Kendrick Lamar
In today’s blog post we will be looking at the Compton-born rapper, Kendrick Lamar. We will be reviewing his top five astounding ways to absolute success. These are principles that were handwritten by Lamar himself.
A photographer by the name of David Black was hired to take pictures for Kendrick Lamar’s album, Good Kid m.A.A.d City. As he was in the garage studio, where Lamar was recording his classic project, he noticed Lamar’s self-help principles of success attached to the wall.
These are his principles of success, principles which he realized as a student of the rap game. Kendrick Lamar’s age was then around 25 years old when he wrote these principles.
You can find the picture of those written principles here.
Here is a sneak peek at the topics we will be covering today:
1.Charisma/Personality/Swagger
2.Substance
3.Lyrics
4.Uniqueness
5.Work Ethics
Who is Kendrick Lamar?
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty, let me start by explaining who is Kendrick Lamar. His full name is Kendrick Lamar Duckworth. He is an American rapper and songwriter. He has achieved worldwide success ever since his second studio album, Good Kid, m.A.A.d City. According to a Wikipedia article, “The album debuted number two on the US Billboard 200, selling 242,000 copies in its first week.” Today, Kendrick Lamar’s net worth gives birth to a handsome $75million, after realizing two more albums since Good Kid, m.A.A.d City, mainly:
Kendrick Lamar to pimp a butterfly
To Pimp A Butterfly, receiving 11 Grammy nominations at the 2016 Grammy Awards.
DAMN, “receiving widespread critical acclaim and topped the US Billboard 200 with 603,000 copies sold in its the first week.” also according to a Wikipedia article.
Now that you just had a quick rap history lesson on him, let’s get to it.
1.CHARISMA/PERSONALITY/SWAGGER:
“Call it what you like, but without it, you are just a human reading off of a paper. Believe it or not, 50 being shot in his mouth area gave him more style and personality, from the straightforward aggressive style he had during his Columbia days. It instantly stood out when his attorney, played me his demo in the summer of ’02.”
As a rapper, you should find your charismatic style and personality within the music. A certain character that will give life to your words. It could be a certain way you manipulate your voice (which Kendrick is well known for) or it could just be the energy you bring.
2.SUBSTANCE:
“The ability to move people through words is a gift like nothing else. Add the right backdrop to that gift and you’ve got a winner. 50’s “Many Men” is a prime example of a street rapper taking audiences into the inner psyche of the stress that comes from living the life of a street cat.”
This is probably one of KungFu Kenny’s golden rules. You could identify it with his music. Lamar realizes the importance of having substance in his lyrics. The substance consists of:
Originality
Familiarity
Reliability
The main focus is to bring people into your world. Bring us into your psychology, social issues, norms, and environment. Your context makes people familiarize, resonate, and relate to your music.
Emphasize the feeling of walking down your community block and the scent of cigarette smoke in the air for example. Paint a vivid picture of the message you are trying to get across.
Kendrick Lamar Pulitzer Potrait
3.LYRICS:
“I believe MCs make great artists (Biggie, Eminem, Jay-Z, Big Pun). It’s just a matter of knowing the advantages and disadvantages of being a wordsmith, in a climate where dumbing down is widely embraced. When I got Em’s demo in ’97, he not only exhibited the qualities of a top-notch, battle-ridden wordsmith, he knew how to use them without boring the listener. He now uses that ability to make some of the greatest records (‘Lose Yourself’, ‘The Way I Am, ‘Stan’) ever recorded by an MC.”
Pure bars and lyricism are not that much appreciated today as they were in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Mainstream music is now not so focused on the use of poetic language. It’s all about the lifestyle and melodic musical part of it. Kendrick Lamar is known for his sharp lyrical ability, but he furthermore has major hit songs that topped the US Billboard Charts.
Rap is a form of poetry, so it is impossible to exclude the lyrical aspect of it, especially if you are a lyricist like Lamar.
Lamar explains that it is all about finding a balance between the music and lyrics, then figuring out how to use the two to your advantage. Yes, the bars and witty metaphors are a need, but never forget that rap is also a form of music. Make sure your chorus is catchy and unforgettable. Use songwriting techniques to pull your listeners in. Make the people want to sing along to your song.
4.UNIQUENESS:
“Whether it’s perspective or style, I look for something that’s going to stand out from the rest of the pack and eventually appeal on a coast-to-coast level. I found Bobby CreekWater, a Southern MC going toe to toe with an East Coast MC, without sacrificing his Southern swagger. It instantly showed me that he could appeal to two different factions of the hip-hop audience.”
Kendrick rule number four is self-explanatory. In an industry of rappers who set trends and innovative styles, never shy too far away from who you are. Create a sound that can be particular to you and you only. You may adopt certain traits of your favorite rapper, but make sure you find a way to be a yellow ant in a crowd of black ants.
5.WORK ETHICS:
” The current top 5 didn’t get there off mere talent. You match talent with drive and a rapper’s probability of being a long-term brand increased daily. Take away 50’s ability to make great songs and you still have one of the hardest working human beings I’ve ever encountered, from taking pictures with fans to show up places on time, his work ethic is a major part of why he’s one of the most successful artists ever.”
This rule does not apply to rap only. It applies to everything you wish to pursue in life. Hard work beats talent. You have to establish yourself as a professional in your field and always bring your A-game. This can only be achieved through:
Dedicating your time to the craft
Being punctual, professional, and showing up places on time.
Trusting the process.
So there you have it! These are Kendrick Lamar’s five astounding ways to achieve absolute success in the music business.
These rules are limited to rappers and musicians, therefore, I took a further step up and analyzed four more rules. These rules apply to anyone with a dream to achieve in any chosen field.
Having done my analysis, I came up with four rules that Kendrick lives by. These can be used by anyone.
Kendrick Lamar DAMN.
Four Bonus Rules Of Success From KungFu Kenny himself.
1.WORK HARD:
The one thing that Kendrick keeps repeating, is his principle of hard work. It’s the one and the only thing that will separate you from the mediocrity of whatever your dreams are. It’s either you show up or show out.
Mere talent gets lost in the wind if it is not accompanied by genuine hard work. Hard work harnesses the genius within us like second nature. That’s how the masters of history were even deemed as masters in the first place. Kendrick Lamar, who is now a legendary rap artist, is a product of hard work, not talent.
2.BE YOURSELF:
This is the same as his third handwritten principle( “Uniqueness”). In following the journey of success, being ourselves is the only aspect that ensures that we never lose ourselves.
Kendrick has achieved the success he has today because he is honest about himself and his environment.
You need to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and critique yourself. Kendrick is successful because no one can beat Kendrick at being himself.
3.BE PATIENT:
Before his success, Kendrick Lamar had nothing, but a passion for music. What did he do? He dedicated his time to the craft, stayed in the studio, and released his first full-length mixtape, Youngest Head Nigga In Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year). He then gained local recognition which signed him a record deal with Top Dawg Entertainment, a newly found independent studio at the time.
What did he do then? He continued working harder and then recording material with the label and released his second mixtape titled Training Day, which had him opening acts for West-Coast veteran The Game and receiving co-signs from Lil-Wayne. What happened after that? He still proceeded with the work and dropped two other mixtapes.
Lamar’s C4 and Overly Dedicated put him on the radar of Dr. Dre. This was the time when he was about to drop his debut studio album, Section 80.
What I’m trying to put out there is the importance of taking baby steps. Lamar was committed to his process. He took things in small steps at a time while staying true to himself and committing to the process. Learn patience, stay detached from the results, commit to the process, and love it.
4.EVOLVE:
Around the time when Lamar dropped his first four mixtapes, he was under the pseudonym, K.dot. His C4 mixtapes were filled with the typical lyrical wit and wordplay, but the problem was that he was getting comparisons to Lil Wayne.
Being classified as an upcoming Lil-Wayne, he wanted to be known for his unique artistry. He then decided to change his name to Kendrick Lamar. “I wanted the people to resonate and relate with me as a person,” says Lamar.
This is important to maintaining success. Evolving and adapting to your environment is true intelligence. Do not be shaken by temporary failure. It only means that you should step back and evolve your strategy. Maybe your approach to the whole situation was foul. Temporary failure is a chance to discover new challenges and to get better at most.
Evolve yourself constantly and you will be able to not only achieve success but to maintain It.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Please like and comment if you love this type of content, and I will release more of this type of content.
Last question: Who would you like the next post to be about?
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