Kendrick Lamar: Smashing Records, Sparking Controversy, and Shaping Culture

Kendrick Lamar BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.

Kendrick Lamar continues to dominate headlines as June draws to a close, cementing his place as hip-hop’s most influential and enigmatic figure. Just this week, Kendrick made music history once again when his chart-topping collaboration with SZA, “Luther,” shattered Spotify records and broke the one billion streams mark in just seven months, faster than his previous smash “Not Like Us.” According to HipHopDX, “Luther” spent an extraordinary thirteen consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and held the top spot on the Hip Hop chart for an unprecedented twenty-five weeks, further proof of Kendrick’s chart supremacy. The song’s runaway success adds another jewel to a year in which Kendrick swept the BET Awards in Los Angeles, claiming five trophies including Album of the Year and Best Hip Hop Artist, as well as video honors he shared with creative partner Dave Free.

On the academic front, theGrio and WHYY report that Temple University in Philadelphia is launching a course titled “Kendrick Lamar and the Morale of M.A.A.D. city” for the Fall 2025 semester, joining only a handful of icons such as Jay-Z and Beyoncé to receive such recognition. The course promises to explore Kendrick’s lyrics, cultural impact, and legacy, underscoring his stature as both a poetic and social force.

In the last forty-eight hours, music fans have been buzzing about an upcoming Clipse album, fueled by leaked snippets of the track “Whips & Chains” featuring Kendrick. Multiple outlets including iHeartRadio and AllHipHop detail how this collaboration sparked controversy at Def Jam, who reportedly pressured Clipse to censor Kendrick’s verse due to ongoing legal battles involving Drake. Rather than comply, Clipse paid a seven-figure sum to exit their Def Jam contract and instead struck a new distribution deal with Roc Nation. Kendrick’s verse from the leaked snippet, as reported by HipHopDX, calls out industry betrayals and reaffirms his status as the king of the West, stoking even more anticipation for the Clipse record set to drop July 11.

While Kendrick has largely maintained a low profile on social media, he remains the subject of constant digital conversation, with fans and celebrities alike sharing and reacting to his rare public appearances and unreleased music. There’s also persistent speculation about a new solo album, fanned by Lamar’s appearance at a J. Cole concert in LA and ongoing rumors of studio sessions with unnamed artists, as noted on the BioSnap Inside Scoop podcast. Though details on these sessions remain unconfirmed, the constant chatter highlights how every move Kendrick makes continues to fuel reverence, controversy, and excitement across music and pop culture.

On the business side, Kendrick’s creative collective pgLang is reportedly pursuing expanded forays into film and multimedia, hinting at his ambitions outside of music. And for fans eager to see him live, Kendrick and SZA’s Grand National Tour is in full swing, offering a chance to experience his latest album GNX and these history-making hits in stadiums across North America.

From record-breaking streams and academic honors to industry drama and whispers of new music, every development in the past week strengthens Kendrick Lamar’s place as this generation’s most consequential rapper—a career still unfolding, with the world watching every step.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Kendrick Lamar continues to dominate headlines as June draws to
a close, cementing his place as hip hop's most influential
and enigmatic figure. Just this week, Kendrick made music history
once again when his chart topping collaboration with Sizah Luther
shattered Spotify records and broke the one billion streams mark
in just seven months, faster than his previous smash Not

(00:22):
Like Us. According to Hip Hop DX, Luther spent an
extraordinary thirteen consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard
Hot one hundred and held the top spot on the
hip Hop chart for an unprecedented twenty five weeks, further
proof of Kendrick's chart supremacy. The song's runaway success adds
another jewel to a year in which Kendrick swept the

(00:44):
BET Awards in Los Angeles, claiming five trophies, including Album
of the Year and Best Hip Hop Artist, as well
as video honors he shared with creative partner Dave Free.
On the academic front, the Grio and WHYY reports that
Temple University in Philadelphia is launching a course titled Kendrick
Lamar and the Morale of MAA d'd City for the

(01:07):
fall twenty twenty five semester, joining only a handful of
icons such as Jay Z and Beyonce to receive such recognition.
The course promises to explore Kendrick's lyrics, cultural impact, and legacy,
underscoring his stature as both a poetic and social force.
In the last forty eight hours, music fans have been
buzzing about an upcoming Clips album, fueled by leaked snippets

(01:30):
of the track Whips and Chains, featuring Kendrick. Multiple outlets
including iHeartRadio and All hip Hop detail how this collaboration
sparked controversy at def Jam, who reportedly pressured Clips to
censor Kendrick's Verse due to ongoing legal battles involving Drake.
Rather than comply, Clips paid a seven figure sum to

(01:51):
exit their def Jam contract and instead struck a new
distribution deal with Rock Nation. Kendrick's Verse, from the leaked snippet,
as reported by Hip Hop, calls out industry betrayals and
reaffirms his status as the King of the West, stoking
even more anticipation for the Klipslip record, set to drop
July eleventh. While Kendrick has largely maintained a low profile

(02:14):
on social media, he remains the subject of constant digital conversation,
with fans and celebrities alike, sharing and reacting to his
rare public appearances and unreleased music. There's also persistent speculation
about a new solo album, fanned by Lamar's appearance at
a j Cole concert in LA and ongoing rumors of
studio sessions with unnamed artists, as noted on the Biosnap

(02:37):
Inside Scoop podcast. Though details on these sessions remain unconfirmed,
the constant chatter highlights how every move Kendrick makes continues
to fuel reverence, controversy, and excitement across music and pop culture.
On the business side, Kendrick's creative collective pg LANG is
reportedly pursuing expanded forays into film and multimedia, hinting at

(03:00):
his ambitions outside of music, and for fans eager to
see him live, Kendrick and Zay's Grand National Tour is
in full swing, offering a chance to experience his latest album,
GNX and these history making hits in stadiums across North America,
from record breaking streams and academic honors to industry drama
and whispers of new music. Every development in the past

(03:23):
week strengthens Kendrick Lamar's place as this generation's most consequential rapper,
a career still unfolding with the world watching every step.
And that is it for today. Make sure you hit
the subscribe button and never miss an update on Kendrick Lamar.
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(03:46):
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