Tag: kendrick lamar

Kendrick Lamar Makes His Acting Debut On “Power” [PEEP]

We already know how good of a rapper Kendrick Lamar is. There is no doubting his spot as one of this era’s top-selling and most talented rappers. The Pulitzer-Prize winner appears to be crossing over to acting making his television debut on the Starz’ hit series, “Power.”

50 Cent first announced K. Dot’s guest appearance on his Instagram last week.

Kung-Fu Kenny appears in the episode entitled “Happy Birthday,” where he plays the role of a drug addict named Laces that ends up taking the show by storm.

Watch some of the scenes he appears in below.

https://twitter.com/TweetECR/status/1023512005251133440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1023512005251133440&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rap-up.com%2F2018%2F07%2F29%2Fkendrick-lamar-makes-acting-debut-on-power%2F

Courtney Kemp, who is the showrunner for “Power” has already been asked if fans will be seeing more Laces (Kendrick’s character) on the show to which she responded, “I can’t tell you that before the episode airs! Why would I tell you that?”

The show aired on Starz tonight, it is available for streaming on the Starz app.

Let us know in the comments below how you think he did in his debut.

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Kendrick Lamar Graces The Cover Of Vanity Fair & Talks Pulitzer Prize, Eminem, Kanye West & More [PEEP]

From Kung-Fu Kenny to Pulitzer Kenny to Cover Kenny.

Kendrick Lamar graces the cover of Vanity Fair magazine’s August issue, titled, “The Gospel According to Kendrick.” In it he discusses a wide range of topics including winning a Pulitzer Prize, Kanye West’s political views, the NFL, Eminem’s rapping abilities, and more.

Vanity Fair writer Lisa Robinson caught up with K. Dot while he was on TDE’s “The Championship Tour” and even asked him about the incident that happened on tour, where he invited a white woman on tour and she rapped his lyrics, including the n-word.

He went onto discuss being the first-ever hip-hop act to win a Pulitzer Prize and his reaction on it where he said, “It was one of those things I heard about in school, but I never thought I’d be a part of it.”

See some of the Q&A dialog below.

ON THE USE OF THE N-WORD:

“Let me put it to you in its simplest form. I’ve been on this earth for 30 years, and there’s been so many things a Caucasian person said I couldn’t do. Get good credit. Buy a house in an urban city. So many things–‘you can’t do that’–whether it’s from afar or close up. So if I say this is my word, let me have this one word, please let me have that word.”

ON WINNING THE PULITZER PRIZE:

“It was one of those things I heard about in school, but I never thought I’d be a part of it. [When I heard I got it], I thought, to be recognized in an academic world . . . whoa, this thing really can take me above and beyond. It’s one of those things that should have happened with hip-hop a long time ago. It took a long time for people to embrace us–people outside of our community, our culture–to see this not just as vocal lyrics, but to see that this is really pain, this is really hurt, this is really true stories of our lives on wax. And now, for it to get the recognition that it deserves as a true art form, that’s not only great for myself, but it makes me feel good about hip-hop in general. Writers like Tupac, Jay Z, Rakim, Eminem, Q-Tip, Big Daddy Kane, Snoop . . . It lets me know that people are actually listening further than I expected.”

ON HIS WRITING PROCESS:

“Execution’ is my favorite word. I spend 80 percent of my time thinking about how I’m going to execute, and that might be a whole year of constantly jotting down ideas, figuring out how I’m going to convey these words to a person to connect to it. What is this word that means this, how did it get here and why did it go there and how can I bring it back there? Then, the lyrics are easy.”

ON HIS SUCCESS:

“I look back to when I was 16 years old and thought, What would I do with a million dollars? I’m gonna buy this, I’m gonna buy that . . . Then I thought that me doing that is actually hurting people I’m responsible for. I’m the first in my family to have this kind of success, so I took it upon myself to wisely navigate this success, because I wanted them to be successful, too.”

ON THE NFL AND NATIONAL ANTHEM PROTESTS:

“It’s enraging; I think what Kap [Colin Kaepernick] is doing is honest, and it’s not just his truth, it’s our truth.”

ON EMINEM:

“Eminem is probably one of the best wordsmiths ever. There’s a whole list of why, but just bending words. . . . The Marshall Mathers LP changed my life.”

ON BEING AN INTROVERT:

“I like to be alone a lot. I need that. It’s that duality: I can go in front of a crowd of 100,000 people and express myself, then go back, be alone, and collect my thoughts all over again.”

ON STARTING A FAMILY:

“This is the constant question, because I’m obsessed with my craft and what I’m doing. I know what I’m chasing for my life, even though I don’t know what it is. But it’s an urge that’s in my every day. That urge to make an ultimate connection with words to man. And I don’t feel I’ve done that yet.”

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New Video: Jay Rock – “Win” [WATCH]

On a day that Kendrick Lamar was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his critically-acclaimed ‘DAMN.’ album, Jay Rock and TDE celebrate with the triumphant visuals for his ‘Redemption’ album single “Win.”

Directed by the usual suspects of Dave Meyers and Dave Free of The Little Homies, this video as every recent TDE video does not disappoint. The clip begins with Jay Rock and Kendrick Lamar dressed in suits while a band of trumpeters and flames surround them. The majority of TDE makes cameos in the video, hot off the completion of their “The Championship Tour.”

Watch below.

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Billboard Music Awards 2018: Winners [PEEP]

Last night the stars aligned at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, where our genres of hip-hop and R&B were celebrated, along with others. Much attention was given to the culture as the charts over the last year have been dominated by acts like Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Cardi B, DJ Khaled, Post Malone, and others.

See all the awards given to hip-hop and R&B acts below.

Top Artist:
Drake
Kendrick Lamar
Bruno Mars
Ed Sheeran — WINNER
Taylor Swift

Top New Artist:
21 Savage
Camila Cabello
Cardi B
Khalid — WINNER
Kodak Black

Billboard Chart Achievement Award:
Camila Cabello — WINNER
Cardi B
Drake
Sam Hunt
Ed Sheeran

Top Male Artist:
Drake
Kendrick Lamar
Bruno Mars
Post Malone
Ed Sheeran — WINNER

Top Female Artist:
Camila Cabello
Cardi B
Halsey
Demi Lovato
Taylor Swift — WINNER

Top Duo/Group:
The Chainsmokers
Coldplay
Imagine Dragons — WINNER
Migos
U2

Top Billboard 200 Artist:
Drake — WINNER
Kendrick Lamar
Ed Sheeran
Chris Stapleton
Taylor Swift

Top Hot 100 Artist:
Imagine Dragons
Kendrick Lamar
Bruno Mars
Post Malone
Ed Sheeran — WINNER

Top Streaming Songs Artist:
Cardi B
Drake
Kendrick Lamar — WINNER
Post Malone
Ed Sheeran

Top R&B Artist:
Chris Brown
Khalid
Bruno Mars — WINNER
SZA
The Weeknd

Top R&B Male Artist:
Khalid
Bruno Mars — WINNER
The Weeknd

Top R&B Female Artist:
Beyonce
Rihanna
SZA — WINNER

Top R&B Tour:
Bruno Mars — WINNER
Lionel Richie
The Weeknd

Top Rap Artist:
Drake
Kendrick Lamar — WINNER
Lil Uzi Vert
Migos
Post Malone

Top Rap Male Artist:
Drake
Kendrick Lamar — WINNER
Post Malone

Top Rap Female Artist:
Bhad Bhabie
Cardi B — WINNER
Nicki Minaj

Top Rap Tour:
J. Cole
JAY-Z — WINNER
Kendrick Lamar

Top Latin Artist:
J Balvin
Daddy Yankee
Luis Fonsi
Ozuna — WINNER
Romeo Santos

Top Billboard 200 Album:
Drake, More Life
Kendrick Lamar, DAMN. — WINNER
Post Malone, Stoney
Ed Sheeran ÷ (Divide)
Taylor Swift, reputation

Top Selling Album:
Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.
P!nk, Beautiful Trauma
Ed Sheeran, ÷ (Divide)
Chris Stapleton, From A Room: Volume 1
Taylor Swift, reputation — WINNER

Top Soundtrack:
Black Panther
The Fate of the Furious: The Album
The Greatest Showman
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2
Moana –– WINNER

Top R&B Album:
Khalid, American Teen
Bruno Mars, 24K Magic — WINNER
SZA, CTRL
The Weeknd, Starboy
XXXTentacion, 17

Top Rap Album:
Drake, More Life
Kendrick Lamar, DAMN. — WINNER
Lil Uzi Vert, Luv Is Rage 2
Migos, Culture
Post Malone, Stoney

Top Hot 100 Song:
Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber, “Despacito” — WINNER
Kendrick Lamar, “Humble.”
Bruno Mars, “That’s What I Like”
Post Malone ft. 21 Savage, “Rockstar”
Ed Sheeran, “Shape Of You”

Top Streaming Song (Audio):
Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber, “Despacito”
Kendrick Lamar, “Humble.” — WINNER
Lil Uzi Vert, “XO Tour LLIF3”
Post Malone ft. 21 Savage, “Rockstar”
Post Malone ft. Quavo, “Congratulations”

Top Streaming Song (Video):
Cardi B, “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)”
Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber, “Despacito” — WINNER
Lil Pump, “Gucci Gang”
Bruno Mars, “That’s What I Like”
Ed Sheeran, “Shape of You”

Top Selling Song:
Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber, “Despacito” — WINNER
Sam Hunt “Body Like A Back Road”
Imagine Dragons “Believer”
Imagine Dragons “Thunder”
Ed Sheeran “Perfect”

Top Collaboration:
Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug, “Havana”
The Chainsmokers & Coldplay, “Something Just Like This”
Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber, “Despacito” — WINNER
French Montana ft. Swae Lee, “Unforgettable”
Post Malone ft. 21 Savage, “Rockstar”

Top R&B Song:
Childish Gambino, “Redbone”
DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller, “Wild Thoughts”
Khalid, “Young Dumb & Broke”
Bruno Mars, “That’s What I Like” — WINNER
Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B, “Finesse”

Top Rap Song:
Cardi B, “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)”
DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper & Lil Wayne, “I’m The One”
French Montana ft. Swae Lee, “Unforgettable”
Kendrick Lamar, “Humble.”
Post Malone ft. 21 Savage, “Rockstar” — WINNER

Top Latin Song:
J Balvin & Willy William Ft. Beyonce, “Mi Gente”
Becky G ft. Bad Bunny, ”Mayores”
Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber, “Despacito” — WINNER
Maluma, “Felices Los 4”
Wisin ft. Ozuna, “Escapate Conmigo”

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New Video: SZA – “Doves In The Wind” Feat. Kendrick Lamar [WATCH]

SZA and Kendrick Lamar channel their inner Bruce Lee in the martial arts-inspired video for “Doves in the Wind” off Solana’s ‘Ctrl’ album.

TDE collaborator, Nabil directs the video, which is shot in the desert. TDE’s first lady plays the role of a karate kid, while Kung-Fu Kenny takes the role of Mr. Miyagi. On her way to get to K. Dot, SZA goes thru obstacles before sitting for some tea time and then fights some warriors.

Watch below.

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Kendrick Lamar Becomes The First Hip-Hop Artist Ever To Win Pulitzer Prize [PEEP]

There’s been some tremendous things that Kendrick Lamar has accomplished from winning GRAMMYs to breaking records and a lot more. However, today he did something no other hip-hop act has ever done by winning a prestigious Pulitzer Prize for his music.

According to the Pulitzer Prize Board he the award is given to an individual “for distinguished musical composition by an American that has had its first performance or recording in the United States during the year.” Well Kenny met that criteria for his ‘DAMN.’ album.

In a statement by the Pulitzer committee Lamar’s critically-acclaimed album, which recently celebrated its one-year anniversary was defined as “a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life.”

It’s really good to see someone from L.A. accomplishing all these astonishing feats. Salute to Kompton Kenny, Top Dawg, Dave Free, RetOne, and the entire Top Dawg Entertainment team.

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Dr. Dre Gets Mashed Up With Kendrick Lamar On ‘The DAMN. Chronic’ [STREAM]

What does a classic Compton collaboration consist of? Perhaps a mash-up of Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar mashed up with the best of their discographies.

Well, DJ Critical Hype did just that on his ‘The DAMN. Chronic’ mixtape, where he blended some of Dr. Dre’s best production and put some of Kompton Kenny’s verses over it. Critical Hype went along to combine that with a slew of guest appearances from Nate Dogg, Jay Rock, Pusha T, and more.

“Kendrick has so many flows, voices, and styles, plus Dre beats are really incredible, so I figured it would be dope,” Critical Hype told Pigeons & Planes. “I was determined to make it work, but the truth is it wasn’t easy. A lot of the tempos actually didn’t mix well. It was a lot more work trying to find good mixes. I had to dig deep.”

On the opening track Critical Hype takes Eminem’s “My Name Is…” and puts K. Dot’s vocals over it. He continues on “The Heart Pt. 2” by adding Lamar’s vicious verses over Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang.” Throughout the tape he continues flipping other classic like “Lil Ghetto Boy,” using Kendrick’s killer “Control” verse over “Murder Was the Case,” and more.

This isn’t the first time Critical Hype has done this type of mashup. He first went viral with ‘Chance the Dropout’, where he mashed Kanye West and Chance the Rapper’s projects.

Stream ‘The DAMN. Chronic’ below.

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Joey Bada$$ & XXXtentaction Put Their Twist On “King’s Dead” [LISTEN]

Some how, some way talented New York rapper Joey Bada$$ ends up on a record with Florida clout chaser, XXXtentaction. Both artists collaborate and put their twist on Jay Rock’s “King’s Dead” single off ‘Black Panther: The Album’, the soundtrack for Marvel’s “Black Panther” movie.

Badmon kicks things off with braggadocio raps about being the “youngest under 30 on the Forbes list” and address the king of New York conversation by rapping, “You n****s worried ’bout the crown, worried ’bout the crown / Fuck it, you can tell them clowns they can keep it.”

Many believe that was a dig at fellow New York rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine and although it might be, this is not the kind of blog where stuff gets stirred up like a cocktail. You be the judge for yourself.

Listen below.

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Rich The Kid Reveals Artwork & Track List For ‘The World Is Yours’ Album [PEEP]

Trying to maintain the fire he’s caught off recent singles like “New Freezer” featuring Kendrick Lamar and “Plug Walk,” Rich The Kid reveals the artwork and track listing for his forthcoming ‘The World Is Yours’ debut album.

Due to be released on Friday, March 23rd, the album will include features from Kung-Fu Kenny on “New Freezer,” Chris Brown on “Drippin,” Swae Lee on “Gargoyle,” Lil Wayne on “End of Discussion,” Rick Ross and Jay Critch on “Made It,” amongst others.

The album artwork shows Rich wearing a suit similar to Al Pacino’s in the movie “Scarface.” Staying true to his “Rich Forever” ways, he holds up a stack of money and pink highlighted cursive writing spells out the album’s title over his image.

Check out the full track list below.

‘The World is Yours’ Track List:

1. World Is Yours Intro
2. New Freezer (ft. Kendrick Lamar)
3. No Question
4. Plug Walk
5. Too Gone (ft. Khalid)
6. Made It (ft. Jay Critch & Rick Ross)
7. Drippin (ft. Chris Brown)
8. Tonight
9. End of Discussion (ft Lil Wayne)
10. Solitude
11. Gargoyle (ft Swae Lee)
12. Small Things (ft. Bryson Tiller)
13. Listen Up
14. Dead Friends
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Kendrick Lamar Gets Candid In Interview With BBC Radio 1 [PEEP]

Getting candid with BBC 1 Radio’s Clara Amfo, Kendrick Lamar went in-depth about a variety of topics like his GRAMMY’s performance, the music he’s been inspired by, going undercover when in the U.K., and his desire to make a cameo in the “Black Panther” sequel.

The most interesting topic of the interview was definitely Kung-Fu Kenny sharing his desire to star in the “Black Panther” sequel as a villain and showing love for he Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger character saying, “He was a villain but he was loved and misunderstood…so if I could I’d play a Killmonger for sure.”

In the interview Kendrick also reminisced on getting booed early in his career when he was a hypeman and opener for TDE labelmate, Jay Rock.

“I’ve been booed before, you know,” said Lamar. “It happened. It happened. When I first started for sure. It’s one of them things. I hear these stories all the time when they feel like the person onstage wasn’t doing good. I knew I was doing good right, but for new artists, it’s a place where people don’t necessarily know what they like. You know? And sometimes to respect a certain artist you have to be in the cool factor. You know? I wasn’t in the cool factor yet, so they don’t know what to think.”

Listen to the full 90-minute interview by clicking the link below.

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW HERE

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Kendrick Lamar Performs At 2018 Brit Awards [WATCH]

Adding intensity to the 2018 Brit Awards, Kendrick Lamar delivered an electrifying performance of “FEEL.” and Rich The Kid’s “New Freezer” in front of thousands inside London’s 02 Arena.

Turning the “0-2 into the 0-3” Dot began the performance on the ground, where he laid on top of a clear rectangular stage prop. He kicked things off with a performance of his ‘DAMN.’ single “FEEL.” Soon after Rich The Kid emerged inside the rectangular box, bashing the window of an orange Lambo as the two performed “New Freezer.”

During the performance Kung-Fu Kenny announced the release date for Rich’s forthcoming album rapping, “Rich the Kid’s album on the way / 3/30, save the date.”

At the award show Kompton Kenny won the award for Best International Male Solo Artist. See it below.

Watch the performance below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzDSlcnN1Jw

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New Video – Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar & Future – “King’s Dead” [WATCH]

“Miss me with that bullsh*t.”

Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, and Future all congregate in Los Angeles for the highly-awaited “King’s Dead” video off the ‘Black Panther: The Album’.

Co-directed by Jack Begert and the little homies (made up of TDE President Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar), the thrilling visuals includes galvanizing scenes in juxtaposition where the street life meets the corporate world, drawing inspiration from “Wolf of Wall Street.”

The video shows different parts of Los Angeles, starting with with Kompton Kenny chilling on a palm tree eating an elote (grilled corn) and doing his verse. Jay Rock is then shown getting a haircut at La Pico Plaza’s M Barbering. Future makes an appearance at the LAndmark Bradbury Building in DownTown LA.

Watch the full video below.

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New Music: Nipsey Hussle – “Dedication” Feat. Kendrick Lamar [LISTEN]

We’re only three days away from getting Nipsey Hussle’s highly-anticipated ‘Victory Lap’ debut album. In what has been a solid and successful roll out, Nip drops off one more single before putting the album out this Friday. “Dedication” unites him with another mega LA rapper in Kendrick Lamar.

The anthem opens with a verse from Neighbahood Nip about unifying every gang in the streets and his dedication in doing so. He also goes on to call himself the 2-Pac of this generation rapping,  “Tupac of my generation / Blue pill in the fuckin’ Matrix / Red rose in the grey pavement / Young black ni**a trapped, and he can’t change it.”

Kompton Kenny follows him with a verse that shouts out legends like 2-Pac and Snoop, as well as Top Dawg and Nip. “For generations, we’ve been dealt bad hands with bad plans / Proving your dedication by hoppin’ out Grand Ams / I’m at the premiere, politickin’ with Top, Nip, and Snoop / Damn, ‘Pac watchin’ the way we cool from dedication,” raps K. Dot.

‘Victory Lap’ will be released this Friday, February 16th just in time for NBA All-Star weekend. It will include addiditional features from YG, Puff Daddy, The-Dream, CeeLo Green, Buddy, and Marsha Ambrosius.

Listen to “Dedication” below.

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