He began recording material with the label and subsequently released a 26-track mixtape two years later, titled Training Day (2005). The mixtape led to Lamar securing a recording contract with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), a newly founded indie record label based in Carson, California. The mixtape was released under Konkrete Jungle Muzik and garnered local recognition for Lamar. In 2004, at the age of 16, Lamar released his first full-length project, a mixtape titled Youngest Head Nigga in Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year), under the pseudonym K.Dot. As a teenager, he graduated from Centennial High School in Compton, where he was a straight-A student. He has admitted to being quiet and shy in school, his mother even confirming he was a " loner" until the age of seven. As a child, Lamar attended McNair Elementary and Vanguard Learning Center in the Compton Unified School District. Dre filming the music video for their hit single " California Love", which proved to be a significant moment in his life. In 1995, at the age of eight, Lamar witnessed his idols Tupac Shakur and Dr. He grew up on welfare and in Section 8 housing. His first name was given to him by his mother in honor of American singer-songwriter Eddie Kendricks of The Temptations.
Although not in a gang himself, he grew up around gang members, with his closest friends being Westside Piru Bloods and his father, Kenny Duckworth, being a Gangster Disciple. Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born in Compton, California, on June 17, 1987, the son of a couple from Chicago.
It was followed by Untitled Unmastered (2016), a collection of unreleased demos that originated during the recording sessions for To Pimp a Butterfly. It became his first number one album on the Billboard 200. His third album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) incorporated elements of funk, soul, jazz, and spoken word. It would go on to be certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Lamar's major-label debut album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, was released in 2012.
By that time, he had amassed a large online following and collaborated with several prominent hip hop artists. The following year, he independently released his first studio album, Section.80, which included his first single " HiiiPoWeR". He began to gain recognition in 2010 after his first retail release, Overly Dedicated. Raised in Compton, California, Lamar embarked on his musical career as a teenager under the stage name K.Dot, releasing a mixtape that garnered local attention and led to his signing with indie record label Top Dawg Entertainment. Aside from his solo career, he is also known as a member of the hip hop supergroup Black Hippy alongside his Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) label-mates Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and Schoolboy Q. Since his mainstream debut in 2012 with Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, Lamar has been regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation. Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, songwriter and record producer.