
By cold killers like they caught Pneumonia
See the 90's was like Pulp fiction
Jerry curl juice drippin'
On 45's when we dumpin' on ya
Grew up in the slums were we glorify guns
& Gain respect by jumpin' on corners
& Dumping at you, cops just jump in action
Trigger happy but nobody's gun is smiling
When somebody's son is dying
911 that's who you dialing?
Ku Klux Klan that who you dialing?
Killers wear blue and move in silence
Hear the sirens? Scatter in disarray
My block's been hotter than dinner plates
We got beef like a foreman
You laying dormant at your wake
Real superheroes end in coffins with no capes
Me & Kendrick Top Dawg, Dogg PoundFuture rich Shit
Picture that with no Instagram
Bullet to your temple
You better pray that my pistol jams yeah!
Kill kill kill, murder murder murder 8x
Killa cali you can try
You can die motherfucker!
Killa cali you can try
You can die motherfucker!
Compton Shit! yeah! Dope Boy I
Fuck with you nigga!
Uh, fuck em all, kill 'em all off
Sent 'em off to the Holy One
Put a hole in one like miniature golf
You doubled your profit?
Well I see triple like Ricky Ross
Hand over the cloth, cloth over gun
Gun over your jaw, bullet over your tongue
Stick my dick inside hip
Hop and shorty sprung
Every time I get a chance
To cum over I overcome over the snare drum
Say who fucking with you if you the God MC?
I tell em nun! Get it? I tell em Nun
Catholic nor a Christian
Holding the book of sums
In back of my true religions
From the murder capitol niggas
Cap at your neighbors
And never tell you who did it
Aiming for your grill like a
Dentist working on British
Teeth if you speak get shot
In the mouth bitches
Its like that sent shots at a crip
Or a blood or an Essay
Bet they coming right backriGHT?
Kill kill kill, murder murder murder 8x
Killa cali you can try
You can die motherfucker!
Killa cali you can try
You can die motherfucker!
Bitch! uh west Scoe Gotti yeah
Gun shots wake me up from a light slumber
Another murder what I see when
I open my shutters
We from the gutter no bread and
Butter just lead and water
Either you bite the bullet or you
Can die from the hunger
The sun's getting lower
The corner's getting darker
Guns getting loaded to slaughter
Our sons and daughters
Its time to get smarter
Cause time's getting harder
Every second the unemployment line
Is getting longer
Baby crying and mama she don't
Know what to do! I know it's tragic but in
The projects it's nothing new
I'm just kicking it luxury cliquing it
Watching the news the
Shit's fucking ridiculous
Roll a cigar cup full of codeine
Cash in a rubber band pistol in my other hand
Killa cali this the realist state
Most expensive real estate
Benz with the dealer plates!
Kill kill kill, murder murder murder 8x
Killa cali you can try
You can die motherfucker!
Killa cali you can try
You can die motherfucker!
I been banging sense 85
On the real this shit ain't no gimmick
Or no game my nigga! this hit is real live
Thruthful type shit my nigga!
You know what im saying?
On the real my nigga!And I lost a lot of real niggas to this hit
Yeahcoughs
You can smell marijuana in every corna
From South Central to Arizona
You heard the state, the murder rate
The killer cali-California
Cops get caught outside the Compton court
By cold killers like they caught Pneumonia
See the 90's was like Pulp fiction
Jerry curl juice drippin'
On 45's when we dumpin' on ya
Grew up in the slums were we glorify guns
& Gain respect by jumpin' on corners
& Dumping at you, cops just jump in action
Trigger happy but nobody's gun is smiling
When somebody's son is dying
911 that's who you dialing?
Ku Klux Klan that who you dialing?
Killers wear blue and move in silence
Hear the sirens? Scatter in disarray
My block's been hotter than dinner plates
We got beef like a foreman
You laying dormant at your wake
Real superheroes end in coffins with no capes
Me & Kendrick Top Dawg, Dogg PoundFuture rich Shit
Picture that with no Instagram
Bullet to your temple
You better pray that my pistol jams yeah!
Kill kill kill, murder murder murder 8x
Killa cali you can try
You can die motherfucker!
Killa cali you can try
You can die motherfucker!
Compton Shit! yeah! Dope Boy I
Fuck with you nigga!
Uh, fuck em all, kill 'em all off
Sent 'em off to the Holy One
Put a hole in one like miniature golf
You doubled your profit?
Well I see triple like Ricky Ross
Hand over the cloth, cloth over gun
Gun over your jaw, bullet over your tongue
Stick my dick inside hip
Hop and shorty sprung
Every time I get a chance
To cum over I overcome over the snare drum
Say who fucking with you if you the God MC?
I tell em nun! Get it? I tell em Nun
Catholic nor a Christian
Holding the book of sums
In back of my true religions
From the murder capitol niggas
Cap at your neighbors
And never tell you who did it
Aiming for your grill like a
Dentist working on British
Teeth if you speak get shot
In the mouth bitches
Its like that sent shots at a crip
Or a blood or an Essay
Bet they coming right backriGHT?
Kill kill kill, murder murder murder 8x
Killa cali you can try
You can die motherfucker!
Killa cali you can try
You can die motherfucker!
Bitch! uh west Scoe Gotti yeah
Gun shots wake me up from a light slumber
Another murder what I see when
I open my shutters
We from the gutter no bread and
Butter just lead and water
Either you bite the bullet or you
Can die from the hunger
The sun's getting lower
The corner's getting darker
Guns getting loaded to slaughter
Our sons and daughters
Its time to get smarter
Cause time's getting harder
Every second the unemployment line
Is getting longer
Baby crying and mama she don't
Know what to do! I know it's tragic but in
The projects it's nothing new
I'm just kicking it luxury cliquing it
Watching the news the
Shit's fucking ridiculous
Roll a cigar cup full of codeine
Cash in a rubber band pistol in my other hand
Killa cali this the realist state
Most expensive real estate
Benz with the dealer plates!
Kill kill kill, murder murder murder 8x
Killa cali you can try
You can die motherfucker!
Killa cali you can try
You can die motherfucker!
The lyrics to Kendrick Lamar's song "Murda" delve into the realities and challenges of life in California, particularly in the neighborhoods of Compton. The lyrics convey a sense of authenticity and truthfulness, emphasizing that this is not just a gimmick or a game. Lamar reflects on the violence and loss of life that he has witnessed throughout his years, acknowledging that he has lost many friends to this harsh reality. He describes the prevalence of marijuana and the high murder rate in California, specifically highlighting the danger faced by both civilians and law enforcement. Lamar draws a parallel between the 90s era, glorifying guns and violence, and the present-day struggles faced by the community.
The lyrics also touch on issues of racial inequality and systemic oppression. Lamar questions who one should call for help in times of crisis, pointing out that dialing 911 may not bring the desired results. He references the Ku Klux Klan, suggesting that prejudice and discrimination still persist. Lamar confronts the inherent dangers faced by individuals living in Compton, where the police can be trigger-happy and shootings are a common occurrence.
The song's chorus, "Kill kill kill, murder murder murder," serves as a stark reminder of the violence that plagues the streets of California. It carries a sense of frustration towards the circumstances and a need for change. Through his lyrics, Lamar highlights the reality of life in California, painting a vivid picture of a struggle that many face on a daily basis.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
@SamuelB818
Everything Game drops u can come back to 5+ years later and it still sounds nice.. these are called CLASSICS
@mronepunch1985
Not everything just a few but he not bad but face the truth
@SamuelB818
@@mronepunch1985 not everything but definitely more than just a “few”
@mronepunch1985
Just a few
@mronepunch1985
Nobody dropped a classic song since 02
@SamuelB818
@@mronepunch1985 i disagree with your opinion
@Spooky6Skeleton
Who here in 2020 listening to this fire 🔥🔥
@sgesleez8875
2021
@sgesleez8875
Daily playlist
@hkhan6956
2021 all day long