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Since his debut in 2011, rap fans have been blessed with many popular Kendrick Lamar songs. Lamar is considered one of the greatest rappers of his generation. The American rapper is known for his insightful and complex songwriting. He is regarded as one of the best hip-hop artists and rappers and is the only musician outside jazz and classical to win a Pulitzer Award for Music.
He initially started making music under the name of K.Dot, and after the success of his debut album, Section.80, he signed major studio contracts and released several of his acclaimed albums like Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, and To Pimp a Butterfly.
He recently got involved in a feud with Drake and released back-to-back diss tracks, which again got popular for his smart songwriting.
Kendrick Lamar is one of the few rappers that intertwines strong social themes in his rap. So, here's a list of some of the most influential and popular Kendrick Lamar songs:
Trending
- Alright
- Swimming Pools (Drank)
- HUMBLE
- LOYALTY
- B*tch don't kill my vibe
- Rigamortis
- King Kunta
Swimming Pools (Drank), HUMBLE, LOYALTY, and other popular Kendrick Lamar songs
1) Alright
Kendrick Lamar’s Alright is a deeply thoughtful song that talks about having hope, even during difficult times. The opening lyric, “Alls my life, I had to fight,” has been taken from the famous book The Color Purple. Lines like “But if God got us then we gon’ be alright” drive the point home.
The song was a single from his critically acclaimed album To Pimp a Butterfly. It also received a Grammy nomination for the Song of the Year and Best Rap Song. And was also chanted by protestors during the Black Lives Matter movement as a modern war cry. It is one of the most popular Kendrick Lamar songs.
2) Swimming Pools (Drank)
Released as a single from his album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, this song brought Kendrick into widespread popularity and was also one of his first songs to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It is one of the more popular Kendrick Lamar songs, and as most of his songs are introspective, this one too has themes of alcoholism and peer pressure.
Innovatively, the song also turns into third person as Kendrick’s conscience warns him of the dangers of abusing alcohol. The song opens up with how his grandfather used to drink and how he ends up drinking due to social pressure to be popular—“Some people wanna fit in with the popular, that was my problem.”
3) Humble (HUMBLE)
Another song that was on the Billboard Hot 100 and one of the more popular Kendrick Lamar songs, this one was released as part of his album, Damn, and is about being humble and shunning artificiality. The song was also nominated at the Grammy’s and won in multiple categories.
Lyrics like “Tell ‘em, be humble” and “I’m so, so sick and tired of the Photoshop” carry the gist of the song’s meaning. Though the song did get into a slight controversy over his lyrics that asked women to go for natural beauty, which was termed as judgmental. Yet, the song has a nice piano hook and an addictive beat. It is one of the popular Kendrick Lamar songs.
4) Loyalty (LOYALTY)
Featuring Rihanna, this song is also from the album Damn, and it won the Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Performance. Critics have also admired the funk influence in the song. The song has also reverse sampled Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic.
In the song, Kendrick asks what you are loyal to and declares that he wants loyalty from his people. Lyrics like “You actin’ shifty, you don’t ride, With me no more, I need Loyalty, Loyalty, Loyalty.” And even Rihanna’s short rap was applauded by many.
5) B*itch, Don’t Kill My Vibe
Another song from the album good kid, m.A.A.d city, this song was initially going to be a collaboration with Lady Gaga, but that didn’t go through. The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 and even reached the top ten on the Hot Rap Songs chart.
One among the popular Kendrick Lamar songs, this track talks about fame. Lyrics like “I can feel the new people around me just want to be famous” and “I’m sick to death of fake congratulations” draw on the shallow nature of our society.
6) Rigamortis
A single from his debut album, Section 80, Kendrick Lamar rapped in a double-time flow over a jazzy beat and finished rapping in just three takes. A song filled with introspective lyrics—a Lamar signature—this song made him catch the attention of people.
The song talks about Kendrick’s ability to sing and write much better rap than his competitors and is a blunt rap number of his abilities. Lines like “I’m Marilyn Manson with madness,” “I end on cloud nine,” and “I’ma be here for a while” show the confidence Kendrick has in his talent.
7) King Kunta
Released as a single from his famous album, To Pimp A Butterfly, the song is a reference to the character Kunta Kinte, a rebel slave, from the novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. The song is heavy with references to the lyrics of Michael Jackson, James Brown, and John Starks.
And also has other literary references to books like Things Fall Apart and Invisible Man. The rap piece also takes a dig at other rappers who use ghostwriters—“I can dig rapping, but a rapper with a ghost writer?” The song has a funky beat and is one of the popular Kendrick Lamar songs.
For all the viewers that are fans of rap, here's a list that they can choose from, as it has some of the most popular Kendrick Lamar songs.
