logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2018
14m 8s

Kendrick Lamar

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Mark Coles profiles Pulitzer Prize winning rapper Kendrick Lamar, whose concepts and ideas are changing hip-hop culture.

Lamar won the award for his latest album Damn, which also collected five Grammy awards in January and is praised for lyrics which reveal the complexity of modern African-American life.

Growing up in the deprived city of Compton, California, Lamar credits his father with keeping him on the right path and providing the balance that some of his peers were missing. His album good kid, m.A.A.d city tells the stories of young black men trying to escape the negative influences surrounding them.

Lamar's lyrical journey explores violence, depression, religion and also the limits of fame and fortune, he's the rapper who says that helping the next generation find positivity and God is where it's at.

Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Arlene Gregorius and Diane Richardson Editor: Emma Rippon.

Up next
Nov 22
Marjorie Taylor Greene
<p>Marjorie Taylor Greene is a darling of MAGA. But this week a disagreement with Trump over the Epstein files has seen him brand her as a traitor. </p><p>Born in 1974 in the suburbs of Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene had a conventional upbringing. She graduated from the Universi ... Show More
15 m
Nov 15
David Hockney
<p>David Hockney is arguably Britain’s most loved living artist. He's known as a colourful character, not only because of his vibrant, colour rich paintings of Californian landscapes, glittering blue pools, and thick Yorkshire woodlands, but also his own carefully curated image f ... Show More
15m 5s
Nov 8
Afua Kyei
<p>Afua Kyei, Chief Financial Officer at the Bank of England, has been named Britain's most influential black person. </p><p>She grew up in South London, reading copious numbers of Enid Blyton books and listening to Boyzone, got 6 A levels and went to university a year early. Sh ... Show More
14m 50s
Recommended Episodes
May 2022
Presenting 'Pop Culture Happy Hour': Kendrick Lamar's 'Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers'
In this special episode from our friends at Pop Culture Happy Hour, host Stephen Thompson talks with critics Christina Lee and Marcus J. Moore about Kendrick Lamar's new double album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. It's been five years since Lamar released his previous album, DAMN ... Show More
22m 17s
May 2022
Kendrick Lamar's Mr. Morale And The Big Steppers
It's been five years since Kendrick Lamar released his last album, DAMN. Since then, he's won a Pulitzer Prize, been nominated for an Oscar, and become a parent. His new double-length album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, is anything but a breezy victory lap. Lamar examines gener ... Show More
22m 16s
Aug 2016
S1E1 – Compton, K Dot, and Kendrick Lamar
We begin our season-long examination of Kendrick Lamar‘s To Pimp a Butterfly with the history of Compton, California and Kendrick’s transformation from K Dot, a young mixtape rapper, to Kendrick Lamar, a true artist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adch ... Show More
22m 10s
May 2022
Kendrick Lamar and the big samples
It’s been five years since Kendrick Lamar released his Pulitzer winning album DAMN. Having established himself as a modern rap virtuoso whose songs have become anthems fueling social movements, expectations run high for his latest release. So when he dropped his new album Mr Mora ... Show More
30m 1s
May 2021
J. Cole
On this episode, KD and Eddie speak to Grammy award-winning, multi-platinum rapper, producer, singer, songwriter and rookie professional basketball player J. Cole. They discuss Cole's new album 'The Off Season,' returning to his rapping roots in punchlines and being relatable. Pl ... Show More
1h 32m
Oct 2019
S5E1 - Kendrick Lamar: DAMN.
Season 5 is dedicated entirely to Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer-Prize winning album DAMN. Today’s episode dives into Lamar’s upbringing in Compton and the developing spiritual beliefs encoded in his early discography. As we’ll come to find out, these beliefs become the basis of the u ... Show More
43m 58s
May 2024
BIG FACTS feat. MAINO
In a wide-ranging interview, Maino opens up about having his own day declared in his hometown of Brooklyn in recognition of his community efforts. He reflects on his evolution from the street life to becoming a successful rapper, including his past incarceration experiences that ... Show More
1h 24m
Jul 2018
Jay-Z
Rapper, songwriter, producer, entrepreneur and hip-hop mogul Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter charts his unlikely rise from the Brooklyn projects to superstardom, sharing what he's learned along the way. Since 1996, the 21-time Grammy winner has dominated an evolution in popular culture, wit ... Show More
31m 25s
Nov 2022
Rick Rubin, music producer
Rick Rubin is a multiple Grammy-winning record producer who has worked with a wide range of artists including Adele, the Beastie Boys and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He also reinvigorated the career of Johnny Cash in the 1990s, with a series of acclaimed stripped-back albums, intr ... Show More
36m 40s