Early life

London was born in The Bronx, New York, to a Jamaican mother and Trinidadian father. Raised in her grandmother's house in East Orange, New Jersey, she started composing poems at the age of 11, which she used as "an outlet to speak about [her] anger and what was bringing [her] in [those] spaces". She graduated in 2012 from Mother Seton Regional High School in Clark, New Jersey. London attended Howard University, where she studied and received a bachelor's degree in science before later attending the University of Southern California and receiving a master's degree in that same major. During that time, her original goal was to become an orthopedic surgeon.

Career

In March 2018, London posted a video of her freestyling while sitting in a car via her Twitter account, which soon went viral and received praise from media outlets. Afterwards, she began recording and posting more freestyles titled "Lady Londays", which helped her gain more traction. On July 30, 2019, she independently released a song titled "Woosah" to digital platforms and started a dance challenge to promote the track. In 2021, she released two official singles: "Money Over" and "Never", which were both accompanied with music videos, to generally favorable reviews from critics. On January 14, 2022, London released her first solo full-length project, a mixtape titled Lady Like: The Boss Tape; the mixtape consists of thirteen tracks, majority of them being freestyles. A few months later, she released a single "What Is It Giving", produced by Kosine, alongside its music video. While speaking on the song, she said: "Creating this record, I wanted a chant... one that felt comfortable enough to repeat, while also being full of caption-worthy rhetoric. The perfect balance."

In September 2022, London made her acting debut in the Sanaa Lathan-directed musical drama film On the Come Up as the character Ms. Tique. To promote the film, she was featured alongside Jamila C. Gray and Rapsody on a song of the same name, which was later featured on the film's soundtrack. On March 23, 2023, she signed a joint record deal with High Standardz and Def Jam Recordings. On April 14, 2023, she was featured on the remix to Ciara's song "Da Girls" entitled the "Girls Mix" alongside Lola Brooke. On October 10, 2023, she performed on the BET Hip Hop Awards cypher alongside Brooke, Gloss Up and Bun B. London's debut studio album S.O.U.L. (acronym of Signs of Universal Love) was released on November 3, 2023. The album was preceded by the releasing of two singles "Yea Yea" (with Dreezy) and "Do Something" (featuring Jeremih). It features guest appearances from Dreezy, Jeremih, B-Boy Stance, Tink, Omeretta the Great, Capella Grey, Brooke Valentine and Mila J.

Musical style

A defining aspect of her style is her bravado and her ?Boss-Lady? persona.

Discography

Studio albums

• S.O.U.L. (2023)

Mixtapes

• I Kant Make This Shit Up (with Murrille) (2022)
• Lady Like: The Boss Tape (2022)

References

External links

• Official website

Nina Capone, born Jamilah Lawry, is an American rapper, tech entrepreneur, media personality, and radio executive based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Known for her trailblazing presence in the independent hip-hop scene, Capone has been a powerful force in both entertainment and business for over three decades. Her work spans across music, digital media, film, podcasting, community service, and consulting.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Nina Capone began her musical journey in 1991 under the mentorship of Loni Gamble, a former member of The Stylistics. During this time, she toured with Gamble and honed her stage performance. Her first major recognition came while living in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where she performed at Annual Unity Day concerts and toured Pennsylvania prisons as the frontwoman of the band Sound Cheque.

Capone's breakout hit Lay-D-Bugs in the House, which she co-wrote and co-produced, earned her local fame. She later partnered with the city of Williamsport to create a youth empowerment PSA titled We Are the Young, aimed at drug prevention. The spot aired for over a year on regional television and elevated her status as a community advocate and rising artist.

Rise to Prominence in Philadelphia

Upon returning to Philadelphia, Capone performed at major events such as The Annual Greek Picnic and The Mayor’s Youth Expo. Her live performances were featured on prominent radio stations including Power 99FM and 100.3 The Beat. She also made regular appearances on local TV shows such as Urban X-Pressions (TV48).

In the early 2000s, she began organizing local showcases for emerging artists alongside graphic designer Sway Touch. Her Nina Capone B-Day Bash became a signature citywide event attended by major celebrities like NBA star Allen Iverson.

In 2004, journalist Damon C. Williams of the Philadelphia Daily News dubbed her “The Femcee,” a moniker that cemented her role as a lyrical powerhouse in a male-dominated rap industry.

Discography and Collaborations

Capone's debut CD, Mob Mistress: Damn Near Naked, featured the raw, street-centric anthem Thugs Wife and became an underground favorite for its unfiltered portrayal of urban womanhood.

She has worked with notable artists and producers, including:

• Freeway and Peedi Crakk of Roc-A-Fella Records

• Rampage of Busta Rhymes’ Flipmode Squad

• Peaches & Herb on the 2005 remake of Shake Your Groove Thing, produced by Joe “The Butcher” Nicolo

• DJ Cadillac on the Steel City Massacre project

• Sam Sneed (of Death Row Records) on the track Sneedhearts for the Street Scholars Release

• Freddie Jackson on the track What Ya Waiting For from his 2006 album Transitions

Media and Film Appearances

In 2007, Capone co-hosted 106 & Park live from Philadelphia alongside BET host Terrence J. She returned to co-host the Philly Hip Hop Awards in 2008 with DJ Cosmic Kev of Power 99.

In film, Capone appeared in the dramatic short Heroin (2017), which explores the psychological grip of addiction. Her IMDb profile also notes her appearance in related short films and documentary projects spotlighting urban narratives and female empowerment.
IMDb: Nina Capone Filmography

In Da Streets Radio & Streaming Empire

Nina Capone is the Founder and CEO of In Da Streets Radio, a digital streaming platform created to amplify independent hip-hop and urban voices worldwide. Originally launched in 2006, the station has since evolved into a global media brand, offering 24/7 radio, podcast hosting, DJ features, and exclusive interviews.

Under her leadership, In Da Streets Radio has become an Apple Music Affiliated Platform, with its content accessible across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple CarPlay, Apple TV, and Amazon Alexa. The platform reaches 68+ countries and thousands of weekly listeners and serves as a launchpad for independent artists and podcasters looking for global exposure.

Capone also launched IDS TV, a companion streaming hub for independent music videos, documentaries, and urban film content.

Podcasts and Media Hosting

Capone is the creator and host of two popular podcast series:

• Respect the Hustle – A candid and unfiltered conversation with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs

• 10 Minutes of Talk – A bite-sized business podcast offering expert insights, interviews, and growth strategies

Both shows are syndicated across major audio platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, and more.

Festival Hosting & Community Legacy

Beyond her contributions to music and media, Nina Capone has been a cultural fixture in Philadelphia’s community event scene. She has helped bring to life the iconic Nicetown Community Giveback Festival, one of the city's most beloved grassroots events. For over 20 years, she has contributed behind the scenes in production, and for more than 10 years, she has commanded the stage as a dynamic and empowering host. Her presence has helped elevate the festival into a vital tradition celebrating local music, unity, and community service.

In keeping with her roots and her family's legacy, Capone will host the 2025 Annual Islamic Heritage Festival on June 14, an event that honors the contributions of Muslim Americans. This moment is deeply personal, reflecting a multi-generational commitment to culture, faith, and public engagement.

Business and Technology Ventures

Operating under her legal name Jamilah Lawry, Capone is the founder of My Biz Consulting LLC, a digital marketing and tech consulting agency that provides AI-powered tools, business systems, SEO services, and marketing automation for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

She created The FIXX Framework (Find. Integrate. Xecute. eXcel.), a results-driven consulting methodology focused on streamlining business operations and digital transformation.

She also runs Hustle & Hack, a 6-month hybrid program and a 7-day business accelerator course that helps founders document processes, select the right tech, and execute strategic marketing to scale efficiently.

Books, Audiobooks & Upcoming Projects

Capone is currently writing her first book, From My Urban Heart, a memoir-meets-business blueprint. She’s also producing an audiobook series titled CEO in a Hijab Chronicles, a witty, no-nonsense behind-the-scenes look at being a tech-savvy, high-fashion, North Philly CEO navigating life, hustle, and hijab.

Other projects:

• Married to the Game (upcoming album)

• Singles: Murda and Mind Over Matter with Montana 3lak

• Expanding podcast offerings, AI educational content, and visual storytelling through short films and digital courses

Legacy and Cultural Impact

Nina Capone is more than a rapper or executive — she is a blueprint for independent success. Whether amplifying voices through her media empire or streamlining operations for startups, she remains a force of innovation, resilience, and cultural influence. Her work continues to uplift communities, challenge norms, and inspire creatives to own their narratives.

• IMDb Profile (Heroin Film Credit)
  https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8397747/

• In Da Streets Radio Official Website
  https://indastreetsradio.com

• Scoop USA Media Article (Islamic Heritage Festival Host Announcement)
  Upload a scan or digital link if available publicly or cite if published in print.

• My Biz Consulting Website
  https://www.mybizconsulting.net/

• Daily News (Philadelphia) Mention by Damon C. Williams
  The Jawn by Damon C. Williams (mention of “The Femcee”)
  Barnes & Noble link:
  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-jawn-damon-williams/1114706527

• Freddie Jackson – Transitions (Album on Spotify/Apple Music, includes credited features)
  https://music.apple.com/us/album/transitions/218445775

• Peaches & Herb – Shake Your Groove Thing Remake (Producer: Joe Nicolo)
  Search for available music credits or press releases from this session.

• Facebook or YouTube Event Archives (Nicetown Community Giveback / 10 Minutes of Talk)
  Upload videos or cite platform dates if hosted by official pages.

• Radio Platform Listings (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart)
  Example: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/10-minutes-of-talk/id552424353

• Event flyer for Islamic Heritage Festival 2025 (if hosted on official Islamic Circle or city site)
  https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10236405271892947&set=a.1864088083012

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first musician outside of the classical and jazz genres to receive the award.

Born in Compton, California, Lamar began releasing music under the stage name K.Dot while attending high school. He signed with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2005 and co-founded the hip hop supergroup Black Hippy there. Following the 2011 release of his alternative rap debut album Section.80, Lamar secured a joint contract with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. He rose to prominence with his gangsta rap-influenced second album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012), which became the longest-charting hip hop studio album in Billboard 200 history; Rolling Stone named it the greatest concept album of all time. In 2015, Lamar scored his first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single, after featuring on the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood", and released his third album, To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), which infused hip-hop with historical African-American music genres such as jazz, funk, and soul, and became his first of six consecutive number-one albums on the Billboard 200.

Lamar's critical and commercial success continued with his R&B and pop-leaning fourth album Damn (2017), yielding his second US number one single, "Humble". He curated original songs for the soundtrack of the 2018 film Black Panther, earning a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the US top ten single "All the Stars". His fifth album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022), delved into introspection and concluded his tenure with TDE and Aftermath. His 2024 feud with Drake and sixth album GNX (2024) spawned the US number-ones "Like That", "Not Like Us", "Squabble Up" and "Luther" with the second winning a joint-record five Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year, while the latter became Lamar's longest-charting number one song on the Billboard Hot 100, spending 13 weeks on top of the chart.

Lamar has received various accolades, including 22 Grammy Awards (the third-most won by a rapper), a Primetime Emmy Award, a Brit Award, 5 American Music Awards, 7 Billboard Music Awards, 11 MTV Video Music Awards (including 2 Video of the Year wins), and a record 37 BET Hip Hop Awards. Time listed him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016. Three of his works were included in Rolling Stone's 2020 revision of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. His Super Bowl LIX halftime show in 2025 broke viewership records, with 133.5 million viewers domestically. Outside of music, Lamar co-founded the creative company PGLang and ventured into film with his longtime creative partner, Dave Free.

Early life

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born on June 17, 1987, in Compton, California. He is the first child of former gang hustler Kenneth "Kenny" Duckworth and hairdresser Paula Oliver. Both of his parents are African Americans from South Side, Chicago. When they were teenagers, they relocated to Compton in 1984, due to his father's affiliation with the Gangster Disciples. Lamar was named after singer-songwriter Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations. He was an only child until the age of seven and was described as a loner by his mother. Eventually, his parents had his two younger brothers and younger sister, businesswoman Kayla Sawyer (née Duckworth). His cousins include basketball player Nick Young and rapper Baby Keem.

Lamar and his family lived in Section 8 housing, were reliant on welfare and food stamps, and experienced homelessness. Although he is not a member of a particular gang, he grew up with close affiliates of the Westside Pirus. Despite suffering hardships, Lamar remembered having "good memories" of his childhood that sparked his interest in hip hop music, such as sneaking into his parents' house parties. He was raised secular, although he occasionally attended church services and was taught the Bible by his grandmother. He felt "spiritually unsatisfied" as a child due to the "empty" and "one-sided" nature of the sermons.

After hearing a recording of his voice for the first time, Lamar became interested in rapping. He was introduced to police brutality after experiencing the first day of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. When he was five years old, Lamar witnessed a murder for the first time while sitting outside of his apartment unit, as a teenage drug dealer was killed in a drive-by shooting. "It done something to me right then and there," Lamar later admitted to NPR Music. "It let me know that this is not only something that I'm looking at, but it's something that maybe I have to get used to." His parents nicknamed him "Man-Man" due to his precocious behavior, although he confessed it "put a stigma on the idea of me reacting as a kid sometimes?I would hurt myself and they would expect me not to cry."

In school, Lamar was a quiet and observant student who excelled academically and had a noticeable stutter. His first grade teacher at Robert E. McNair Elementary School encouraged him to become a writer after she heard him correctly use the word "audacity". As a seventh grade student at Vanguard Learning Center, Lamar was introduced to poetry by his English teacher, Regis Inge. Inge integrated the literary form into his curriculum as a response to the growing racial tensions amongst his students. Through its connection to hip hop, Lamar studied rhymes, metaphors and double entendres, which made him fall in love with songwriting: "You can put all your feelings down on a sheet of paper, and they'd make sense to you. I liked that." Instead of completing assignments for other classes, Lamar would scribe lyrics in his notebooks. His initial writing was entirely profane, but it helped him manage his psychological trauma and depression, which he struggled with during his adolescence. Inge played a vital role in his intellectual growth, often criticizing his lexicon and suggesting prompts to strengthen his prose.

Lamar later attended Centennial High School. He was enrolled in summer school during the tenth grade, which he dreaded because it forced him to be embroiled in a gang war. Despite his efforts to avoid them, Lamar soon became heavily involved with Compton's hedonistic gang culture, which led to numerous health scares and encounters with the police. He distanced himself from the lifestyle following an intervention staged by his father. When he was 16, Lamar was baptized and converted to Christianity following the death of a friend. He graduated from high school in 2005 as a straight-A student. He considered studying psychology and astronomy in college, but suspended his academic pursuits to focus on his music career.

Career

2003-2008: Beginnings

During high school, Lamar adopted the stage name K.Dot and began freestyling and battle rapping at school. His performances caught the attention of fellow student Dave Free, who traveled from Inglewood to watch him rap. They quickly formed a friendship over their love of hip-hop and the television sitcom Martin. They recorded music together at Free's makeshift garage studio and at his older brother's Hyde Park apartment. Lamar's earliest performances were held at a "super hood" comedy club and behind a tattoo parlor. Free was his hype man during that time, while his older brother was his manager and disc jockey. Lamar recorded five mixtapes throughout the 2000s; his first, Youngest Head Nigga in Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year), was released on April 15, 2003, through Konkrete Jungle Musik. The mixtapes primarily consisted of freestyles over the production of popular hip-hop songs.

In a series of retrospective reviews for Rolling Stone, Mosi Reeves complimented Lamar's "unerring" sense of rhythm and timing found in Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year, but criticized his "clumsy" lyricism and that his flow was "overly beholden to ... Jay-Z and Lil Wayne". Free, who was working as a computer technician, introduced the mixtape to record producer Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith while attempting to repair his computer. Tiffith was impressed with Lamar's burgeoning abilities and invited him to partake in an audition process for entry into his newly established independent record label, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). During his audition, Lamar freestyled for Tiffith and record executive Terrence "Punch" Henderson for two hours, a strategy that impressed Henderson but bewildered Tiffith. He was offered a recording contract by TDE in 2005, joining Jay Rock as the label's first signings. Upon signing, he purchased a minority stake in the label for an undisclosed amount.

Lamar had a brief stint as a security guard when he started working on music with Jay Rock at TDE's in-house recording studio. The bond he formed with him, Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q led to the formation of the hip-hop supergroup, Black Hippy. Lamar released his second mixtape, Training Day, on December 30, 2005. Reeves complemented its varied production and "well-executed" concept, which was based on the 2001 film. In 2006, Lamar signed an artist development deal with Def Jam Recordings and was featured on two singles by the Game. He also heavily contributed to Jay Rock's first two mixtapes, Watts Finest Vol. 1 and Watts Finest Vol. 2: The Nickerson Files. Lamar was ultimately let go from Def Jam after an encounter with its president and chief executive officer, Jay-Z; he later described it as "one of those situations where I wasn't ready." Lamar and Jay Rock released a collaborative mixtape, title No Sleep 'til NYC, on December 24, 2007. Reeves thought the project was a "fun cypher session, nothing more, nothing less."

2009-2011: Overly Dedicated and Section.80

Lamar's third mixtape C4, released on January 30, 2009, is a tribute project to Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III (2008) and was supported by his co-sign. Reeves felt that the mixtape was a "wrongheaded homage to a year-old, well-worn album." From February to July, he toured with the Game on his LAX Tour as a hype man for Jay Rock. Lamar disliked how his stage name diverted attention away from his true identity, and decided to retire it. He opted to use his first and middle names professionally and regards the name change as part of his career growth. For his eponymous debut extended play (2009), Lamar eschewed the creative process of his mixtapes in favor of a project heavily focused on his songwriting over "lovely yet doleful" production. Reeves described the EP as the "first standout project" of his career, praising its melancholic tone. He felt that the project restored his reputation following the sting of criticism he received over C4.

After striking a music publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music, Lamar released his fourth mixtape, Overly Dedicated, on September 14, 2010. It was his first project to be purchased through digital retailers. Reeves described Overly Dedicated as a partial "victory lap" that marked a shift in his songwriting. The mixtape peaked at number 72 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Lamar served as Jay Rock's hype man for a second time during Tech N9ne's Independent Grind Tour, where Overly Dedicated was introduced to Dr. Dre. After watching the music video for the song "Ignorance Is Bliss" on YouTube, he reached out to Lamar with hopes of working with him and Snoop Dogg on his unfinished album, Detox. He also considered signing him to his record label, Aftermath Entertainment, and was encouraged to by artists such as J. Cole.

Lamar entered a brief relationship with Nitty Scott, and was featured on XXL's 2011 Freshman Class list. He released his debut studio album, Section.80, on July 2, 2011, which was supported by its lead single "HiiiPower". The album explored conscious and alternative hip-hop styles and experimented with "stripped-down" jazz production. Ogden Payne of Forbes considers it to be "the genesis to [Lamar] successfully balancing social commentary with mass appeal." Section.80 marked Lamar's first appearance on the Billboard 200 chart, where it peaked at number 113. It sold approximately 5,000 copies in its first week of tracking, with minimal coverage from mainstream media outlets. To promote the album, Lamar performed at small venues and college campuses across the U.S. He was dubbed the "New King of the West Coast" by Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and the Game during a performance in West Los Angeles. Throughout the year, he appeared on the Game's The R.E.D. Album, Tech N9ne's All 6's and 7's, 9th Wonder's The Wonder Years, and Drake's Take Care.

2012-2013: Good Kid, M.A.A.D City

Lamar began planning his second album before Section.80 was released. From February to April 2012, he opened for Drake on his Club Paradise Tour. He began working with J. Cole on a collaborative album around that time. On February 14, Lamar would release the song "Cartoon & Cereal" for digital download, a track that features Gunplay. On March 8, The Fader reported that Lamar had signed a joint venture recording contract with Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records; under the deal, TDE continued to serve as his primary label. His first commercial single, "The Recipe" featuring Dr. Dre, premiered on rhythmic crossover radio on April 2.

Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, Lamar's second album and first under a major record label, was released on October 22, 2012. He worked with producers such as Pharrell Williams, Hit-Boy, Scoop DeVille, Jack Splash, and T-Minus to create an atmospheric West Coast hip-hop album with heavy gangsta rap influences. Its lead single, "Swimming Pools (Drank)", marked Lamar's first top 20 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Its other singles, "Backseat Freestyle", "Poetic Justice", and "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe", enjoyed moderate commercial success. Good Kid, M.A.A.D City was met with widespread critical acclaim, who lauded Lamar's nonlinear songwriting and thematic scope. Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune applauded him for giving gangsta tropes a "twist, or sometimes upend[ing] them completely" on a record that "brims with comedy, complexity and the many voices in [Lamar's] head." The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 242,000 copies sold; the highest first-week album sales of the year by a male rapper. Good Kid, M.A.A.D City surpassed The Eminem Show (2002) to become the longest-charting hip-hop studio album on the Billboard 200. In October 2022, it became the first hip-hop studio album to spend over ten consecutive years on the chart.

From September to October 2012, Lamar headlined the BET Music Matters Tour with Black Hippy and Stalley. He won Lyricist of the Year at the BET Hip Hop Awards, and was featured on ASAP Rocky's single "Fuckin' Problems" alongside Drake and 2 Chainz, which reached the top 10 in the U.S. Lamar embarked on two headlining concert tours in 2013: a national college tour with Steve Aoki and his first international tour. He struggled with depression, survivor's guilt and suicidal ideation during promotional events upon learning of the deaths of three close friends. From October to December 2013, Lamar opened for Kanye West on his Yeezus Tour, despite disapproval from his label and management team. He was baptized for a second time during the beginning of the tour, and experienced a nervous breakdown near the end. Lamar won three awards each during the BET Awards and BET Hip Hop Awards, including Best New Artist at the former.

Lamar was featured on six songs throughout the year: "YOLO" by the Lonely Island featuring Adam Levine, the remix of "How Many Drinks?" by Miguel, "Collard Greens" by Schoolboy Q, "Control" with Big Sean and Jay Electronica, "Give It 2 U" by Robin Thicke featuring 2 Chainz, and "Love Game" by Eminem. His performance on "Control" was described as a "wake up call" for the hip-hop industry and commenced his decade-long feud with Drake. Rolling Stone noted that his verse made the track one of the most important hip-hop songs of the last decade. Lamar was named Rapper of the Year by GQ during their annual Men of the Year edition. Following the issue's release, Tiffith pulled him from performing at GQ's accompanying party and accused Steve Marsh's profile on him of containing "racial overtones".

2014-2016: To Pimp a Butterfly and Untitled Unmastered

After his opening stint for the Yeezus Tour ended, Lamar began work on his third album. He earned seven nominations at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards (January 2014), including Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, and Album of the Year for Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. He was winless at the ceremony, which several media outlets felt was a snub. Macklemore, who won Best New Artist and Best Rap Album, shared a text message that he sent Lamar after the ceremony ended, in which he apologized for winning over him. The incident was the subject of widespread media attention, controversy and Internet memes. During the awards ceremony, Lamar performed a mashup of "M.A.A.D City" and "Radioactive" with rock band Imagine Dragons, which was met with critical acclaim.

Lamar opened for Eminem on the Rapture Tour from February to July 2014. On August 9, he premiered the short film M.A.A.D, which he starred in, commissioned and produced, during the Sundance Institute's Next Fest. He released "I" as the lead single to his third album, To Pimp a Butterfly, on September 23, which won Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. His performance of "I" during his appearance as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live was lauded by contemporary critics. Lamar was featured on three songs in 2014: "It's On Again" by Alicia Keys, "Babylon" by SZA, and "Never Catch Me" by Flying Lotus. He won Lyricist of the Year for the second consecutive time at the BET Hip Hop Awards.

Originally scheduled to arrive at a later date, To Pimp a Butterfly was released on March 15, 2015. The album incorporated various genres synonymous with African American music, such as jazz, funk, and soul. To capture its essence, Lamar recruited producers such as Sounwave, Pharrell Williams, Terrace Martin, and Thundercat. Whitney Alford, Lamar's fianceé, contributed background vocals on select tracks. Other singles from the album were "The Blacker the Berry", "King Kunta", "Alright", and "These Walls"-all of which enjoyed moderate commercial success. Selling 324,000 copies in its first week, To Pimp a Butterfly became Lamar's first number-one album on the Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart. Billboard commented that "twenty years ago, a conscious rap record wouldn't have penetrated the mainstream in the way [Lamar] did with To Pimp a Butterfly. His sense of timing is impeccable. In the midst of rampant cases of police brutality and racial tension across America, he spews raw, aggressive bard while possible cutting a rug." Pitchfork opined that the album "forced critics to think deeply about music."

He earned his first number-one single in the U.S. through the remix of singer-songwriter Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood". It won Video of the Year and Best Collaboration at the MTV Video Music Awards, while the music video for "Alright" won Best Direction. Lamar later re-recorded his featured appearance on the "Bad Blood" remix in support of Swift's counteraction to her masters dispute. He opened the BET Awards with a controversial performance of "Alright" and won Best Male Hip Hop Artist. He also won three awards at the BET Hip Hop Awards. In support of To Pimp a Butterfly, Lamar embarked on the Kunta's Groove Sessions Tour, which ran from October to November 2015 in select intimate venues across the U.S. For his work on the album and other collaborations throughout the year, Lamar earned 11 nominations at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, the most by a rapper in a single night. He led the winners with five awards: To Pimp a Butterfly was named Best Rap Album, "Alright" won Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song, "These Walls" won Best Rap/Sung Performance, and "Bad Blood" won Best Music Video.

During the ceremony, Lamar performed a critically acclaimed medley of "The Blacker the Berry", "Alright", and an untitled song. He previously performed untitled songs on The Colbert Report (December 2014) and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (January 2016). After receiving a request from basketball player LeBron James to share the untitled works, Lamar released his first compilation album, Untitled Unmastered, on March 4, 2016. It contained eight untitled, dated, unfinished, and entirely self-written tracks that were intended to be included on To Pimp a Butterfly, and continued the album's exploration of jazz, funk, soul, and avant-garde styles. Untitled Unmastered received critical acclaim and debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 178,000 album-equivalent units, becoming Lamar's second consecutive number-one project. Throughout the year, he was featured on four commercially successful songs: Beyoncé's "Freedom", Maroon 5's "Don't Wanna Know", the Weeknd's "Sidewalks", and Travis Scott's "Goosebumps".

2017-2019: Damn and Black Panther: The Album

On March 1, 2017, during a cover story for T, Lamar confirmed that he was working on his fourth album, Damn. He released the promotional single "The Heart Part 4" on March 23, before releasing the album's lead single "Humble" on March 30. The song debuted at number two on the Hot 100 and reached the top spot in its second week of charting. It is Lamar's second single, and first as a lead artist, to top the chart. Damn was released on April 14. It utilized a more mainstream musical palette than To Pimp a Butterfly, exploring R&B and pop elements. Rolling Stone described its sonics as a "brilliant combination of the timeless and the modern, the old school and the next-level." Damn became Lamar's most commercially successful album. It spent four non-consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200, marking his third consecutive number-one album, and debuted with 603,000 units sold. All of the album's 14 songs debuted on the Hot 100, including the top-20 singles "Loyalty" and "Love". Damn was the seventh best-selling album of 2017, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), while "Humble" was the sixth best-selling single of the year. By June 2018, it became the first album by a rapper or solo artist to have every song featured earn a gold certification or higher from the Recording Industry Association of America.

To support Damn, Lamar embarked on his first headlining arena tour, the Damn Tour, from July 2017 to July 2018. It grossed $62.7 million in worldwide revenue, becoming one of the highest-grossing hip-hop tours in history. At the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, Lamar opened the ceremony with a performance of "DNA" and "Humble". He later won five awards, including Best Hip Hop Video, Best Direction, and Video of the Year for "Humble"; the latter win marked the first time an artist won the prize for a video they co-directed. Throughout the year, he was featured on the remix to Future's "Mask Off", SZA's "Doves in the Wind", and Rich the Kid's "New Freezer". He won Best Male Hip Hop Artist at the BET Awards, while Damn won Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Album at the American Music Awards. A collector's edition of the album, which featured its tracklist in reverse order, was released in December.

On January 4, 2018, Lamar announced that he would be curating and executive producing Black Panther: The Album, the soundtrack from the 2018 film. It was released on February 9 and was supported with three commercially successful singles: "All the Stars", "King's Dead", and "Pray for Me". Lamar contributed lead and background vocals to every track on the album, regardless of credit, and produced on select songs. Music critics consider Black Panther: The Album to be a milestone achievement, giving praise towards its lyrics and cultural significance. It spent two consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200, and earned the most single-week streams for a soundtrack album in history. Lamar opened the 60th Annual Grammy Awards with a critically acclaimed medley. He won five awards during the ceremony: Damn was named Best Rap Album, "Humble" won Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video and "Loyalty" won Best Rap/Sung Performance. Damn won the Pulitzer Prize for Music on April 16, 2018, marking the first time a musical composition outside of the classical and jazz genres received the honor.

From May to June 2018, Lamar co-headlined the Championship Tour with several TDE artists. While on tour, he became embroiled in a public dispute with Spotify regarding the streaming service's Hate Content & Hateful Conduct policy. Lamar was featured on five songs throughout the year: "Dedication" by Nipsey Hussle, "Mona Lisa" by Lil Wayne, "Tints" by Anderson .Paak, and "Wow Freestyle" by Jay Rock; he also executive produced the latter's album Redemption and provided background vocals for the album's second single "Win." At the American Music Awards, Black Panther: The Album won Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album. Lamar made his acting debut as a drug addict in the crime drama series Power (2018). After his two concert tours ended, he entered a four-year recording hiatus; although he contributed to Beyoncé's The Lion King: The Gift, Schoolboy Q's Crash Talk, and Sir's Chasing Summer (all 2019). As his publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music was beginning to expire, Lamar signed a long-term worldwide deal with Broadcast Music, Inc.

2020-2023: Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers

On March 5, 2020, Lamar and Dave Free launched the creative entity PGLang, which was described at the time as a multilingual, artist-friendly service company. In October, he signed a worldwide administration agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group. Lamar announced through an August 2021 blog post that he was in the process of producing his final album under TDE, confirming rumors that emerged the year before that he would be leaving to focus on PGLang. The following week, he appeared on Baby Keem's single "Family Ties", which won Best Rap Performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. Lamar made additional contributions to Keem's album The Melodic Blue by providing background vocals and appearing on the song "Range Brothers". In November, he held a "theatrical exhibition of his musical eras" during his second headlining performance at Day N Vegas, and featured on Terrace Martin's album Drones. He co-headlined the Super Bowl LVI halftime show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, and Mary J. Blige on February 13, 2022, which won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live).

After releasing the promotional single "The Heart Part 5", Lamar's fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, was released on May 13, 2022. The double album drew on jazz, R&B, trap, and soul influences; Alford served as its primary narrator. It was widely acclaimed by critics, who applauded Lamar's vulnerable songwriting and scope. Every track from the album charted on the Hot 100; its three singles-"N95", "Silent Hill", and "Die Hard"-debuted in the top-10. Selling 295,000 units in its first week, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers became Lamar's fourth consecutive number-one album on the Billboard 200. It later became the first hip-hop album of the year to reach one billion streams on Spotify.

In support of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Lamar embarked on the Big Steppers Tour, which ran from July 2022 to March 2024. The tour grossed $110.9 million in worldwide revenue, becoming the highest-grossing rap tour ever at the time. Lamar wrote, co-directed, and executive produced the short film adaptation of the song "We Cry Together", which was released worldwide in September 2022. An accompanying concert film for the tour, Kendrick Lamar Live: The Big Steppers Tour, was released in November. Lamar won Favorite Male Hip Hop Artist at the American Music Awards, and Favorite Hip Hop Album for Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. He received six awards at the BET Hip Hop Awards, including Album of the Year. During the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers was named Best Rap Album, while "The Heart Part 5" won Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song.

In May 2023, Lamar was featured on the standalone version of Beyoncé's single "America Has a Problem" and appeared on Baby Keem's single "The Hillbillies". He won four awards at the BET Hip Hop Awards, and set four records in the process. Lamar was featured in the documentary concert film Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé and executive produced Baby Keem's short film adaptation of The Melodic Blue. He quietly shed his ties with Aftermath Entertainment and signed a new direct licensing agreement with Interscope.

2024-present: Feud with Drake, GNX, Grammy wins and Super Bowl LIX halftime show

Lamar's conflict with Drake re-escalated in March 2024 with his surprise appearance on Future and Metro Boomin's track "Like That". The song spent three consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Lamar's third number-one single and his first song to debut at the top spot. From April to May, he released the Drake-aimed diss singles "Euphoria", "6:16 in LA", "Meet the Grahams", and "Not Like Us"; all of which were either positively received or acclaimed by critics. The latter installment marked the first rap song to lead the Hot 100 with a limited tracking week. A celebratory one-off concert, titled The Pop Out: Ken & Friends, was held on Juneteenth. "Not Like Us" went on to win five awards at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards on February 2, 2025: "Record of the Year", "Song of the Year", "Best Rap Performance", "Best Rap Song" and "Best Music Video".

Lamar released "Watch the Party Die" to his Instagram account in September. On November 22, he shared a song titled "GNX", exclusively on YouTube, followed with a surprise release of the album of the same name on streaming the same day. On December 17, he released a song called "Money Without Me" on YouTube, rumored to be from Section.80 sessions. In December, he had a guest appearance on SZA's Lana, the deluxe reissue to SOS (2022). Billboard listed Lamar as the greatest pop star of 2024, highlighting his "new releases or revelations that captured headlines and captivated the culture". Outside of music, Lamar starred in the animated biographical film Piece by Piece (2024).

On February 9, 2025, Lamar performed at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show. His show also featured cameos and musical performances from SZA, Samuel L. Jackson, Serena Williams, and Mustard. His halftime show broke viewership records, becoming the most-watched Super Bowl performance of all time with 133.5 million viewers, surpassing for the first time Michael Jackson's 1993 Super Bowl XXVII halftime show. He signed on to produce a comedy feature with Free, Trey Parker and Matt Stone for Paramount Pictures, which is slated to be released on March 20, 2026. On February 17, Lamar became the ninth overall artist and first rapper ever to reach over 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify. He further became the first rapper to have three top-10 albums in the US simultaneously. On March 14, 2025, Lamar was featured thrice on the album Music by Playboi Carti, appearing on the tracks "Backd00r", "Good Credit", and "Mojo Jojo".

Personal life

Lamar began dating his fiancée Whitney Alford when they were in high school. Lamar announced his engagement to Alford in April 2015. They welcomed their first child, a daughter named Uzi, on July 26, 2019. The couple used the cover art for Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers to announce the birth of their second child, a son named Enoch, in 2022.

Lamar is a teetotaler and lives a drug-free lifestyle. In an October 2012 interview, he stated that he once tried marijuana, but the blunt had been laced with PCP, and he has not used any drugs since. In an interview with Starz, Lamar stated he asked to play a drug abuser on the TV series Power, saying: "[Laces] is just a character that I know. I know so well, just growing up in Compton. You grow this type of love for them, you know, in this weird kind of way. You know, you don't want to see nothing happen to them, but you know he's dangerous."

Artistry

Influences

Tupac Shakur is Lamar's biggest influence, having impacted both his professional and personal lives. One of his earliest childhood memories is watching him and Dr. Dre film the second music video for their single "California Love" with his father at the Compton Swap Meet. Lamar has described himself as an "offspring" of Shakur's artistry and sociopolitical views. Although some publications have regarded him as the Shakur of his generation, he has strived to maintain his individuality.

Shakur's The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996), The Notorious B.I.G.'s Life After Death (1997), and DMX's It's Dark and Hell is Hot (1998) influenced Lamar's artistic direction: "I don't look at these albums like just music; it sounds like an actual film." He also listened and took influence from Mos Def and Snoop Dogg during his childhood, and said, "I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Eazy-E." 50 Cent's mixtape success inspired Lamar to become an independent artist, while his view on being categorized as a conscious rapper, "Yeah, I'm a conscious artist because I have a conscience", gave him a sense of perspective.

Prodigy of Mobb Deep was a key influence on Lamar's earlier mixtapes, while his rapping technique was stemmed from Lil Wayne and his longevity. Eminem and his album The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) introduced him to songwriting elements, such as ad-libs, and impacted his aggressive approach to records such as "Backseat Freestyle". He took inspiration from N.W.A's tenacity of representing his hometown with "courage, honesty and artistic brilliance". Various R&B and soul artists, including Marvin Gaye, the Isley Brothers, Michael Jackson, Teddy Pendergrass, Sade, and Anita Baker, have influenced Lamar. He performed with Prince, who impacted his vocal register, at Paisley Park to celebrate the release of the latter's 2014 albums Plectrumelectrum and Art Official Age, which GQ described as "five minutes of brilliant insanity". To Pimp a Butterfly was influenced by the works of jazz trumpeter Miles Davis and funk collective Parliament-Funkadelic.

Musical style

The nature of Lamar's musical style has been described as "anti-flamboyant, interior and complex." He is rooted in West Coast hip hop, and has continually reinvented his sound by branching out into other genres. Due to his contributions to its audience growth, through his appeal to mainstream listeners, music critics generally categorize Lamar as a progressive rap artist. He suggests that his music is genreless, explaining in a 2012 interview, "You really can't categorize my music, it's human music." PopDust opined that during the 2010s, a decade that was arguably defined by hip hop, Lamar constantly pushed the boundaries of what the genre could be.

Lamar did not care for music production during the beginning of his career. However, as he placed an emphasis on songwriting and "making material that's universal", he grew more exacting and adventurous with his compositions. He is heavily involved with every aspect of his production process, including the mixing and mastering stages, and is known for working long hours in the recording studio. "You gotta be hands on and know the different sounds and frequencies," Lamar explained to Variety. "What makes people move, what melodies stick with you, taking the higher octaves and the lower octaves and learning how to intertwine that in a certain frequency, how to manipulate sound to your advantage." Lamar chooses to work with a close-knit team of musicians, rather than constantly seek high-profile talent. He has been working with his longtime producer, Sounwave, since his 2009 self-titled EP.

Kendrick Lamar marked a pivotal change in Lamar's artistry. Unlike his earlier mixtapes, which consisted of freestyles over CHR and urban radio singles, the EP incorporated melancholic and "doleful" original production that emphasized his lyrics. Austere jazz production was blended with alternative rap styles on Section.80, with instrumentals drawing from R&B, boom bap, psychedelia, and downtempo. Good Kid, M.A.A.D City abandoned the tastes of contemporary hip hop by exploring a subtle, atmospheric side of West Coast hip hop and gangsta rap. To Pimp a Butterfly is an amalgamation of genres synonymous with African-American music, most prominently jazz, funk, and soul. It redefined jazz rap by highlighting improvisation and soloing rather than primarily using sampling. Minimalist arrangements are incorporated in Damn and Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. Damn appealed to mainstream listeners through its pop and R&B-influenced production, while the scattered and distorted instrumentals of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers was designed to make listeners feel anxious and uncomfortable. GNX was an homage to the West Coast, with g-funk synths, West Coast-inspired beats and flows, and features from various underground Los Angeles rappers such as Hitta J3, YoungThreat, Peysoh, Lefty Gunplay, Wallie the Sensei, and Siete7x.

Voice

Several media outlets consider Lamar to be the greatest and most important rapper of his generation. Billboard, Forbes and Vibe named him the second-greatest rapper of all time, behind Jay-Z. Described as a "blazing" technical rapper and "relentless searcher" by The New York Times, Lamar's "limber, dexterous" flow switches from derivative to generative metrics, while incorporating internal and multisyllabic rhyme schemes. His rhymes are typically manipulated within common time, allowing him to subtly control his metrical phonology and suggest formal ambiguities similar to pop and rock repertoires. Some of his rhyme manipulations feature "flexible" new school styles evoking the 1990s, while others use "rigid" old school elements recalling the 1980s. Lamar frequently uses syncopation in his melodies to create contradictions between his lyrical content and rhythms. With Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, he liberally plays with pronunciation, inflections, and delivery to mirror the album's emotional range.

Lamar possesses a versatile tenor vocal range and a raspy, half-shout timbre, where "his throat sounds dry and his mouth sounds wet." André 3000 was the first rapper that introduced him to singing sensibilities in hip hop, and he writes melody-driven songs as practice for his albums. Lamar became comfortable with his vocals over time, to the point where he feels confident enough to create singing-based albums. Pitchfork noticed how his harmonies on To Pimp a Butterfly never made him sound alone throughout his "desolate" performance; comparing his vocal layering to "standing in the middle, unnoticed, of a large quarrelsome crowd."

Praised for his willingness to use his voice as an instrument, Lamar adopts different cadences, tones, modulations, and timbres to suggest conflicting personalities, paint distinct emotions, and communicate stories using characters and personas. His falsetto register, which he calls the "ghetto falsetto", has been likened to Curtis Mayfield's. MTV writes that by manipulating his voice, Lamar calls back to a lineage that runs through James Brown's foundational work in the 1960s, 1970s psychedelia, Prince's "sweaty" phantasmagoria in the 1980s, and 1990s gangsta rap. He was ranked the tenth-best solo singer of the 21st century by The Times in 2023.

Songwriting

Branded as a "master of storytelling" by The New Yorker, Lamar has been referred to as one of the greatest lyricists in modern hip hop by several publications and his peers. Pharrell Williams suggests that what makes his songwriting stand out is because he "knows how to be very disciplined with a subject matter, he knows that stickiness is important, and he knows that it has to be great." American Songwriter notes that for as much as Lamar is a musician, lyricist, and emcee, he is also "a playwright, a novelist, a short story author. He's literary within the art form of music." Lamar's reflective narrative songwriting pulls from a wide range of literary and cinematic techniques, such as hip hop skits and voice-overs, to allow his audience to follow internal and external storylines. His fusion of various film styles and his sonic influence has elevated his works to be some of the most "consistently poignant" in hip hop, and promoted the advancement of the narrative device.

Lamar, who self-identifies as a musician and writer, begins his songwriting process with an assortment of premeditated thoughts that he jotted down over the course of one year. His personal experiences are a common source of inspiration, but he also pulls ideas from meeting new people, traveling, and experiencing different cultures. A devout Christian, he additionally shares his spiritual triumphs and struggles on his songs. He is an avid note-taker, and has developed keywords, phrases, and sounds to help him "trigger the exact emotions" he felt when writing the initial demo. Considered to be a "radio-friendly but overtly political rapper" by Pitchfork, and a populist by The Wall Street Journal, Lamar's songwriting regularly infuses political criticism and social commentary concerning African-American culture. Common themes explored include racial inequality, institutional discrimination, and black empowerment. Lamar's critiques has been compared to the State of the Union Address by The Guardian, while Billboard described it as "Shakespearean". HuffPost opined that his work is a "great" piece of journalism because it "speaks from the prerogative of black communities facing oppression and directly attacks the institutions responsible for their pain," an achievement most reporters cannot attain.

Lamar tries to carry a conceptual idea inside of his music, "whether it's a big concept or it's so subtle you can't even tell until you get to 20 listens." Fans and publications have theorized that his albums are related to different forms of mass media. Section.80 is regarded as a short story collection inspired and themed around events that impacted the millennial generation, such as Ronald Reagan's presidency. The nonlinear narrative structure of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City is billed as a coming-of-age short film that chronicles Lamar's harsh teenage experiences in his native Compton. Its cinematic scope has been compared to the screenplays written by filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino. To Pimp a Butterfly unfolds as both a poem and blank letter that explores the responsibilities of being a role model and documents life as an African American during Barack Obama's presidency. Damn is labeled as an introspective satire that explores the dualities of human nature and morality. Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers takes on the form of a theatrical play, with confessional lyrics based on Lamar's experiences in therapy.

Legacy

Insider Inc. and CNN editors have opined that Lamar is one of the most influential musicians of the 2010s decade, deeming him a paradigm shift in contemporary hip hop and popular culture. Throughout the Black Lives Matter movement and events following the 2016 U.S. presidential election, his work has been used as protest anthems. According to American studies and media scholar William Hoynes, Lamar's progressive elements places him amongst other African American artists and activists who "worked both inside and outside of the mainstream to advance a counterculture that opposes the racist stereotypes being propagated in white-owned media and culture." Matt Miller of Esquire opined that in recent years Lamar revived music videos as a form of social commentary.

Lamar's music has consistently garnered critical acclaim, commercial success, as well as support from artists who have paved the way for his advancement. His Pulitzer Prize win was considered a sign of the American cultural elite formally recognizing hip hop as a "legitimate artistic medium". Senior artists such as Nas, Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Prince, and Madonna have praised his musicianship. David Bowie's final album, Blackstar (2016), was inspired by To Pimp a Butterfly, and its producer Tony Visconti praised Lamar as a "rulebreaker" in the music industry. Pharrell Williams called him "one of the greatest writers of our times" and likened him to Bob Dylan. Lamar has also been cited as a strong influence on the works of various modern artists, including BTS, Dua Lipa, Tyler, the Creator, Roddy Ricch, and Rosalía. Lorde regards him as "the most popular and influential artist in modern music."

Public image

Lamar maintains a low public profile, and is known to be reserved. He is reluctant to publicly discuss his personal life and generally avoids using social media. He is also decisive when engaging with mainstream media outlets, although journalists have complimented his "Zen-like" calmness and down to earth personality. According to Lamar, he has become "so invested in who I am outside of being famous, sometimes that's all I know. I've always been a person that really didn't dive too headfirst into wanting and needing attention. I mean, we all love attention, but for me, I don't necessarily adore it." His lyrics have been a topic of media scrutiny, leading to both praise and controversy.

Lamar's public perception has also been influenced by the various rap feuds he has been involved with. Although some journalists declared him the winner of his highly publicized conflict with Drake, some felt that his victory was pyrrhic due to the severity of accusations introduced and the spread of online misinformation. Following the release of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, media outlets have described Lamar as the "modern hip hop messiah". Some critics dislike his "grating" political infusions, causing him to be viewed as having a savior complex. However, Lamar has declared himself to be the "greatest rapper alive" due to his personal connection to hip hop. "I'm not doing it to have a good song, or one good rap, or a good hook, or a good bridge," he explained to Zane Lowe. "I want to keep doing it every time, period. And to do it every time, you have to challenge yourself and you have to confirm to yourself?not anybody else, confirm to yourself that you're the best, period. [...] That's my drive and that's my hunger, I will always have."

Other ventures

Entrepreneurship

Lamar has been described as an "authentic" businessman who takes "calculated steps to establish his brand from the ground-up" and leaves nothing to chance. He approaches traditional album rollouts with an unorthodox method, using Easter eggs and leaving cryptic messages. Before releasing a studio album, Lamar shares a promotional single taken from "The Heart", a timestamp song series designed to "observe the beating pulse behind his music." The vulnerable themes explored on the non-album singles have strengthened his relationship with his "inquisitive" fanbase known as Kenfolk. His real estate portfolio includes properties in California and New York. In 2011, Lamar crafted an original song with record producer Nosaj Thing to promote Microsoft's Windows Phone in 2011. He starred alongside DJ Calvin Harris and singer Ellie Goulding in a marketing campaign for Bacardi in 2014.

As a minority shareholder of TDE, Lamar was set to serve as the executive producer for the label's film division. He partnered with American Express on advertising campaigns for Art Basel and Small Business Saturday, and is an angel investor of the music creation platform EngineEars. Lamar has also partnered with several fashion designers and outlets. As a brand ambassador, he was involved with designing sneakers for Reebok and Nike, Inc. He developed working relationships with Grace Wales Bonner and Martine Rose; through their respective eponymous brands, they have dressed him for several public events. For her Autumn/Winter 2023 collection, Twilight Reverie, Lamar worked with Bonner to create the show's soundtrack with Sampha and Duval Timothy. Through PGLang, he composed the score and co-designed the stage for Chanel's Spring/Summer 2024 haute couture collection.

Philanthropy and activism

A supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, Lamar is a vocal advocate for racial equality. In 2012, he commended Frank Ocean for coming out. Lamar developed a strong friendship with former US president Barack Obama, having worked on a promotional video for Obama's My Brother's Keeper initiative. He was critical of Donald Trump's first presidency and the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Lamar has headlined charity concerts benefitting local and international non-profit organizations. He donated to the American Red Cross in November 2012 to support victims of Hurricane Sandy. In December 2013, Lamar donated $50,000 to his alma mater, Centennial High School, in support of its music department. He embarked on a small concert tour in 2014, and donated all of the revenue to Habitat for Humanity and his hometown. In July 2017, Lamar purchased a wheelchair-accessible van for a quadriplegic fan. He has regularly performed at TDE's annual holiday toy drive at Nickerson Gardens, and organizes his own toy drive in Compton. He joined a peace walk in June 2020 to protest against the murder of George Floyd and the killing of Breonna Taylor. In June 2024, Lamar spearheaded a $200,000 donation to 20 charities and community initiatives based in Los Angeles.

Achievements

Throughout his career, Lamar has won 22 Grammy Awards (the third-most by a rapper in history), a Primetime Emmy Award, five American Music Awards, 37 BET Hip Hop Awards (the most won by any artist), 11 MTV Video Music Awards (including two Video of the Year wins), 7 Billboard Music Awards, and a Brit Award. As a songwriter, he has received nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. At the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, Lamar received the most Grammy nominations by a rapper in one night, with 11. During the 65th ceremony, he became the first artist from any genre to be nominated for Album of the Year with four consecutive lead studio albums since Billy Joel (1979-1983).

Lamar has appeared in various power listings. In 2015, he was featured on Ebony's Power 100 list that honors leaders within the African American community. Time included him on its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016. He has appeared on Forbes' Celebrity 100 ranking (2019), and its 30 Under 30 list twice in the music category (2014 and 2018). Lamar was included twice in Billboard's lists of the greatest rappers of all time (2015 and 2023). Complex named him the best rapper alive thrice (2013, 2017 and 2024), and included him in their list of the 20 best rappers in their 20s thrice (2013, 2015, and 2016). In May 2015, Lamar was declared a generational icon by the California State Senate for his contributions to music and philanthropy. He was a grand marshal for the Compton Christmas Parade, and was presented with the key to the city of his hometown for representing its evolution. He served as Compton College's surprise commencement speaker on June 7, 2024. Lamar is the fifth man to appear solo on the cover of Harper's Bazaar.

Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, To Pimp a Butterfly, and Damn were featured in Rolling Stone's industry-voted ranking of the 500 greatest albums of all time and the 200 greatest hip hop albums of all time. Good Kid, M.A.A.D City was additionally featured in the magazine's list of the 100 best debut albums of all time, and was named the greatest concept album ever. It was named the seventh greatest album of all time by Apple Music in 2024. To Pimp a Butterfly was ranked by several publications as one of the greatest albums of the 2010s decade, while "Alright" was deemed the greatest hip hop song of the streaming era by Spotify. As of February 2023, it is the top ranked album on the online encyclopedia Rate Your Music. Damn is the recipient of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, the first time a musical work outside of the classical and jazz genres was honored. Its tour companion, along with the Big Steppers Tour (2022-2024), are two of the highest-grossing hip hop tours of all time.

Discography

Studio albums

• Section.80 (2011)
• Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012)
• To Pimp a Butterfly (2015)
• Damn (2017)
• Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022)
• GNX (2024)

Filmography

• God Is Gangsta (2015)
• Quincy (2018)
• Kendrick Lamar Live: The Big Steppers Tour (2022)
• Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé (2023)
• Piece by Piece (2024)
• Untitled Trey Parker film (2026)

Tours

Headlining

• Good Kid, M.A.A.D City World Tour (2013)
• Kunta's Groove Sessions (2015)
• The Damn Tour (2017-2018)
• The Big Steppers Tour (2022-2024)

Co-headlining

• The Championship Tour (with Top Dawg Entertainment artists) (2018)
• Grand National Tour (with SZA) (2025)

See also

• List of American Grammy Award winners and nominees
• List of artists who reached number one in the United States
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Rhythmic chart
• List of black Golden Globe Award winners and nominees
• Music of California
• Pulitzer Prize for Music

Notes

References

Cited literature

External links

• Official website
• Kendrick Lamar at AllMusic
• Kendrick Lamar discography at Discogs
• Kendrick Lamar discography at MusicBrainz
• Kendrick Lamar at IMDb 

Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popularizing hip-hop in Middle America and breaking down racial barriers for the acceptance of white rappers in popular music. While much of his transgressive work during the late 1990s and early 2000s made him a controversial figure, he came to be a representation of popular angst of the American underclass.

After the release of his debut album Infinite (1996) and the extended play Slim Shady EP (1997), Eminem signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and subsequently achieved mainstream popularity in 1999 with The Slim Shady LP. His next two releases, The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) and The Eminem Show (2002), became worldwide successes. The latter was the best-selling album worldwide of that year, and the best selling hip-hop album of all time. Following the release of Encore (2004), Eminem took a hiatus due in part to struggles with prescription drug addiction.

He returned to the music industry with the releases of Relapse (2009) and Recovery (2010), the latter becoming the best-selling album worldwide of 2010. Each of his subsequent releases?The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (2013), Revival (2017), Kamikaze (2018), Music to Be Murdered By (2020), and The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) (2024)?have debuted atop the US Billboard 200.

Eminem was also a member of the hip-hop groups New Jacks, Soul Intent, Outsidaz, and D12, and has collaborated with fellow Detroit-based rapper Royce da 5'9" to form the duo Bad Meets Evil. He starred in the 2002 musical drama film 8 Mile, in which he played a dramatized version of himself. "Lose Yourself", a song from its soundtrack, topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks?the most for a solo rap song?and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, making him the first hip-hop artist ever to win the award. Eminem also co-founded Shady Records, which helped launch the careers of artists such as D12, 50 Cent, and Obie Trice. He established his own Sirius XM Radio channel, Shade 45, and opened a restaurant, Mom's Spaghetti.

Eminem is among the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated worldwide sales of over 220 million records. He was the first musical act to have ten albums consecutively debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, and has had five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. He is one of the highest-certified music artists in the United States, with three of his albums and four of his singles being certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Eminem's accolades include 15 Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, 17 Billboard Music Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Billboard named him the Artist of the Decade (2000s) and Rolling Stone ranked him among the greatest artists and greatest songwriters of all time.

Early life

Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born on October 17, 1972, in St. Joseph, Missouri, the only child of Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. and Deborah "Debbie" Nelson. His mother nearly died during her 73-hour labor with him. Eminem's parents were in a band called Daddy Warbucks, playing in Ramada Inns along the Dakotas-Montana border before they separated. His father abandoned his family when Eminem was a year and a half old, and Eminem was raised only by his mother in poverty. He wrote letters to his father, but Debbie said that they all came back marked "return to sender".

By the age of twelve, Eminem and his mother shuttled between states, rarely staying in one house for more than a year or two and mostly living with family members, moved several times and lived in St. Joseph; Savannah, Missouri; Kansas City; Warren, Michigan; and Roseville, Michigan before settling in Detroit. For much of his youth, Eminem and his mother lived in a bungalow-style house in a working-class, primarily black, neighborhood in Detroit. He and Debbie were one of three white households on their block, and Eminem was beaten several times by black youths. His mother had a son named Nathan "Nate" Kane Samara in 1986 with then-boyfriend Fred Samara. In 2013, the State of Michigan demolished his childhood home after it was damaged by arson.

Eminem frequently fought with his mother, whom a social worker described as having a "very suspicious, almost paranoid personality".^:?3? When he was a child, a bully named D'Angelo Bailey severely injured Eminem's head in an assault, an incident which Eminem later recounted on the song "Brain Damage". Debbie filed a lawsuit against the public school for this in 1982. The suit was dismissed the following year by a Macomb County, Michigan, judge, who said the schools were immune from lawsuits.^:?2?

Eminem was interested in storytelling, aspiring to be a comic book artist before discovering hip-hop. He heard his first rap song, "Reckless", on the Breakin' soundtrack, a gift from Debbie's half-brother, Ronnie Polkingharn. His uncle was close to the boy and later became a musical mentor to him. Following Polkingharn's suicide in 1991, Eminem stopped speaking publicly for days and did not attend his funeral.

At age 14, Eminem began rapping with high-school friend Mike Ruby; they adopted the names "Manix" and "M&M", the latter evolving into "Eminem".^:?4? Eminem snuck into neighboring Osborn High School with friend and fellow rapper Proof for lunchroom freestyle rap battles.^:?119? On Saturdays, they attended open mic contests at the Hip-Hop Shop on West 7 Mile Road, considered "ground zero" for the Detroit rap scene. Struggling to succeed in a predominantly black industry, Eminem was appreciated by underground hip-hop audiences. When he wrote verses, he wanted most of the words to rhyme; he wrote long words or phrases on paper and, underneath, worked on rhymes for each syllable. Although the words often made little sense, the drill helped Eminem practice sounds and rhymes.

In 1987, Debbie allowed runaway Kimberly Anne "Kim" Scott to stay at their home. Several years later, Eminem began an on-and-off relationship with Scott.^:?4? After spending three years in ninth grade due to truancy and poor grades, 17-year-old Eminem dropped out of Lincoln High School. Although interested in English, Eminem never explored literature, preferring comic books, and he disliked math and social studies. He states that he later received a GED. Eminem worked at several jobs to help his mother pay the bills, one of which was at Little Caesar's Pizza in Warren. He later said she often threw him out of the house anyway, often after taking most of his paycheck. When she left to play bingo, he would blast the stereo and write songs.

Music career

1988-1997: Early career, Infinite and family struggles

In 1988, he went by the stage name MC Double M and formed his first group, New Jacks, and made a self-titled demo tape with DJ Butter Fingers. In 1989, they joined Bassmint Productions who later changed their name to Soul Intent in 1992 with rapper Proof and other childhood friends. They released a self-titled EP in 1995 featuring Proof. Eminem also made his first music video appearance in 1992 in a song titled, "Do-Da-Dippity", by Champtown. Later in 1996, Eminem and Proof teamed up with four other rappers to form The Dirty Dozen (D12), who released The Underground E.P. in 1997 and their first album Devil's Night in 2001. He was also affiliated with Newark's rap collective Outsidaz, collaborating with them on different projects.

In 1995, Eminem was signed to Jeff and Mark Bass' F.B.T. Productions and in 1995-1996 recorded his debut album Infinite for their independent Web Entertainment label.^:?15? The album was a commercial failure upon its release in 1996. During this period, Eminem's rhyming style, primarily inspired by rappers Nas, Esham and AZ, lacked the comically violent slant for which he later became known.^:?16? Detroit disc jockeys largely ignored Infinite and the feedback Eminem did receive ("Why don't you go into rock and roll?") led him to craft angrier, moodier tracks.

At this time, Eminem and Kim Scott lived in a crime-ridden neighborhood where their house was robbed several times. Eminem cooked and washed dishes for minimum wage at Gilbert's Lodge, a family-style restaurant in St. Clair Shores.^:?14? His former boss described him as becoming a model employee, as he worked 60 hours a week for six months after the birth of his daughter, Hailie Jade Scott Mathers.^:?4? He was fired shortly before Christmas and later said, "It was, like, five days before Christmas, which is Hailie's birthday. I had, like, forty dollars to get her something." After the release of Infinite, his personal problems and substance abuse culminated in a suicide attempt. By March 1997, he was fired from Gilbert's Lodge for the last time and lived in his mother's mobile home with Kim and Hailie.^:?4?

1997-1999: Introduction of Slim Shady, The Slim Shady LP and rise to success

Eminem attracted more attention when he developed Slim Shady, a sadistic, violent alter ego. The character allowed him to express his anger with lyrics about drugs, rape and murder.^:?4? In the spring of 1997, he recorded his debut EP, the Slim Shady EP, which was released that winter by Web Entertainment. The EP, with frequent references to drug use, sexual acts, mental instability and violence, also explored the more-serious themes of dealing with poverty and marital and family difficulties and revealed his direct, self-deprecating response to criticism. Hip-hop magazine The Source featured Eminem in its "Unsigned Hype" column in March 1998.^:?81?

After he was fired from his job and evicted from his home, Eminem went to Los Angeles to compete in the 1997 Rap Olympics, a nationwide battle rap competition. He placed second, losing to Project Blowed MC Otherwize. An Interscope Records intern named Dean Geistlinger was in attendance and asked Eminem for a copy of the Slim Shady EP, which was then sent to company CEO Jimmy Iovine. Iovine played the tape for record producer Dr. Dre, founder of Aftermath Entertainment and founding member of hip-hop group N.W.A. Dre recalled, "In my entire career in the music industry, I have never found anything from a demo tape or a CD. When Jimmy played this, I said, 'Find him. Now.'", expressing his shock towards Mathers's rapping talent. Although his associates criticized him for hiring a white rapper, Dre was confident in his decision: "I don't give a fuck if you're purple; if you can kick it, I'm working with you." Eminem had idolized Dre since listening to N.W.A as a teenager and was nervous about working with him on an album.^:?24? He became more comfortable working with Dre after a series of productive recording sessions. On March 9, 1998, Eminem got signed to Aftermath and Interscope.

Eminem released The Slim Shady LP in February 1999. Although it was one of the year's most popular albums (certified triple platinum by the end of the year), he was accused of imitating the style and subject matter of underground rapper Cage (who he references in the album's song "Role Model"). The album's popularity was accompanied by controversy over its lyrics; in "'97 Bonnie & Clyde", Eminem describes a trip with his infant daughter when he disposes of his wife's body and in "Guilty Conscience", he encourages a man to murder his wife and her lover. "Guilty Conscience" marked the beginning of a friendship and musical bond between Dr. Dre and Eminem. The label-mates later collaborated on a number of hit songs and Dre made at least one guest appearance on each of Eminem's Aftermath albums. The Slim Shady LP has been certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA.

1999-2003: The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show

After Eminem released The Slim Shady LP, he started his own record label, Shady Records, in late 1999. Eminem looked for an avenue to release D12, and his manager Paul Rosenberg was keen to start a label, which led to the two teaming up to form Shady. Its A&R Marc Labelle has defined the record label as "a boutique label but [with] all the outlets of a major [and] Interscope backing up our every move."

Recorded from 1999 to 2000, The Marshall Mathers LP was released in May 2000. It sold 1.76 million copies in its first week, breaking U.S. records held by Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle for fastest-selling hip-hop album and Britney Spears' ...Baby One More Time for fastest-selling solo album. The first single from the album, "The Real Slim Shady", was a success despite controversies about Eminem's insults and dubious claims about celebrities.^:?60? In his second single, "The Way I Am", he reveals the pressure from his record company to top "My Name Is". Although Eminem parodied shock rocker Marilyn Manson in the music video for "My Name Is", they are reportedly on good terms; Manson is mentioned in "The Way I Am", appeared in its music video and has performed a live remix of the song with Eminem. The third single, "Stan", was ranked by Q as the third-greatest rap song ever, and it was ranked tenth in a Top40-Charts.com survey. The song has since been ranked 296th on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list. In July 2000, Eminem was the first white artist to appear on the cover of The Source.^:?81? The Marshall Mathers LP was certified Diamond by the RIAA in March 2011 and sold 21 million copies worldwide.

In 2000, Eminem appeared in the Up in Smoke Tour and the Family Values Tour,^:?70? headlining the Anger Management Tour with Papa Roach, Ludacris, and Xzibit. Eminem performed with Elton John at the 43rd Grammy Awards ceremony in 2001. GLAAD, an organization which considered Eminem's lyrics homophobic, condemned John's decision to perform with Eminem. Entertainment Weekly placed the appearance on its end-of-decade "best-of" list: "It was the hug heard 'round the world. Eminem, under fire for homophobic lyrics, shared the stage with a gay icon for a performance of 'Stan' that would have been memorable in any context." On February 21, the day of the awards ceremony, GLAAD held a protest outside the Staples Center (the ceremony's venue). Eminem was also the only guest artist to appear on fellow rapper Jay-Z's critically acclaimed album The Blueprint, producing and rapping on the song "Renegade".

The Eminem Show was released in May 2002. It was another success, reaching number one on the charts and selling over 1.332 million copies during its first full week. The Eminem Show, certified Diamond by the RIAA, examines the effects of Eminem's rise to fame, his relationship with his wife and daughter and his status in the hip-hop community, addressing an assault charge brought by a bouncer he saw kissing his wife in 2000. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic found The Eminem Show less inflammatory than The Marshall Mathers LP. L. Brent Bozell III, who had criticized The Marshall Mathers LP for misogynistic lyrics, noted The Eminem Show's extensive use of obscenity and called Eminem "Eminef" for the prevalence of the word "motherfucker" on the album. The Eminem Show sold 27 million copies worldwide and was the bestselling album of 2002.

2003-2007: Production work, Encore and musical hiatus

In 2003, Eminem, a lifelong fan of Tupac, provided production work for three tracks on the Tupac Resurrection soundtrack. He would follow this up the next year by producing 12 of the 16 tracks on Tupac's Loyal to the Game album. On December 8, 2003, the United States Secret Service said that it was "looking into" allegations that Eminem had threatened the President of the United States. The cause for concern was the lyrics of "We As Americans" ("Fuck money / I don't rap for dead presidents / I'd rather see the president dead / It's never been said, but I set precedents"), which was later released on a bonus CD with the deluxe edition of Encore.

Encore, released in 2004, was another success, but not as successful as his previous albums. Its sales were partially driven by the first single, "Just Lose It", which contained slurs directed toward Michael Jackson. On October 12, 2004, a week after the release of "Just Lose It", Jackson phoned Steve Harvey's radio show, The Steve Harvey Morning Show, to report his displeasure with its video (which parodies Jackson's child molestation trial, plastic surgery and the 1984 incident when Jackson's hair caught fire during the filming of a commercial). Many of Jackson's friends and supporters spoke out against the video, including Stevie Wonder, who described it as "kicking a man while he's down" and "bullshit", and Steve Harvey (who said, "Eminem has lost his ghetto pass. We want the pass back"). "Weird Al" Yankovic, who parodied the Eminem song "Lose Yourself" on "Couch Potato" for his 2003 album Poodle Hat, told the Chicago Sun-Times about Jackson's protest: "Last year, Eminem forced me to halt production on the video for my 'Lose Yourself' parody because he somehow thought that it would be harmful to his image or career. So the irony of this situation with Michael is not lost on me." Although Black Entertainment Television stopped playing the video, MTV announced that it would continue to air it. The Source, through CEO Raymond "Benzino" Scott, called for the video to be pulled, the song removed from the album and Eminem to apologize publicly to Jackson. In 2007, Jackson and Sony bought Famous Music from Viacom, giving him the rights to songs by Eminem, among other artists.

Despite its lead single's humorous theme, Encore explored serious subject matter with the anti-war song "Mosh", which criticized President George W. Bush. On October 25, 2004, a week before the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, Eminem released the video for "Mosh" on the Internet. In it, Eminem gathers an army of Bush-administration victims and leads them to the White House. When they break in, it is learned that they are there to register to vote; the video ends with "VOTE Tuesday November 2." After Bush's reelection, the video's ending was changed to Eminem and the protesters invading the White House during a speech by the president. Also in 2004 Eminem launched a satellite music channel, Shade 45, on Sirius radio, which was described by his manager as "essentially a destination to get and hear things that other people aren't playing."

Eminem began his first U.S. concert tour in three years in the summer of 2005 with the Anger Management 3 Tour, but in August, he canceled the European leg of the tour, later announcing that he had entered drug rehabilitation for treatment of a "dependency on sleep medication". Meanwhile, industry insiders speculated that Eminem was considering retirement, while rumors circulated that a double album titled The Funeral would be released. In July, the Detroit Free Press reported a possible final bow for Eminem as a solo performer, quoting members of his inner circle as saying that he would embrace the roles of producer and label executive. A greatest hits album, Curtain Call: The Hits, was released on December 6, 2005, by Aftermath Entertainment, and sold nearly 441,000 copies in the U.S. in its first week, marking Eminem's fourth consecutive number-one album on the Billboard Hot 200, and was certified double platinum by the RIAA. However, Eminem suggested that month on WKQI's "Mojo in the Morning" show that he would be taking a break as an artist: "I'm at a point in my life right now where I feel like I don't know where my career is going ... This is the reason that we called it 'Curtain Call' because this could be the final thing. We don't know."

In April 2006, Proof, who was Eminem's childhood friend, was murdered. Eight months later, on December 5, Eminem released a compilation album titled Eminem Presents: The Re-Up that featured Proof and other Shady Records artists.

2007-2009: Comeback and Relapse

In September 2007, Eminem called New York radio station WQHT during an interview with 50 Cent, saying that he was "in limbo" and "debating" about when (or if) he would release another album. He appeared on his Shade 45 Sirius channel in September 2008, saying: "Right now I'm kinda just concentrating on my own stuff, for right now and just banging out tracks and producing a lot of stuff. You know, the more I keep producing the better it seems like I get 'cause I just start knowing stuff." Interscope confirmed that a new album would be released in spring 2009.

According to a March 5, 2009, press release, Eminem would release two new albums that year. Relapse, the first, was released on May 19; its first single and music video, "We Made You", had been released on April 7. Although Relapse did not sell as well as Eminem's previous albums and received mixed reviews, it was a commercial success and re-established his presence in the hip-hop world. It sold more than five million copies worldwide. On October 30, he headlined at the Voodoo Experience in New Orleans, his first full performance of the year. Eminem's act included several songs from Relapse, many of his older hits and an appearance by D12. On November 19, he announced on his website that Relapse: Refill would be released on December 21. The album was a re-release of Relapse with seven bonus tracks, including "Forever" and "Taking My Ball". Eminem described the CD:

I want to deliver more material for the fans this year like I originally planned ... Hopefully, these tracks on The Refill will tide the fans over until we put out Relapse 2 next year ... I got back in with Dre and then a few more producers, including Just Blaze, and went in a completely different direction which made me start from scratch. The new tracks started to sound very different than the tracks I originally intended to be on Relapse 2, but I still want the other stuff to be heard.

2009-2011: Recovery and Bad Meets Evil reunion

On April 14, 2010, Eminem tweeted: "There is no Relapse 2". Although his followers thought he was not releasing an album, he had changed its title to Recovery and confirmed this by tweeting "Recovery" with a link to his website. He said:

I had originally planned for Relapse 2 to come out last year. But as I kept recording and working with new producers, the idea of a sequel to Relapse started to make less and less sense to me, and I wanted to make a completely new album. The music on Recovery came out very different from Relapse, and I think it deserves its own title.

Recorded from 2009 to 2010, Recovery was released on June 18. In the U.S., Recovery sold 741,000 copies during its first week, topping the Billboard 200 chart. Eminem's sixth consecutive U.S. number-one album also topped the charts in several other countries. Recovery remained atop the Billboard 200 chart for five consecutive weeks of a seven-week total.

Billboard reported that it was the bestselling album of 2010, making Eminem the first artist in Nielsen SoundScan history with two year-end bestselling albums. Recovery is the bestselling digital album in history. Its first single, "Not Afraid", was released on April 29 and debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100; its music video was released on June 4. "Not Afraid" was followed by "Love the Way You Lie", which debuted at number two before rising to the top. Although "Love the Way You Lie" was the bestselling 2010 single in the United Kingdom, it did not reach number one (the first time this has happened in the UK since 1969). Despite criticism of its inconsistency, Recovery received positive reviews from most critics. As of November 21, 2010, the album had U.S. sales of three million copies. Recovery was the bestselling album worldwide in 2010, joining 2002's bestseller The Eminem Show to give Eminem two worldwide year-end number-one albums. With Recovery, Eminem broke the record for the most successive U.S. number-one albums by a solo artist.

In June 2010, Eminem and Jay-Z announced they would perform together in Detroit and New York City, at concerts called The Home & Home Tour. The first two concerts quickly sold out, prompting an additional show in each city. BET called Eminem the number-one rapper of the 21st century. Due to the success of Recovery and the Home & Home Tour, Eminem was named the 2010 Hottest MC in the Game by MTV and Emcee of the Year by the online magazine HipHopDX. He and Rihanna again collaborated on "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)", the sequel of their hit single. In December 2010, the "Great Eminem Recovery" was number one on Billboard's Top 25 Music Moments of 2010. That month it was announced that "Space Bound" would be the fourth single from Recovery, with a music video featuring former porn actress Sasha Grey; the video was released June 24 on the iTunes Store.

In 2010, Eminem again began collaborating with Royce da 5'9" on their first EP as Bad Meets Evil; the duo formed in 1998. The EP, Hell: The Sequel, was released on June 14, 2011. Eminem was featured on Royce da 5'9"'s "Writer's Block", released on April 8, 2011. On May 3 they released the lead single "Fast Lane" from their upcoming EP and a music video was filmed. In March 2011, within days of each other, The Eminem Show and The Marshall Mathers LP were certified diamond by the RIAA; Eminem is the only rapper with two diamond-certified albums. With more than 60 million "likes" he was the most-followed person on Facebook. Eminem was the first artist in five years with two number-one albums (Recovery and Hell: The Sequel) in a 12-month period. Early in 2011 he leaked "2.0 Boys", on which Yelawolf and Slaughterhouse collaborated when they signed with Shady Records in January and performed it in April. Bad Meets Evil released their next single, "Lighters", on July 6 and its music video in late August. On August 6, Eminem performed several songs from throughout his career at Lollapalooza with the artists who had been featured on each song.

2012-2016: The Marshall Mathers LP 2, Shady XV and Southpaw

On August 14, 2013, "Survival", featuring Liz Rodrigues and produced by DJ Khalil, premiered in the multi-player trailer for the video game Call of Duty: Ghosts. According to a press release, the first single from Eminem's eighth album would be released soon. During the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, it was announced that the album would be entitled The Marshall Mathers LP 2. Its lead single, "Berzerk", was released on August 25 and debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album was released on November 5, by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records and Interscope Records. Its standard version had 16 tracks and the deluxe version included a second disc with five additional tracks. The Marshall Mathers LP 2 was Eminem's seventh album to debut atop the Billboard 200 and had the year's second-largest first-week sales. He was the first artist since the Beatles to have four singles in the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, The Marshall Mathers LP 2 debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. The first American artist with seven consecutive UK number-one albums, he is tied with the Beatles for second place for the most consecutive chart-topping UK albums. The album secured Eminem's position as Canada's bestselling artist and was 2013's bestselling album.

On November 3, Eminem was named the first YouTube Music Awards Artist of the Year, and a week later he received the Global Icon Award at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards. On June 10, it was announced that Eminem was the first artist to receive two digital diamond certifications?sales and streams of 10 million and above?by the RIAA (for "Not Afraid" and "Love the Way You Lie"). On July 11 and 12, Eminem played two concerts in Wembley Stadium. At the 57th Grammy Awards, he received Best Rap Album award for The Marshall Mathers LP 2 and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (with Rihanna) for "The Monster".

In the summer of 2014, Eminem and Rosenberg began using the hashtag #SHADYXV on social networking sites and Eminem wore a T-shirt with the hashtag onstage. This was later revealed to be the name of an upcoming Shady Records compilation. Shortly afterwards the first single from the album ("Guts Over Fear", featuring singer-songwriter Sia) was released and the album's track list was released on October 29. Shady Records released a cypher to promote the album, in which Eminem did a seven-minute freestyle. Shady XV, released on November 24 during Black Friday week, consists of one greatest-hits disc and one disc of new material by Shady Records artists such as D12, Slaughterhouse, Bad Meets Evil and Yelawolf. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 138,000 copies in the United States. The Official Eminem Box Set, a career-spanning, 10-disc vinyl box set, was released on March 12, 2015. The set includes seven of Eminem's eight studio albums (excluding Infinite), the 8 Mile soundtrack, the compilation Eminem Presents: The Re-Up and the greatest hits collection Curtain Call: The Hits.

Eminem is the executive producer of the soundtrack on the sports drama Southpaw, with Shady Records. He was the first interview of Zane Lowe in Beats 1. The interview streamed online on the Beats 1 radio on July 1, 2015. Eminem appeared on the public access show Only in Monroe, produced in Monroe, Michigan. In June 2015, it was revealed that Eminem would serve as the executive producer and music supervisor on the TV series Motor City whose premise was based upon the 2002 film Narc. On October 19, 2016, Eminem released a new song called "Campaign Speech", a political hip-hop song and announced he was working on a new album. On November 17, 2016, Eminem released a remastered version of 'Infinite' on his YouTube VEVO channel. On November 22, 2016, Eminem released a trailer for a 10-minute short documentary called Partners in Rhyme: The True Story of Infinite.

2017-2019: Revival and Kamikaze

In February 2017, Eminem appeared on "No Favors", a track from Big Sean's album I Decided. In the song, Eminem calls the newly elected President Donald Trump a "bitch" and also raps about raping conservative social and political commentator Ann Coulter, who is a Trump supporter, with a variety of foreign objects. Coulter responded to the lyrics, stating, "I think it's unfortunate that the left, from Berkeley to Eminem with his rap songs, has normalized violence against women, as Eminem has done." Eminem participated in the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards' annual cypher, using his verse, a freestyle rap called "The Storm", to further criticize Trump and the administration for, among other things, Trump's focus on National Football League players' protests during "The Star Spangled Banner" over Hurricane Maria recovery efforts and lack of gun control reform in the wake of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting. Eminem ended the cypher by giving an ultimatum saying that Trump supporters cannot be his fans. The verse received wide praise among other rappers following its release. It was reported that the Secret Service interviewed Eminem in 2018-2019, regarding threatening lyrics towards President Trump and daughter Ivanka.

Starting in late October 2017, Eminem and Paul Rosenberg began teasing what fans speculated was the title of a new album titled Revival, in the form of advertisements for a fake medication of the same name. Later in November, the first single "Walk on Water" was released, which featured Beyoncé. The song was first performed, by Eminem, at the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards on November 12, featuring Skylar Grey. On November 28, Dr. Dre posted a video confirming the album's release date as December 15, 2017. Despite an online leak of the album two days prior, Revival was released as planned on December 15. On January 5, 2018, the second single "River" was released, which featured Ed Sheeran. It became Eminem's eighth consecutive album to top the U.S. Billboard 200 upon release with 197,000 copies sold in its first week. As a result, he became the first musical act to have eight entries in a row debut atop the chart. The album was met with mixed to negative reviews from music critics and is generally considered his worst album. In 2018, an extended edition of "Nowhere Fast" with Kehlani and a remix of "Chloraseptic" featuring 2 Chainz and Phresher were released from Revival.

On August 31, 2018, Eminem released his tenth studio album and first surprise album Kamikaze, making it his second full-length studio album in eight months. The album topped the Billboard 200, making it his ninth album in a row to do so, after selling 434,000 units in the first week. The album was released as a response to criticism of Revival, his worst rated album. The album was promoted with three singles: "Fall", "Venom" from the 2018 film of the same name, and "Lucky You". During the October 15, 2018, episode of the late-night television show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Eminem performed the song "Venom" at the 103rd floor of the Empire State Building in New York City as a promotion of the album.

On December 1, Eminem released an 11 minute freestyle to his YouTube channel titled 'Kick off'. Eminem collaborated with several artists throughout early 2019, including Boogie, Logic, Ed Sheeran, 50 Cent and Conway the Machine. On February 23, 2019, to celebrate its 20th anniversary, Eminem released a re-issue of The Slim Shady LP, including acapellas, instrumentals and radio edited versions of tracks from the album.

2020-2023: Music to Be Murdered By and Curtain Call 2

On January 17, 2020, Eminem released another surprise album Music to Be Murdered By. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 279,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. Subsequently, Eminem became the first artist to have ten consecutive albums debut at number one in the U.S. and one of six artists to have released at least ten U.S. number-one albums. Music critics praised Eminem's lyrical abilities and the improved production after Kamikaze, while criticism directed towards the album's formulaic song structure, lack of innovation and shock value.

The lyrics of "Unaccommodating", in which Eminem referenced the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, drew significant criticism, with many critics finding the lyrics objectionable. The mayor of Manchester denounced the song's lyrics, describing them as "unnecessarily hurtful and deeply disrespectful". The lyrics also drew widespread criticism from victims' relatives and others involved in the attack. On February 9, 2020, Mathers performed "Lose Yourself" at the 92nd Academy Awards. On March 9, 2020, the music video for the song "Godzilla" was released on YouTube through Lyrical Lemonade's channel. As of October 8, 2022, the music video has over 691.7 million views. On March 11, 2020, Music to Be Murdered By was certified Gold. On July 9, 2020, Kid Cudi's daughter Vada announced via social media that he was releasing a song with Eminem called "The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady" the coming Friday.

A deluxe edition of the album, titled Music to Be Murdered By - Side B, was released on December 18, 2020. Similar to Eminem's previous two albums, it was released without any prior announcement, containing a bonus disc with sixteen new tracks. The album's release was accompanied by a music video for "Gnat", directed by Cole Bennett. Lyric videos for "Alfred's Theme" and "Tone Deaf" were also released, in the latter song Mathers pays tribute to the late Chicago rapper King Von. Music to Be Murdered By - Side B debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 3, with 70,000-80,000 album-equivalent units, including 25,000-30,000 in pure album sales. In the track "Zeus", he apologizes to Rihanna over a leaked song from his Relapse studio sessions in which he sided with Chris Brown, who pleaded guilty to felony assault involving her in 2009.

Eminem featured in a song with Polo G and Mozzy called "Last One Standing" by Skylar Grey for the soundtrack of the film Venom: Let There Be Carnage, released on September 30, 2021. He performed alongside LL Cool J at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony on October 30. On February 13, 2022, Eminem performed at the Super Bowl LVI halftime show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige. Eminem and CeeLo Green collaborated on a new track titled "The King and I", produced by Dr. Dre for Baz Luhrmann's Elvis movie soundtrack. On June 24, 2022, Eminem and Snoop Dogg released a song entitled "From the D to the LBC" and reconciled. Eminem announced his second greatest hits album on July 11, 2022, entitled Curtain Call 2, which is a sequel to his first compilation Curtain Call: The Hits. The album covers his albums from Relapse to Music to be Murdered By, as well as collaborations and songs from movie soundtracks. It was released on August 5, 2022, and also includes "The King and I", "From the D 2 the LBC", and an additional new track named "Is This Love ('09)" featuring 50 Cent. Eminem was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. He was presented by Dr. Dre.

In July 2023, Eminem's Shady Records signed Ez Mil in a direct joint deal with Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. On August 4, 2023, Ez Mil released the song "Realest", featuring Eminem. In the song, Eminem responded to Melle Mel, who had claimed that Eminem is considered a top-five rapper of all time only because he is white. On November 3, Eminem released The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (Expanded Edition), marking the 10th anniversary of its original release. The album includes all the original tracks, plus "Don't Front", featuring Buckshot, which was a bonus track for anyone who ordered the Call of Duty: Ghosts and the album bundle. It was also a bonus track on the Best Buy version of the Shady XV compilation album. The expanded edition of MMLP2 also includes instrumentals of all the singles of the albums: "Survival", "Berzerk", "The Monster" (featuring Rihanna), "Rap God", and "Headlights".

2024-present: The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) and collaborations

During an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on March 19, 2024, Dr. Dre stated that Eminem intended to release a new album that year. On April 25, Eminem appeared alongside Roger Goodell at the opening ceremony of the 2024 NFL draft in Detroit. At the same time, Eminem announced a twelfth studio album titled The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), with a planned release later in the year. The trailer for the album, which was shown on the NFL Network, briefly discusses the "murder" of the Slim Shady persona in a true crime format. The album is produced by Dr. Dre and The ICU. The lead single, Houdini", was released on May 31, 2024. It topped the charts in many countries, as well as debuting at number 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and number 2 on the Hot 100.

On June 28, 2024, Eminem posted a teaser for the album's second single, titled "Tobey" and featuring fellow Detroit rappers Big Sean and BabyTron. It was released on July 2, with an accompanying music video produced by Cole Bennett to follow on July 5. The concept album was eventually released on July 12, 2024, through Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records. It was met with mixed reviews from critics, with praise directed towards Eminem's rapping techniques while panning the problematic lyrical content. On August 31, 2024, rapper LL Cool J released the single "Murdergram Deux", featuring Eminem, marking the pair's first ever collaboration. Eminem also featured on the track "Gunz N Smoke" from Snoop Dogg's album, Missionary, released in December 2024, alongside 50 Cent.

Artistry

Influences, style and rapping technique

Eminem has cited several MCs as influencing his rapping style, including Esham, Kool G Rap,^:?88? Masta Ace, Big Daddy Kane,^:?88? Tupac Shakur, Newcleus, Ice-T, Mantronix, Melle Mel (on "The Message"), LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Run-D.M.C., Rakim, and Boogie Down Productions. At the 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Eminem named more than 100 artists from hip-hop's golden age?from rap's early days through to the mid-1990s?who contributed, in ways big and small, to the artist he would become.

In How to Rap, Guerilla Black notes that Eminem studied other MCs to hone his rapping technique: "Eminem listened to everything and that's what made him one of the greats".^:?x? In the book, other MCs also praise aspects of his rapping technique: varied, humorous subject matter,^:?5,?38? connecting with his audience,^:?7? carrying a concept over a series of albums,^:?34? complex rhyme schemes,^:?66,?107? bending words so they rhyme,^:?85? multisyllabic rhymes,^:?88? many rhymes to a bar,^:?106? complex rhythms,^:?120,?129? clear enunciation,^:?244? and the use of melody^:?253? and syncopation.^:?257? Eminem is known to write most of his lyrics on paper (documented in The Way I Am), taking several days or a week to craft lyrics,^:?160? being a "workaholic"^:?212? and "stacking" vocals.^:?282? Examples of hip-hop subgenres that Eminem's music has been described as include horrorcore,^:?52?:?80? comedy hip-hop, and hardcore hip-hop. Eminem also incorporates rap rock into his music and has cited rock acts during the 1970s and 1980s, such as Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, as influences in his music.

Productions

Eminem was the executive producer of D12's first two albums (Devil's Night and D12 World), Obie Trice's Cheers and Second Round's on Me and 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' and The Massacre. Most of The Eminem Show was produced by Eminem and his longtime collaborator, Jeff Bass, and Eminem co-produced Encore with Dr. Dre. In 2004, Eminem was co-executive producer of 2Pac's posthumous album Loyal to the Game with Shakur's mother, Afeni.

Eminem is considered unusual in structuring his songs around the lyrics, rather than writing to beats. One exception was "Stan", which came from an idea and scratch track produced by the 45 King. After doing little production on Relapse and Recovery, Eminem produced a significant portion of The Marshall Mathers LP 2. He said about producing his own music, "Sometimes, I may get something in my head, like an idea or the mood of something that I would want, and I'm not always gonna get that by going through different tracks that other people have made. They don't know what's in my head. I think maybe it helps, a little bit, with diversity, the sound of it, but also, I would get something in my head and want to be able to lay down that idea from scratch." In 1998 when his beef with rapper Cage was still happening, New York rapper Necro (who had previously produced three songs for Cage) met Eminem and gave him a CD with the beat to what eventually became the beat for the song "Black Helicopters" by rap group Non-Phixion. Despite Eminem never using it, Necro still said positive things about Eminem and would appear on Shade45 years later.

Public image

In 2002, the BBC said that the perception of Eminem as a "modern-day William Shakespeare" was comparable to the reception of American singer Bob Dylan: "Not since Bob Dylan's heyday in the mid-1960s has an artist's output been subjected to such intense academic scrutiny as an exercise in contemporary soul-searching. U.S. critics point to [Eminem's] vivid portraits of disenfranchised lives?using the stark, direct language of the street?as an accurate reflection of social injustice." In addition, the BBC highlighted that, "Where parents once recoiled in horror [to his music], there now seems a greater willingness to acknowledge a music that is striking such a chord among the American young, angry white underclass."

Eminem uses alter egos in his songs for different rapping styles and subject matter, including Slim Shady and Ken Kaniff, among others. Throughout his career, he has had highly publicized lyrical feuds with many recording artists.

Some of Eminem's lyrics have been criticized for being homophobic, and an Australian politician attempted to ban him from the country. Eminem denies the charge, saying that when he was growing up words such as "faggot" and "queer" were used generally in a derogatory manner and not specifically toward homosexuals. Eminem is a friend of openly gay singer Elton John, and publicly supports gay rights.

Legacy

Credited for popularizing hip-hop to a Middle American audience, Eminem's unprecedented global commercial success and acclaimed works for a white rapper is widely recognized for breaking racial barriers for the acceptance of white rappers in popular music. Rising from rags to riches, Eminem's anger-fueled music represented widespread angst and the reality of American underclass.

Stephen Hill, the then vice president of African American-themed television network BET (Black Entertainment Television), said in 2002:

Eminem gets a pass in the same vein that back during segregation black folks had to be better than average, had to be the best, to be accepted ... he is better than the best. In his own way, he is the best lyricist, alliterator and enunciator out there in hip-hop music. In terms of rapping about the pain that other disenfranchised people feel, there is no one better at their game than Eminem.

Writing for Spin in 2002, rock critic Alan Light compared Eminem to the Beatles' John Lennon:

Eminem is even starting to bear a resemblance to one of those rock icons ... Marshall Mathers is becoming something like this generation's John Lennon ... Lennon and Eminem were both subjects of pickets and protests; they both wrote songs about troubled relationships with their mothers; they both wrote about their strange public lives with their wives; they both wrote about how much they loved their kids. Lennon, of course, was able to find ways to use his voice to advocate for peace rather than just blasting away at litigious family members and various pop stars, but still, few other pop musicians since Lennon have found a way to render their private psychodramas into compelling art as effectively as Eminem.

Regarding his rehearsal with Eminem for the "Stan" duet at the 2001 Grammy Awards, English singer Elton John said, "?[When] Eminem made his entrance, I got goose bumps, the likes of which I have not felt since I first saw Jimi Hendrix, Mick Jagger, James Brown and Aretha Franklin. Eminem was that good. I just thought, 'Fuck, this man is amazing'. There are very few performers who can grab you like that the first time?only the greats." John further praised Eminem, saying, "Eminem is a true poet of his time, someone we'll be talking about for decades to come. He tells stories in such a powerful and distinctive way. As a lyricist, he's one of the best ever. Eminem does for his audience what [Bob] Dylan did for his: He writes how he feels. His anger, vulnerability and humor come out." Bob Dylan praised Eminem in a 2022 interview with The Wall Street Journal.

Eminem has been credited with boosting the careers of hip-hop proteges such as 50 Cent, Yelawolf, Stat Quo, Royce da 5'9", Cashis, Obie Trice, Bobby Creekwater, Boogie and hip-hop groups such as D12 and Slaughterhouse. A number of artists have cited Eminem as an influence, including;

Other ventures

Shady Records

Following Eminem's multiplatinum record sales Interscope offered him his own label; he and Paul Rosenberg founded Shady Records in late 1999. Eminem signed his Detroit collective, D12 and rapper Obie Trice to the label and signed 50 Cent in a 2002 joint venture with Dr. Dre's Aftermath label. In 2003, Eminem and Dr. Dre added Atlanta rapper Stat Quo to the Shady-Aftermath roster. DJ Green Lantern, Eminem's former DJ, was with Shady Records until a dispute related to the 50 Cent-Jadakiss feud forced him to leave the label. The Alchemist is currently Eminem's tour DJ. In 2005 Eminem signed another Atlanta rapper, Bobby Creekwater and West Coast rapper Cashis to Shady Records.

On December 5, 2006, the compilation album Eminem Presents: The Re-Up was released on Shady Records. The project began as a mixtape, but when Eminem found the material better than expected he released it as an album. The Re-Up was intended to introduce Stat Quo, Cashis and Bobby Creekwater. While he was recording Infinite, Eminem, Proof and Kon Artis assembled a group of fellow rappers now known as D12, short for "Detroit Twelve" or "Dirty Dozen", who performed in a style similar to Wu-Tang Clan.^:?19? In 2001 D12's debut album, Devil's Night, was released. After their debut, D12 took a three-year break from the studio. They reunited in 2004 for their second album, D12 World, which included the hit singles "My Band" and "How Come" According to D12 member Bizarre, Eminem was not featured on his album Blue Cheese & Coney Island because "he's busy doing his thing".

Shade 45

Eminem established his own satellite radio channel, Shade 45, that plays uncut hip-hop. Eminem also established a new morning show, Sway in the Morning with Sway Calloway, a lively morning show that airs at 8:00 a.m., Monday-Friday.

Eminem promoted the station in a 2004 mock national convention (the "Shady National Convention") at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City, in which Donald Trump endorsed him. On his album Revival (2017), Eminem expressed his regret at having collaborated with Trump, rapping, "wish I would have spit on it before I went to shake his hand at the event".

Mom's Spaghetti restaurant

On September 29, 2021, Eminem and Union Joints opened a spaghetti restaurant at 2131 Woodward Ave in Detroit. It is a reference to the lyrics "His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy / There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti" from the song "Lose Yourself" which became an internet meme. Mom's Spaghetti was previously a pop-up in Detroit in 2017 and at Coachella in 2018. In 2023, Eminem announced the launch of a "Mom's Spaghetti" jarred pasta sauce.

Acting career

After small roles in the 2001 film The Wash and as an extra in the 1998 Korn music video for "Got the Life" (during which he gave the band a demo tape), Eminem made his Hollywood debut in the semi-autobiographical 2002 film 8 Mile. He said it was a representation of growing up in Detroit rather than an account of his life. He recorded several new songs for the soundtrack, including "Lose Yourself" (which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2003 and became the longest-running No. 1 hip-hop single in history). Eminem was absent from the ceremony and co-composer Luis Resto accepted the award.

Eminem voiced an aging, corrupt, AAVE-speaking police officer in the video game 50 Cent: Bulletproof and guested on the Comedy Central television show Crank Yankers and a Web cartoon, The Slim Shady Show. He was signed to star in an unmade film version of Have Gun - Will Travel, and was considered for the role of David Rice in the 2008 film Jumper. Eminem had a cameo appearance in the 2009 film Funny People. In a 2010 interview with Jonathan Ross, he stated "You know, I love music so much. This is my passion, this is what I want to do. Not saying that I won't do a movie ever again, but this is me."

He played himself in the Entourage season-seven finale "Lose Yourself". Although Eminem was offered the lead role in the 2013 science-fiction film Elysium, he turned it down because director Neill Blomkamp would not change its location from Los Angeles to Detroit. Eminem had a cameo appearance as himself in the 2014 film The Interview.

Charity work

Eminem established the Marshall Mathers Foundation to aid disadvantaged youth. The foundation works in conjunction with a charity founded by Norman Yatooma, a Detroit attorney. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Eminem donated a pair of Air Jordan 4 Retro Eminem Carhartt shoes, which are rare, to be raffled off with proceeds going to COVID-19 relief. That same year, he donated spaghetti meals, to healthcare workers at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, referencing the line "mom's spaghetti" from his song "Lose Yourself".

Advertising

Eminem appeared in two commercials which were shown during Super Bowl XLV. In the first, a one-minute spot for Lipton's Brisk iced tea, he is a claymation figure. In the second, a two-minute ad?the longest in Super Bowl history at the time?for the Chrysler 200, Eminem drives through Detroit (with "Lose Yourself" as the soundtrack) to his show at the Fox Theatre.

Books and memoirs

On November 21, 2000, Eminem published Angry Blonde, a non-fiction book featuring a commentary of several of his own songs, along with several previously unpublished photographs.

On October 21, 2008, his autobiography The Way I Am was published by Dutton Adult. The book is illustrated with never before published photos of Eminem's life. The autobiography is named after his 2000 song "The Way I Am". An autobiography of Eminem's mother, My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem, was published the following month.

Personal life

Family and relationships

Eminem was married twice to Kimberly Anne Scott, whom he met in high school. Scott and her twin sister had run away from home; they moved in with Eminem and his mother when he was 15 and he began an on-and-off relationship with Scott on January 14, 1991. Their daughter Hailie Jade, who is Mathers's only biological child, was born on December 25, 1995. Eminem legally adopted and was given custody of his former sister-in-law's daughter Alaina Marie, as well as Scott's child from an affair, Stevie Laine. He also raised his younger half-brother Nathan.

Mathers and Scott were married on June 14, 1999, and divorced on October 5, 2001. He and actress Brittany Murphy (who co-starred with him in 8 Mile) dated in the 2000s. In 2002, Eminem discussed being in a relationship with singer Mariah Carey, though she later denied they dated. He and Scott briefly remarried on January 14, 2006. He filed for divorce almost three months later on April 5, agreeing to joint custody of Hailie, with the divorce being finalized on December 19, 2006. In early 2010, Eminem denied tabloid reports that he and Scott had renewed their romantic relationship, though his representative confirmed they were still friendly with each other. Their daughter, Hailie Jade, is an influencer, specifically for fashion and beauty.

In his 2013 song "Headlights", Eminem reiterated his love for his mother and apologized to her for some of the lyrics from his songs, with the song "Cleanin' Out My Closet" being mentioned. His mother publicly paid tribute to him when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November 2022. She died due to complications from lung cancer in December 2024.

Health problems

Eminem has spoken publicly about his addiction to prescription drugs, including Vicodin, Ambien, and Valium. According to friend and fellow D12 member Proof, Eminem, who previously hinted in his 1999 single "My Name Is" that he avoided the use of drugs after experiencing his mother's history of drug abuse, first developed a drug addiction in 2002. During the production of 8 Mile, Eminem, working 16 hours a day, developed insomnia. An associate gave him an Ambien tablet which "knocked [him] out", encouraging him to obtain a prescription. This was Eminem's first experience of drug addiction, which would affect him for several years. Near the end of production on Encore, he would "just go into the studio and goof off [with] a pocketful of pills". Eminem began taking the drugs to "feel normal", taking a "ridiculous amount ... I could consume anywhere from 40 to 60 Valium [in a day]. Vicodin, maybe 30." The drugs would put him to sleep for no more than two hours, after which he would take more. Eminem's weight increased to 230 pounds (100 kg) and he was regularly eating fast food: "The kids behind the counter knew me?it wouldn't even faze them. Or I'd sit up at Denny's or Big Boy and just eat by myself. It was sad." Eminem became less recognizable due to his weight gain and once overheard two teenagers arguing about whether or not it was him: "Eminem ain't fat."

In December 2007, Eminem was hospitalized after an accidental methadone overdose. He had obtained the pills from a dealer who told him they were "just like Vicodin, and easier on [your] liver". Eminem used the pills until, one night, he collapsed in his bathroom and was rushed to the hospital. According to Eminem, doctors told him he had ingested the equivalent of "four bags of heroin" and was "about two hours from dying" if he had not received treatment. After missing Christmas with his children, Hailie, Alaina and Stevie, Eminem checked himself out of the facility, weak and not fully detoxed. He tore the meniscus in his knee after falling asleep on his sofa, requiring surgery; after he returned home, he had a seizure. His drug use "ramped right back to where it was before" within a month. Eminem began to attend church meetings to get clean, but after he was asked for autographs he sought help from a rehabilitation counselor. He began an exercise program that emphasized running. Elton John was a mentor during this period, calling Eminem once a week to check on him. Eminem has been sober since April 20, 2008.

Threats

In April 2020, Matthew David Hughes, a 26-year-old man, broke into Eminem's house in Clinton Township, Macomb County, Michigan, breaking a kitchen window with a brick paver. Eminem woke up with Hughes standing behind him and Hughes said that he was there to kill Eminem. Hughes was charged with multiple offences; his defense attorney opined that he seemed to be suffering from "mental issues". In a plea agreement in 2021, Hughes pleaded guilty to second-degree home invasion in exchange for dismissal of other charges; he was sentenced to probation and time served (524 days in the county jail). In 2019, Hughes had pleaded guilty to breaking into a Rochester Hills home in search of Eminem. On August 30, 2023, it was revealed that the]]> Tue, 03 Jun 2025 19:12:00 +0000 https://in-da-streets-radio.radioweb.co/artists/doechii-32 https://in-da-streets-radio.radioweb.co/artists/doechii-32

Jaylah Ji'mya Hickmon (born August 14, 1998), known professionally as Doechii (), is an American rapper and singer. She first gained attention on TikTok, leading her to sign with Top Dawg Entertainment and Capitol Records in 2022. Her 2023 single "What It Is (Block Boy)", which features Kodak Black, became her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). That same year, she made her acting debut with the drama film Earth Mama.

Doechii's second mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal (2024), peaked inside the top 10 of the Billboard 200 and was met with critical acclaim. It won Best Rap Album at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, making her the third female artist to win in the category. It spawned the singles "Nissan Altima", "Boom Bap", and "Denial Is a River". Its bonus single, "Anxiety", became her first song to debut in the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the first to peak in the top 10. She was additionally featured on the remix of the Weeknd and Playboi Carti's "Timeless" in May 2025.

Doechii has guest appeared on several tracks including Tyler, the Creator's "Balloon" (2024) and Jennie's "ExtraL" (2025). Her accolades include a Grammy Award and nominations for two MTV Video Music Awards, a BET Award, and two Soul Train Music Awards. Additionally, Billboard Women in Music named her a Rising Star in 2023 and Woman of the Year in 2025.

Early life

Jaylah Ji'mya Hickmon was born on August 14, 1998, in Tampa, Florida, where she was raised. She is the daughter of mother Celesia Moore and father Snatcha Da Boss, a rapper who recorded professionally. Her uncle was also a rapper. She has younger twin sisters. She has described her upbringing as Christian. Doechii attended Howard W. Blake High School and grew up performing ballet, tap dancing, acting, cheerleading, doing gymnastics, and playing soccer. She planned to become a professional choral singer until a friend encouraged her to produce and release her music online as an independent artist. In 2016, she sold hoodies with the phrase "Stay woke. Stay black." in protest of police brutality.

Career

Doechii started writing poetry and rap lyrics in high school and had started making music by 2014. Doechii released her debut song "Girls" on SoundCloud in 2016 under the name Iamdoechii.

One of Doechii's first projects, Coven Music Session, Vol. 1, was released in 2019, and her debut EP, Oh the Places You'll Go, was self-funded and released in 2020. It was described by Rolling Stone as a mix of pop, dance, and hip hop. "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake", a single from the EP released in September 2020, was inspired by her reading The Artist's Way and went viral on TikTok in 2021, earning her attention from record labels. Also in 2021, she released her second EP, Bra-Less; she was featured on Isaiah Rashad's song "Wat U Sed" from his album, The House Is Burning, which she performed with Rashad at the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards; and was an opening act during SZA's 2021 tour.

In March 2022, Doechii was signed to Capitol Records by Chris Turner and to Top Dawg Entertainment, making her the first female rapper on the latter label. That same month, she released "Persuasive", her first single published through Top Dawg, and appeared as a featured artist on David Guetta and Afrojack's song "Trampoline", alongside Missy Elliott and Bia. In April 2022, she released the song "Crazy" with a music video. Her second EP and her first major label release, She / Her / Black Bitch, was released on August 5, 2022. Her July 2022 performance of her song "Persuasive" was nominated for Push Performance of the Year at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.

In April 2023, Doechii performed at Coachella. Also in 2023, she made her acting debut in Earth Mama, a drama film directed by Savanah Leaf. In the same year, she performed as an opening act on Doja Cat's The Scarlet Tour (2023).

In August 2024, she released her second mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, to critical acclaim. Pitchfork called it "her most ambitious and musically diverse release" filled with "playful and melodic sides without skimping on hard-hitting hip-hop". The mixtape won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, making her the third woman to win in the category. Shortly after the event finished airing, she released the song "Nosebleeds" as a celebration of her win. Throughout 2024, Doechii featured on multiple songs: Katy Perry's "I'm His, He's Mine" (from her album 143), Tyler, the Creator's "Balloon" (from his album Chromakopia), and Banks's "I Hate Your Ex-Girlfriend" (from her 2025 album Off with Her Head). Variety named her the 2024 Hitmakers Hip-Hop Disruptor of the Year.

Doechii appeared as a guest judge on a January 2025 episode of RuPaul's Drag Race season 17, with her song "Alter Ego" featured in a lip-sync competition. The song's exposure in the episode resulted in significant chart increases across music streaming platforms. In February 2025, Doechii appeared as a feature on Jennie's song, "ExtraL". Doechii was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Rap Performance, and won Best Rap Album for the 2025 Grammy Awards. She also received several nominations for the 2025 NAACP Image Awards, including Outstanding New Artist, Outstanding Female Artist, Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album, and Outstanding Album. In 2025, Doechii became the second female rapper to receive the Billboard Woman of the Year award, following Cardi B in 2020. In March of the same year, she officially released the single "Anxiety" to digital streaming platforms, which prominently samples Gotye and Kimbra's 2011 single "Somebody That I Used to Know" and was originally a part of her 2019 self-released mixtape, Coven Music Session, Vol. 1. It had first been sampled by Sleepy Hallow for his eponymous 2023 song before Doechii's original version became popular on TikTok. In May of that year, Doechii was featured on the remix of Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd and fellow rapper Playboi Carti's 2024 song "Timeless".

Musical style

Rolling Stone's Mankaprr Conteh described Doechii's rap delivery as "animated" and her song narratives as "quirky". Her music has been compared by critics to that of Nicki Minaj, Doja Cat, and Missy Elliott. Doechii has described her style of music as alternative hip hop, and credits Busta Rhymes for inspiring her expressive performance approach, stating, "There's so many different emotions that I feel like you don't have to emote in one way. Hip-hop gives you so much room to be animated. I'm a theater kid as well, so I like to create characters".

Doechii has cited Lauryn Hill as her biggest inspiration and referred to her as a hero, stating that she grew up listening to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and Hill's 2002 song "I Gotta Find Peace of Mind". Reflecting on Hill's influence, she said, "Listening to her all the time as my influence?I feel like it built this [understanding] that I have about resonating and being vulnerable in my music even though it can still bop. It can still rock". Her early viral track "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake" has drawn comparisons to the interludes on The Miseducation for its classroom-style introduction, in which a teacher figure prompts Doechii to introduce herself.

She has also named Nicki Minaj as a key influence, particularly on her rapping style, stating, "I always adored her and thought she was really incredible". In addition to Minaj, she has cited Kanye West, Tyler, the Creator, Kendrick Lamar, and SZA as her major musical influences, and expressed admiration for artists including Trick Daddy, Grace Jones, Paramore, Madonna, KRS-One, and MF Doom.

Personal life

Doechii currently resides in Los Angeles, having lived in New York City before the COVID-19 pandemic, during which she published YouTube vlogs about her daily life. Doechii is bisexual. She disclosed in a 2024 interview with Joe Budden that she had recently become sober following years of heavy drinking.

Discography

Mixtapes

• Coven Music Session, Vol. 1 (2019)
• Alligator Bites Never Heal (2024)

Tours

Headlining

• Alligator Bites Never Heal Tour (2024)

Supporting

• Doja Cat - The Scarlet Tour (2023)

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• Official website

Gloria Hallelujah Woods (born July 28, 1999), known professionally as GloRilla, is an American rapper and songwriter. Hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, she first became known for her 2022 single "F.N.F. (Let's Go)" (with Hitkidd), which peaked within the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for Best Rap Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. Its success led her to sign with fellow Memphis rapper Yo Gotti's record label, Collective Music Group, in July of that year.

Her follow-up single, "Tomorrow", spawned a remixed sequel (with Cardi B) that became her first top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Both songs, along with the gold-certified single "Blessed", preceded the release of her debut extended play (EP), Anyways, Life's Great in November, which entered the Billboard 200 at number 11. She won Best New Hip-Hop Artist at the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards, and won in a similar category at the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards.

Her 2024 singles, "Yeah Glo!" and "Wanna Be" (with Megan Thee Stallion), both peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded her debut commercial mixtape, Ehhthang Ehhthang (2024), which peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200. Her third top 40-single of that year, "TGIF", preceded her debut studio album Glorious (2024), which peaked at number five.

Early life

Woods was born on July 28, 1999, in Memphis, Tennessee. She was homeschooled until fifth grade, and later attended Melrose High School in Memphis, TN. She started rapping when she was 16.

Growing up she was a part of her church's choir, as a result, Woods initially wanted to be a singer, but after losing her voice, she decided to switch to rap. She is the eighth out of 10 children. Woods and Cardi B are cousins. Additionally, Woods has stated she is also related to Lil Uzi Vert.

Career

Woods released her mixtape Most Likely Up Next in 2019 and her EP P Status in 2020.

In April 2022, Woods found increased fame and popularity with the release of "F.N.F. (Let's Go)" with producer Hitkidd. The song went viral and led to a #FNFChallenge on TikTok. A remix of the song featuring Latto and JT was released in September, with the announcement that a remix with Saweetie would follow. The song led her to be nominated for two awards at the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards, where she also performed in October.

In June 2022, Woods and Duke Deuce released the song "Just Say That." In July, she signed with fellow Memphis rapper Yo Gotti's record label Collective Music Group. She was featured on the compilation album Gangsta Art. In September, she released the song "Tomorrow 2" featuring Cardi B. In November, she dropped her EP Anyways, Life's Great. She was featured along with rapper Gangsta Boo on the Latto single "FTCU".

In January 2023, she and labelmate Moneybagg Yo collaborated on the single "On Wat U On". In February, a stampede at a concert at the Main Street Armory in Rochester, New York resulted in 3 deaths and 7 people injured. The stampede started after audience members thought they heard gunshots while people were leaving the venue. In June, she was selected as 2023 XXL Freshmen Class. In April 2024, GloRilla was arrested in Georgia on DUI charges.

In 2024, GloRilla released the top-40 songs "Yeah Glo!" and "Wanna Be" (with Megan Thee Stallion) as singles from her debut commercial mixtape, Ehhthang Ehhthang, which was released on April 5. She released her debut studio album Glorious on October 13. It peaked at number five on the Billboard 200, and had highest first-week sales of any album released by a female rapper in 2024. Its singles?"TGIF", "Hollon", and "Whatchu Kno About Me"? all charted in the top 50 in the US. She was also featured on "Sticky" by Tyler, the Creator, a song from the album Chromakopia which was released on October 28.

Legal disputes

In November 2024, rapper Plies sued Glorilla, Megan Thee Stallion, and Soulja Boy over his song "Me & My Goons" for sampling it while the track was still infringed on Soulja's "Pretty Boy Swag."

Artistry

Woods describes her music as "crunk and dominant". She is known for her "deep and textured drawl". Woods was inspired by Chief Keef.

Personal life

In September 2022, Woods donated $25,000 to her high school, Martin Luther King College Prep, in Memphis, Tennessee. In December 2024, Woods donated $25,000 to her alma mater, Melrose High School in Memphis, which went to the creation of a media center named after her.

In October 2024, Woods endorsed the presidential campaign of Kamala Harris. On November 1, Woods performed at one of her rallies in Milwaukee.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Mixtapes

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Other charted songs

Other guest appearances

Filmography

Tours

Headlining

• The Glorious Tour (2025)

Opening act

• Lil Baby - It's Only Us Tour (2023)
• Megan Thee Stallion - Hot Girl Summer Tour (2024)

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

• Official website

Life and career

1.Jemille Edwards was born on June 3, 1999 and raised in Kensington, a neighborhood known chiefly for its open-air drug trade. His mother is Mexican and from Texas, while his father is African-American and from Philadelphia. The two met in college. He described his childhood as "the best time of [his] life" and has stated that he began selling drugs in his neighborhood at around age 12. He also played basketball for the Amateur Athletic Union and ran cross country in his youth, but stopped playing sports in order to focus on selling drugs. As a teenager, he aspired to become a fashion designer and was a member of the Young Chances Foundation program. In 2013, he was involved in organizing a protest for the program against the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin. He has stated that, while in high school, he spent two and a half years under house arrest following multiple heroin-related charges against him. Edwards also practices santería.

He was inspired by fellow Philadelphia rapper RecoHavoc, his childhood friend, to begin rapping. He soon recorded "Dog Food", his first song as Skrilla. He released his debut single, "Green Snake", in 2018. His mixtapes Kutthroat and Gemini Season were released in 2022 and 2023, respectively. He was signed to Priority Records in 2023 and released his first single with them, "Booted", later that year. His singles "GD", released in January 2024, and "Chrome Hearts", released in August of that year, followed. His album Underworld was released in early 2024 and its follow-up, Zombie Love Kensington Paradise, was released on November 1, 2024, with a deluxe version released on February 28, 2025. He also appeared on 03 Greedo's 2024 album Crip, I'm Sexy.

A snippet of Skrilla's song "Doot Doot" was uploaded to TikTok by an anonymous account in September 2024. It was partially popularized by Taylor "TK" Kinney, a basketball player for the RWE team of the Overtime Elite league who recited the song's lyric "six, seven" in many of his interviews over several months, and through TikTok videos referencing basketball player LaMelo Ball's height. By February 2025, it had been used in more than 126 thousand videos on TikTok. It was released as a single that month with a music video. Later that month, he posted on his Instagram account, inviting fans to the filming of a music video with livestreamer N3on in Kensington. It amassed a crowd of more than 200 people that was soon broken up by Philadelphia police officers. In late February, Kyle Pagan of Crossing Broad called Skrilla "the hottest rapper in the city of Philadelphia right now".

Musical style

Skrilla's music is largely drill mixed with detroit rap and he is considered a prominent figure among Philadelphia drill artists. His lyrics often discuss selling and consuming drugs, also referencing santería and his Mexican heritage. His music videos usually feature drug users from Kensington. A.D. Amorosi of Metro called his melodies "raging and rough-edged" with "something swift and soulful about them", while Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork described his flow as "woozy", "swerving", and "punctuat[ed] ...with unexpected pauses and purposeful stutters", and his beats as "eerie". For Passion of the Weiss, Harley Geffner defined Skrilla's rapping style as featuring "onomatopoeic" ad-libs and switching between "delicate" and "heavy" flows and "speed[ing]" and "slow[ing]" the pace of his rapping. He has stated that he makes all of his music while under the influence of drugs.

Discography

Studio albums

Mixtapes

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Guest appearances

References

[[Category:1999(births)

D'Angelo signed a publishing deal with EMI Music in 1991 after catching the attention of record executives with a demo tape. He penned the hit song "U Will Know" on the Jason's Lyric soundtrack. It was performed by Black Men United for the Jason's Lyric motion picture soundtrack. Shortly after, he was signed by Gary Harris and he began recording his debut album for EMI records.

Brown Sugar was released in June 1995. Though sales were sluggish at first, the album was eventually a hit, due in large part to "Lady," a Top Ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, peaking at #10. The album earned platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, following sales in excess of one million copies in the U.S., while its total sales have been estimated within the range of 1.5 million to over two million copies. The album helped give commercial visibility to the burgeoning neo soul movement of the 1990s, along with debut albums by Maxwell, Erykah Badu, and Lauryn Hill. The album was a critical success as well, and appeared on many critics' "best of" lists for the year.

Following his debut album's success, D'Angelo went into a four and a half year absence from the music scene and releasing solo work. His recordings for soundtracks included Belly ("Devil's Pie"), frequently singing covers like "Girl You Need a Change of Mind" (Eddie Kendricks, Get on the Bus), "She's Always in My Hair" (Prince, Scream 2) and "Heaven Must Be Like This" (The Ohio Players, Down in the Delta), as well as appearing on Lauryn Hill's landmark The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on the duet "Nothing Even Matters".

The much-delayed follow-up to Brown Sugar, Voodoo, was finally released in 2000. It debuted at #1 and went on to win two Grammy Awards, one for Best R&B Album, and the other for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. The lead single, 1999's "Left & Right" (featuring Method Man and Redman) did well, but it was the second single, "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" (a tribute to artist Prince), that became a huge R&B hit buoyed by an innovative yet infamous video featuring a nude D'Angelo from his face to his hips while singing the song. The video was nominated for 4 MTV Video Music Awards and currently ranks #44 in VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Videos. He also performed "Be Here" (with Raphael Saadiq) from Saadiq's album Instant Vintage.

After the release D'Angelo embarked on what would become one of the most fabled series of live soul shows in history, The Voodoo Tour. Consisting of a live group entitled The Soultronics (presumed to have been assembled by Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson of The Roots) which engulfed arena-size stages with various dancers and instrument players, it was one of the most attended shows of the year. The tour was taken all around the world, one of the most notable performances being the Free Jazz Festival in Brazil. The live show was a thinly-disguised homage to Prince's late 80's shows, in its grandeur and conceptual stage set-up & setlist. Slum Village (then in its original line-up of Jay Dee, Baatin & T3) opened for D'Angelo on several dates, and soul-tinged R&B singer Anthony Hamilton sang backup in the band.

In 2002, Q magazine named him in their list of the '50 Bands To See Before You Die' and in 2003 Voodoo was ranked at number 488 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Pitchfork Media rated it at #44 on their list of the best albums of the 2000s.

After Voodoo Tour D'Angelo disappeared from the spotlights for years. He returned to the stage in 2010 and released his long overdue third album, Black Messiah, in 2014. It was formally credited to D'Angelo and The Vanguard. D'Angelo was now a comeback veteran, but the album was - once again - released to overwhelming critical acclaim and heralded as his third studio masterpiece.

In 2019, D'Angelo was featured in Red Dead Redemption 2, performing the vocals on the track "Unshaken". Despite being completely different from the rest of the game's lyric-less, period-accurate tracks, Unshaken brings an eerie reality to the story.

On 14 October 2025 D'Angelo succumbed to pancreatic cancer, aged 51.

2. D'Angelo is also the name of a Brazilian jazz/samba group.