Over the last few decades, Hip Hop has grown and continued to succeed: it has reached audiences it probably never expected to reach. What started with RUN DMC, to the ongoing feuds between Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G, to Eminem becoming the greatest living rapper on earth; I take a look at the new young talent, who are just breaking out into the scene. And the first name that springs to mind is Kendrick Lamar.
Lamar is 25 years old and from Compton, California. It is therefore, no wonder as to why he’s taken a shining to Dr. Dre and is signed to Aftermath Records (Dre is also from Compton). Kendrick Lamar is also co-signed to his own music label, Top Dawg Music, which came about by his rap group called Black Hippy. This group is made up of Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q and Lamar himself. Of course Kendrick isn’t riding solo, all famous rappers have their own crew: Tupac was part of Outlawz, Notorious B.I.G had Junior M.A.F.I.A, Eminem and D12 and Lil Wayne and Young Money. The list is endless.
So what is the 5-0 on Lamar? He is said to be the next Tupac Shakur. Those are big shoes to fill and steps to follow. The real question to ask here is, does he match up to Tupac? Lamar’s rapping style is fluid and melodic yet approachable. Tupac has a deep voice, which helps the audience to feel and understand the social inequality and injustice he raps about. I think these rappers are varying but that doesn’t mean Tupac can’t influence Kendrick, who I’m sure he has and quite a few other rappers too.
His latest single ‘Swimming Pools (Drank)’ has appeared on all the major UK radio stations and especially on Tim Westwood’s Radio 1 late night show. Kendrick Lamar is sure to cause a storm in the Hip Hop scene and with Dr. Dre backing he is also sure to succeed. Expect big things from this new artist and pick up his first studio album ‘Good Kid, Mad City,’ which is out on October 2, 2012. It features collaborations with the legend himself, Dr. Dre and Gunplay.
Lamar’s Top 5 Rappers are: –
- Tupac
- The Notorious B.I.G
- Jay Z
- Nas
- Eminem
This is a list that is sure to match a lot of Hip Hop rappers and fans, like myself.