Kendrick Lamar is poised to remain hip hop’s reigning monarch in 2025
In 2024, Kendrick Lamar certified his status as one of the greatest musicians of his generation.
His critically acclaimed sixth studio album “GNX”, which he dropped in late November and includes viral tracks such as “Luther”, featuring SZA, and "Squabble Up", continues to dominate the charts worldwide.
The 37-year-old American hip hop artist’s diss track “Not Like Us” amid his feud with fellow rapper Drake has been named by several music critics as the song of 2024 with some even going as far as pronouncing the single as arguably the biggest rap song of the decade so far.
In addition, K. Dot, as he is affectionately known, was named Billboard‘s Greatest Pop Star of the Year.
This is as he shattered additional records by becoming the first artist to score three consecutive number-ones on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart with “Squabble Up,” “TV Off” and “Luther,” with “Not Like Us” also claiming the title of 2024’s best-selling song in the United States.
All these achievements cap off a remarkable year for the “Humble” hitmaker who also managed to retain his title of being the first musician outside of the classical and jazz genres to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for his contributions to music.
Lamar’s star is expected to continue to shine this year as he is set to dominate at the 2024 Grammy Awards, beating the likes of heavyweights such as Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Beyoncé to rack up a whopping seven nods.
This includes “Not Like Us” nominated for Best Rap Song, Best Music Video, Best Rap Performance and Record of the Year.
Even rap veterans such as Eminem, who will be facing off with Lamar in the Best Rap Performance category, believe that K. Dot is going to “sweep” all seven of his nominations when the biggest night in music is held in Los Angeles, on February 2.
“It’s very stiff competition,” Eminem was quoted by “Billboard” as saying of his Grammy-nominated peers.
He added: “Kendrick is gonna sweep that sh**. He’s going to and he should.”
This is not the first time that Eminem has praised Lamar’s greatness as he declared that K. Dot was “at the very, very top tier of lyricists,” he recently told host Sway Calloway on American radio station Shade 45, adding: “Not just of this generation but of all time.”
Their friendship also goes back years as Lamar was selected to perform with him, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Mary J. Blige at the 2022 Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show.
But Lamar’s MVP status is likely to be cemented as he looks to remain hip-hop’s (hip hop's) reigning monarch when he headlines the 2025 Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show next month.
In a statement which was released when Lamar was announced as the act for the major American spectacle, the rapper insisted that he intends to "remind the world why" rap music is so "impactful" when he performs at the sporting spectacle at The Caesars Super dome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 9.
He added: “Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date and I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one."
Scores of fans are eagerly awaiting his performance, despite the move for him to perform being met with some criticism.
This is as the award-winning American rapper, Lil Wayne was not given the coveted spot, even though the Super Bowl will be taking place in his home town.
But as Lamar proved during his highly publicised rap beef with Drake, he is not one to shy away from controversy. He uses it as added fuel in his music, even labelling the Canadian rapper as a “freaky-ass n****,” a “paedophile,” and a hip hop interloper in “Not Like Us”, which is being blasted by the masses around the globe, over eight months since its release.
But K.Dot also manages to sneak in some motivational phrases into his songs such as rapping: “Bitch I deserve it all” in “Man At The Garden” and the epic line in ‘“Hey Now”: “We got the same 24 what you mad for?”
Lamar’s rap dominance started over a decade and a half ago when he rose to prominence with his gangsta rap-influenced second album “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City”.
Dropped in 2012, it became the longest-charting hip hop studio album in the Billboard 200's chart history with “Rolling Stone” even naming it the greatest concept album of all time.
In 2015, he infused hip hop with jazz, funk and soul for “To Pimp a Butterfly”, which became one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the 2010s.
That same year, he featured on the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" while his other albums such as “ Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers " and "Damn” as well as his technical artistry and complex songwriting earning legions of fans worldwide.
As he looks to be one of the biggest winners at the 2025 Grammy Awards, Lamar has already won 17 golden gramophones, which is the third most Grammys won by a rapper.
His other accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, a Brit Award, four American Music Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, 11 MTV Video Music Awards and 37 BET Hip Hop Awards, which is the most won by any artist.
Karishma Dipa’s Top 5 Kendrick Lamar songs
1. “Love”, featuring Zacari
2. “All the Stars”, featuring SZA
3. “Luther”, featuring SZA
4. “Not Like Us”
5. “F**kin' Problems”, A$AP Rocky featuring Kendrick Lamar, Drake and 2 Chainz
As someone who is turning 35 next month, I have grown up listening to Tupac, Notorious BIG, Eminem and 50 Cent.
These iconic rapper songs have created songs which have become the soundtracks to some of the most memorable occasions of my life so far.
Sadly, I feel as if this new crop of hip hop stars fail to excite me, except for Kendrick Lamar, who I consider to be one of the best rappers of his generation.
I consider him to be a lyrical genius who spits rhymes which can resonate with fans from all walks of life. His beats are also infectious and I can listen to most of his albums from start to finish.