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Period: to
Independent Years
From 2003 to 2012, Kendrick Lamar can be considered as an independent artist. -
First Mixtape - Youngest Head Nigga in Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year)
Recorded as K-Dot. -
Signing with Top Dawg Entertainment
Lamar secure a recording contract with TDE, a newly founded local indie record label, based in Carson, California -
Second Mixtape - Training Day
Lamar released twenty-six track mixtape titled Training Day -
No Sleep 'Til NYC mixtape
Third mixtape, recorded with Jay Rock. -
C4
Last mixtape as K-Dot. -
Kendrick Lamar EP
First release as Kendrick Lamar (birthname) -
Overly Dedicated
Fourth mixtape. First charted release. (#72 - Billboard 200) -
Section.80
Debut studio album. As of January 2015 the album has sold 578,000 copies. -
Deal with Interscope Records and Aftermath Entertainment,
Top Dawg Entertainment closed a joint venture deal with Interscope Records and Aftermath Entertainment, marking the end of Lamar's career as an independent artist. -
Period: to
Interscope/Aftermath years
In March 2012, Top Dawg Entertainment closed a joint venture deal with Interscope Records and Aftermath Entertainment, marking the end of Lamar's career as an independent artist. -
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City
First major label album and second studio album. It was named the best album of 2012 by BBC, Complex, Fact, New York, and Pitchfork Media. The album was also ranked number two by Billboard, the Chicago Tribune, MTV, Spin, and Time, number four by Filter, Jon Pareles of The New York Times, and Ann Powers of NPR, number five by The Guardian, number six by Rolling Stone, and number eight by Entertainment Weekly. -
i
Non-album single. First Grammy awards for Lamar (Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song) -
To Pimp a Butterfly
Third studio album is scheduled to be released on March 23, 2015.
