Kendrick Lamar, a true chronicler of the 21st century
The Californian rapper presents his latest album, 'GNX', at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys

BarcelonaHe is considered one of the best rappers of his generation, and this will be evident on Wednesday, July 30th at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. Some even consider him the best of all time. This is explained by the quality and artistic consistency of his albums, which go beyond the conventions of hip hop. His lyrics, musical experimentation, and social criticism have made Californian Kendrick Lamar (Compton, 1987) a figure capable of generating social and cultural impact. This is validated by a long list of accolades, including twenty Grammy Awards and the Pulitzer for the record DAMN in 2018 (he is the only hip-hop artist to have achieved this recognition). David Bowie, who was inspired by one of his albums, Pimp a Butterfly tone, to record his latest album, Blackstar (2016). He has also been cited by Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and Prince, with whom he joined on stage at a concert;
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was raised in Compton. His parents came from the South Side of Chicago and, after Lamar was born, moved to California. He is named after Eddie Kendricks, the lead singer of the soul and R&B band The Temptations, and is the oldest of four children. He grew up in Section 8 housing, a government-run social program for low-income people. In fact, his album Section.80 (2011) refers to this period, and shows a social reality marked by drugs, violence, and clashes with the police.
Lamar was never part of a street gang, but he experienced them firsthand: he witnessed his first murder at the age of five, when a teenage drug dealer shot one of the clients. "After that, you toughen up," he explained in the magazine. Rolling Stone. It wasn't the only time he had an experience like this: his first memories include robberies committed by his father and uncle during the Los Angeles riots in 1992. His entourage would end up baptizing him as Man-Man (Man-Man) because he behaved like an adult feels like a child. References to that nickname appear in some of his songs, which often pressured him not to show weakness.
The connection with poetry
He became interested in music at a young age, listening to hip-hop records played at parties his parents held at home. His connection with poetry came thanks to an elementary school teacher who encouraged him to study hip-hop from a literary perspective. This is when he began composing his first songs: at the age of 16, he published Youngest Head Nigga in Charge (2003), a compilation under the pseudonym K-Dot that led him to sign with the record label Top Dawg Entertainment. Training day (2005) and C4 (2009) preceded the decision to use his real name as his stage name.
Lamar quickly found a way to run away from themes such as success, money, drugs, or fame. He prefers to tell stories of survival in marginalized communities, police abuse, or suicide. His career and reputation were cemented with Overly dedicated (2010), the first compilation released under his real name. With the first official album, Section.80 (2011) debuted on music charts like Billboard; the following, Good kid, mAAd city (2012), was number two on the same list and, with the third, Pimp a Butterfly tone (2015) reached number 1 and sold 325,000 copies in one week. The creative level continued to expand with albums like Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (2022). The Catalan public can attest to the quality of Kendrick Lamar, who has performed at festivals such as Primavera Sound and the Crossing.
Mutual admiration with SZA
Kendrick Lamar is currently immersed in the tour to present the album GNX (2024), which deals with themes such as love, the celebration of the culture of the West Coast of the United States, or rivalry and respect, inspired by his dispute with rapper DrakeThe album debuted at number 1 on Billboard, won the BET Award for best album, and some critics consider it the best musical project of 2024 and of Lamar's career. Grand National Tour, comes to the Estadi Olímpic in Barcelona this July 30th. It is a double concert, in which Lamar is accompanied by SZA, the artist with whom he has collaborated several times and who has already appeared in the concert the rapper gave at the Super Bowl earlier this year.
Over the past ten years, Lamar and SZA have built a creative bond based on mutual admiration and a complementary musical sensibility. They share a record label and have collaborated on songs like Doves in the wind (2017), All the stars (2018) –main theme from the soundtrack of Black Panther– either Luther (2024), her most resounding success. SZA has described Lamar as a "sensei" and mentor, while he has highlighted her career as one of the most inspiring of the moment. Grand National Tour It is the first stadium tour for both, a show with more than fifty songs that combines individual and collaborative performances.