Kendrick LamarSpeaker and Booking Agent Information

The latter was issued the same year he became part of Black Hippy -- beside fellow Top Dawg artists Ab-Soul Jay Rock and ScHoolboy Q -- a group whose members for the most part appeared on one another's mixtapes and albums.

Overly Dedicated was the first Kendrick Lamar mixtape and fared well enough to enter Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart that October.

His first official album Section.80 was released as a digital download the following year and entered the Billboard 200 at number 113.By that point in his career Lamar's reputation had been strengthened through guest appearances on dozens of tracks and he had the support of veteran West Coast stars as well. During a 2011 concert Dr.

Dre Snoop Dogg and Game dubbed him The New King of the West Coast a notion Dre endorsed more significantly by signing Lamar to the Aftermath label. Lamar's Good Kid M.A.A.D City was released in October 2012 and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200.

Three of its singles -- Swimming Pools (Drank) Poetic Justice and Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe -- reached the Top Ten of Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart with each one enjoying lengthy stays on playlists of urban U.S. radio stations. More significantly the album showcased Lamar as an exceptional storyteller capable of making compelling concept albums.

When the nominees for the 56th Annual Grammy Awards were announced Lamar was listed in seven categories including Best New Artist and Album of the Year. He won none of the awards.