This âsmart, confident, and necessaryâ (Shea Serrano, New York Times bestselling author) first cultural biography of rap superstar and âmaster of storytellingâ (The New Yorker) Kendrick Lamar explores his meteoric rise to fame and his profound impact on a racially fraught Americaâperfect for fans of Zack OâMalley Greenburgâs Empire State of Mind.
Kendrick Lamar is at the top of his game.
The thirteen-time Grammy Award-winning rapper is just in his early thirties, but heâs already won the Pulitzer Prize for Music, produced and curated the soundtrack of the megahit film Black Panther, and has been named one of Timeâs 100 Influential People. But whatâs even more striking about the Compton-born lyricist and performer is how heâs established himself as a formidable adversary of oppression and force for change. Through his confessional poetics, his politically charged anthems, and his radical performances, Lamar has become a beacon of light for countless people.
Written by veteran journalist and music critic Marcus J. Moore, this is much more than the first biography of Kendrick Lamar. âItâs an analytical deep dive into the life of that good kid whose m.A.A.d city raised him, and how it sparked a fire within Kendrick Lamar to change historyâ (Kathy Iandoli, author of Baby Girl) for the better.