From Compton to AAMI park: A beginner’s guide to Kendrick Lamar
Rap powerhouse Kendrick Lamar will bring his electric tour to AAMI Park this week, here’s your “HUMBLE.” guide to the must-know facts ahead of the show.
1. Kendrick Lamar was born Kendrick Lamar Duckworth in Compton, California. He is 38 years old. Lamar has released six albums, Section.80 (2011), Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012), To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), Damn (2017), Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers (2022), and GNX (2024). Lamar has sold 71m records, and amassed 52bn streams. Lamar is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, and his music is loaded with socially-conscious lyrics, political insight and incisive commentary about African-American culture. Lamar is he is engaged to Whitney Alford, his high school sweetheart, with whom he shares two children.
2. Kendrick Lamar has commanded played the world’s biggest stage — and that doesn’t mean Coachella and Glastonbury, which he’s also headlined. Lamar played the Super Bowl halftime entertainment show in January 2025. His performance featured cameo appearances by Samuel L. Jackson, and controversially, Serena Williams.
3. Why was Serena’s role in Kendrick’s show provocative? Well, she’s rapper Drake’s ex, and Lamar performed his explosive diss track, Not Like Us, which is aimed at Drake, at the Super Bowl. Serena denied it had anything to do with her former flame. “I’m like Super Bowl? Are you serious?” Williams said. “When in the world would I ever be able to dance at a Superbowl? (Never) let’s do it!” She added rather pointedly: “End of story.”
4. The famous Drake versus Kendrick beef, and volley of back-and-forth diss tracks, started in 2013. Lamar dissed Drake on a Big Sean song, Control, but explained his verse as “friendly competition.” The competition turned unfriendly when Lamar rejected rapper J. Cole’s claim that he, Drake and Lamar were the “big three” of hip hop. Lamar responded: “It’s just big me.” Drake’s subsequent diss tracks included Push Ups, Taylor Made Freestyle and Family Matters. Lamar responded the Meet The Grahams and Not Like Us.
5. Drake sued Universal Music Group for releasing Not Like Us, and alleged the song was defamatory and promoted by UMG with illegal tactics.
6. Kendrick Lamar won five Grammy Awards for Not Like Us, including Song of the Year.
7. Kendrick Lamar is also a Pulitzer Prize winner. He won the Pulitzer Prize For Music for his 2017 album, DAMN. “A virtuosic song collection, unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life,” the Pulitzer board said. DAMN also won five Grammys.
8. Kendrick’s 2025 tour, Grand National, packs 29 songs into 100 minutes. The set list includes hits like King Kunta, Humble, Luther, Swimming Pools (Drank), Alright, and Money Trees.
9. His support act in Melbourne includes the one of the most electric performers in hip hop right now — Florida fire-spitter Doechii. Doechii is Kenny’s warm up act on night 2 (December 4) at AAMI Park. But her rhymes, and flow — and fashion — is so ahead of the curve, Doechii is worth the ticket price all by her-fabulous-self. Why promoter, Live Nation, didn’t do a Doechii side show is just weird. Doechii won best rap album at the 2025 Grammys, and her Tiny Desk concert is essential YouTube viewing. Schoolboy Q is supporting Kendrick on night 1 (December 3). Q’s multi-directional Blue Lips album, released last year, was described by critics as “refined” “intriguing” and “befuddling.”
10. The stage production for Lamar’s Grand National tour features a main stage extension with multiple lifts, including one to raise an car, smaller interconnected stages, and an automated video wall.
Originally published as From Compton to AAMI park: A beginner’s guide to Kendrick Lamar
