Andreas Hale is a Recording Academy/GRAMMY.com contributor.
After releasing good kid, m.A.A.d City and To Pimp A Butterfly to critical acclaim and multiple GRAMMY nominations, Kendrick Lamar made it a point with his next album to create something markedly different from his previous two efforts. With GK:MC being about the challenges a young man faced growing up in Compton, Calif., and the latter encompassing the sounds of…
In between Good Kid, M.A.A.D City and To Pimp A Butterfly, a 2014 trip to South Africa changed Kendrick Lamar. As he toured the country — visiting historic sites such as Nelson Mandela's jail cell on Robben Island — his worldview broadened, and so did his music.The trip led Lamar to scrap "two or three albums worth of material," according…
On the evening of April 23, 2016, Beyoncé turned the entire entertainment industry on its head with the surprise release of Lemonade. With its Best Music Film GRAMMY-nominated companion celebrating African-American culture, and lyrics that had everyone speculating about her relationship with Jay Z and the identity of "Becky with the good hair," Lemonade successfully quenched her fans' thirst. The…
At the 58th GRAMMY Awards, Kendrick Lamar had a huge night. After garnering a leading five awards — including Best Rap Album — the rapper took to the GRAMMY stage to deliver a memorable GRAMMY Moment that will likely be talked about for years. Lamar’s set was a fearless declaration of black pride and celebration of his Compton, Calif., hometown, Africa and…
In the '90s the West Coast arguably ruled hip-hop thanks to a heavy dose of G-funk spearheaded by Death Row Records and a fascination with gang culture. But that infatuation quickly turned to fear when a hail of bullets ended the life of the West's brightest star, Tupac Shakur in 1996. The line between entertainment and reality was crossed, and…
Once upon a time, Quincy Hanley was seen as merely Kendrick Lamar's hype man. But the South Central Los Angeles native always saw himself as more than a sidekick. Since releasing his 2011 debut album, Setbacks, Schoolboy Q has become an integral part of Top Dawg Entertainment, the label home to GRAMMY nominee Lamar and a roster of up-and-coming hip-hop…
