Kendrick Lamar: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

Kendrick Lamar turned Compton autobiography into Pulitzer-winning art, absorbing everything from 2Pac's testimonial fury to free jazz and Black literary tradition. This mix traces the documented lineage: the West Coast titans who anointed him, the jazz underground that shaped To Pimp a Butterfly, and the generation of rappers and players now working in his wake.

The Kynda mix for Kendrick Lamar

• Key Influence · All Eyez on Me by 2Pac (1996). Kendrick has repeatedly named 2Pac his single greatest influence, tracing it to watching the 'California Love' video shoot in Compton as an eight-year-old. The connection is literalized on To Pimp a Butterfly, which closes with 'Mortal Man,' a constructed interview with 2Pac built from a 1994 Swedish radio conversation. Pac's mix of thug testimony, political rage, and vulnerability on this double album is the template Kendrick complicates on every record.
• Influencia Obscura · The Epic by Kamasi Washington (2015). Before his triple-album debut made him famous, Washington was a working saxophonist in LA's under-documented West Coast Get Down collective, rehearsing in a South Central garage. He arranged strings and played across To Pimp a Butterfly, channeling the spiritual-jazz lineage of Pharoah Sanders and Coltrane into Kendrick's record. The Epic, released months later, reveals the full underground scene whose language Kendrick absorbed almost wholesale.
• Local Roots · Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A (1988). Released the year after Kendrick was born, this album made his hometown a global synonym for gangsta rap, and Kendrick has spent his career answering it — good kid, m.A.A.d city's subtitle 'a short film by Kendrick Lamar' reframes the same streets from a kid's eye view. The connection is direct lineage too: N.W.A's Dr. Dre signed Kendrick, and 'm.A.A.d city' features Compton veteran MC Eiht, explicitly stitching the generations together.
• Beyond the Medium · The Color Purple by Alice Walker (1982). Kendrick has spoken about the Black literary tradition informing his writing, and his albums function as epistolary literature: good kid unfolds through voicemails and letters, while TPAB is structured around a poem read incrementally to 2Pac. Walker's Pulitzer-winning novel of Black Southern life told in letters is a touchstone of that tradition — and Kendrick's own Pulitzer for DAMN. placed him in the same institutional canon as Walker's prose.
• Peer · Channel Orange by Frank Ocean (2012). Ocean and Kendrick rose in the same 2011-2012 LA moment as the two great narrative songwriters of their generation, and the mutual respect is on record: Ocean sampled and referenced Kendrick's world, while Kendrick has named Channel Orange among his favorite albums of the era. Both later scored career-defining Grammy-night moments and both treat albums as literary constructions — Ocean's Californian character studies are the R&B mirror of good kid.
• From the Canon · To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar (2015). The consensus masterpiece: a dense fusion of jazz, funk, spoken word, and G-funk made with Thundercat, Flying Lotus, Kamasi Washington, Terrace Martin, and George Clinton, wrestling with fame, survivor's guilt, and Black American identity. 'Alright' became the unofficial anthem of Black Lives Matter protests, and the album's closing séance with 2Pac makes its lineage explicit. It won five Grammys and reset expectations for what a rap album could hold.
• Key Collaborator · Drunk by Thundercat (2017). Bassist Thundercat was arguably To Pimp a Butterfly's most important instrumental voice, co-writing and playing across the album — he shared the Grammy for 'These Walls' — and Kendrick returned the favor with a verse on Drunk's 'Walk On By.' Drunk showcases exactly what he brought to TPAB: virtuosic six-string bass, jazz-fusion harmony filtered through video-game absurdism, and the LA Brainfeeder sensibility that rewired Kendrick's sound.
• Legacy · Care for Me by Saba (2018). Chicago's Saba represents the wave of introspective, narrative-driven rappers who came up in Kendrick's shadow and openly cite him: Care for Me's centerpiece 'PROM / KING,' an eight-minute two-part story tracing his cousin's murder in granular chronological detail, applies the multi-perspective storytelling method Kendrick codified on 'Sing About Me' and 'DUCKWORTH.' to Saba's own grief, extending the confessional Compton template to the West Side.

What influenced Kendrick Lamar

• Lil Wayne. States Lil Wayne influenced his rapping technique. “his flow was "overly beholden to ... Jay-Z and Lil Wayne"” (Wikipedia)
• Yasiin Bey. The article reports that Lamar named Bey as an early inspiration. (also via good kid, m.A.A.d city) “Kendrick Lamar once mentioned Bey as a very early inspiration as a young rapper, though Lamar denied being a part of the conscious rap movement.” (Wikipedia)
• Eminem. good kid, m.A.A.d city (Kendrick Lamar) — legacy for Eminem (via good kid, m.A.A.d city, The Marshall Mathers LP) “Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Boyz n the Hood by John Singleton (1991). Boyz n the Hood (John Singleton) — culture for Kendrick Lamar “As Lamar confirms when he raps, "I'm like Tre, that's Cuba Gooding," GKMC owes a lot to 1991's Boyz n the Hood in the sense of the latter providing a template to tell a somber but motivational "hood story."” (Black Girl Nerds)
• Roots by Alex Haley (1976). Roots (Alex Haley) — culture for Kendrick Lamar “"King Kunta" takes its organizing image from one of the central figures of Alex Haley's book and TV movie "Roots," the 18th century slave, Kunta Kinte.” (Fresh Air (WHYY/NPR))
• Kanye West. Lamar credits Kanye West with an artistic lesson. (also via My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy) “credited Kanye West with teaching him to "never have any boundaries"” (Wikipedia)
• The Chronic by Dr. Dre (1992). The Chronic (Dr. Dre) — titan for Kendrick Lamar “Aftermath has since signed other artists including the Game, Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic, Busta Rhymes, Eve, and Rakim, among others.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Illmatic by Nas (1994). Illmatic (Nas) — titan for Kendrick Lamar “Senior artists such as Nas, Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Dr.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Epic by Kamasi Washington (2015). The Epic (Kamasi Washington) — ghost for Kendrick Lamar “Washington played saxophone on Kendrick Lamar's album To Pimp a Butterfly, released on March 15, 2015.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• You're Dead! by Flying Lotus (2014). You're Dead! (Flying Lotus) — ghost for Kendrick Lamar “Lamar was featured on three songs in 2014: "It's On Again" by Alicia Keys, "Babylon" by SZA, and "Never Catch Me" by Flying Lotus.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Maggot Brain by Funkadelic (1971). Maggot Brain (Funkadelic) — ghost for Kendrick Lamar “To Pimp a Butterfly was influenced by the works of jazz trumpeter Miles Davis and funk collective Parliament-Funkadelic.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Tupac Shakur. Establishes Tupac Shakur as Lamar's biggest influence. “Lamar considers Tupac Shakur to be his biggest influence.” (Wikipedia)
• The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory by Tupac Shakur. Lamar cites this album as influencing his artistic direction. “Shakur's The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996), the Notorious B.I.G. 's Life After Death (1997), and DMX 's It's Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998) influenced Lamar's artistic direction” (Wikipedia)
• Life After Death by The Notorious B.I.G.. Lamar cites this album as influencing his artistic direction. “Shakur's The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996), the Notorious B.I.G. 's Life After Death (1997), and DMX 's It's Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998) influenced Lamar's artistic direction” (Wikipedia)
• It's Dark and Hell Is Hot by DMX. Lamar cites this album as influencing his artistic direction. “Shakur's The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996), the Notorious B.I.G. 's Life After Death (1997), and DMX 's It's Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998) influenced Lamar's artistic direction” (Wikipedia)
• Mos Def. States Mos Def as a childhood influence. “He also listened and took influence from Mos Def and Snoop Dogg during his childhood” (Wikipedia)
• Snoop Dogg. States Snoop Dogg as a childhood influence. “He also listened and took influence from Mos Def and Snoop Dogg during his childhood” (Wikipedia)
• Eazy-E. Lamar credits Eazy-E as essential to his career. “I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Eazy-E” (Wikipedia)
• 50 Cent. Notes 50 Cent's business success as inspiration. “50 Cent 's mixtape success inspired Lamar to become an independent artist” (Wikipedia)
• Prodigy. States Prodigy's influence on early mixtapes. “Prodigy of Mobb Deep was a key influence on Lamar's earlier mixtapes” (Wikipedia)
• The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem. Describes the album's influence on his songwriting. “Eminem and his 2000 album The Marshall Mathers LP introduced him to songwriting elements, such as ad-libs , and impacted his aggressive approach to records such as " Backseat Freestyle "” (Wikipedia)
• N.W.A. Describes N.W.A's influence on representing his hometown. “He took inspiration from N.W.A 's tenacity of representing his hometown with "courage, honesty and artistic brilliance"” (Wikipedia)
• Marvin Gaye (1939). Lists Marvin Gaye among influences. (also via To Pimp a Butterfly) “Various R&B and soul artists, including Marvin Gaye, the Isley Brothers, Michael Jackson, Teddy Pendergrass, Sade, and Anita Baker, have influenced Lamar.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Isley Brothers. Lists the Isley Brothers among influences. “Using a sample from The Isley Brothers to propel the rhythm, Kendrick Lamar offers a mostly upbeat vision of life that nevertheless makes room to acknowledge that he's suffered from depression and doubt.” (Fresh Air (WHYY/NPR))
• Michael Jackson. Lists Michael Jackson among influences. “The music surrounding that story draws equally from 1970s and '80s funk as perfected by James Brown, George Clinton and Michael Jackson.” (Fresh Air (WHYY/NPR))
• André 3000. Credits André 3000 with introducing singing sensibilities. “André 3000 was the first rapper that introduced him to singing sensibilities in hip hop, and he writes melody-driven songs as practice for his albums.” (Wikipedia)
• Martin Scorsese. Compares Lamar's storytelling to Scorsese's screenplays. “Its cinematic scope has been compared to the screenplays written by filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino .” (Wikipedia)
• Quentin Tarantino. Compares Lamar's storytelling to Tarantino's screenplays. “Its cinematic scope has been compared to the screenplays written by filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino .” (Wikipedia)
• Jay-Z. Critic compares early flow to Jay-Z's style. “his flow was "overly beholden to ... Jay-Z and Lil Wayne"” (Wikipedia)
• Prince (1958). States Prince impacted his vocal register. “He performed with Prince , who impacted his vocal register” (Wikipedia)
• James Brown (1933). Critic identifies James Brown's funk as a musical influence on the track. “The music surrounding that story draws equally from 1970s and '80s funk as perfected by James Brown, George Clinton and Michael Jackson.” (Fresh Air (WHYY/NPR))
• George Clinton. Critic identifies George Clinton's funk as a musical influence on the track. “The music surrounding that story draws equally from 1970s and '80s funk as perfected by James Brown, George Clinton and Michael Jackson.” (Fresh Air (WHYY/NPR))
• Martin Luther King. Lamar's album is said to make thematic connections to Martin Luther King. “He talks over the course of the entire album about growing up amidst gang violence in Compton, Calif., and makes connections to Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, the Black Panthers.” (Fresh Air (WHYY/NPR))
• Malcolm X. Lamar's album is said to make thematic connections to Malcolm X. “He talks over the course of the entire album about growing up amidst gang violence in Compton, Calif., and makes connections to Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, the Black Panthers.” (Fresh Air (WHYY/NPR))
• Black Panthers. Lamar's album is said to make thematic connections to the Black Panthers. “He talks over the course of the entire album about growing up amidst gang violence in Compton, Calif., and makes connections to Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, the Black Panthers.” (Fresh Air (WHYY/NPR))
• Miles Davis (1926). States Miles Davis's influence on the album. (via To Pimp a Butterfly) “To Pimp a Butterfly was influenced by the works of jazz trumpeter Miles Davis and funk collective Parliament-Funkadelic .” (Wikipedia)
• Parliament-Funkadelic. States Parliament-Funkadelic's influence on the album. (via To Pimp a Butterfly) “To Pimp a Butterfly was influenced by the works of jazz trumpeter Miles Davis and funk collective Parliament-Funkadelic .” (Wikipedia)
• All Eyez on Me by 2Pac (1996). All Eyez on Me (2Pac) — titan for Kendrick Lamar (musicbrainz.org)
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker (1982). The Color Purple (Alice Walker) — culture for Kendrick Lamar (openlibrary.org)
• Teddy Pendergrass. Lists Teddy Pendergrass among influences.

…and 3 more on the map above.

Peers and kindred spirits

• Thundercat. Thundercat is named as a crucial producer/collaborator on the album. (also via Drunk) “Kendrick Lamar works here with a number of notable musicians, including the jazz pianist Robert Glasper, and producers, most crucially, Thundercat.” (Fresh Air (WHYY/NPR))
• Drunk by Thundercat (2017). Drunk (Thundercat) — collaborator for Kendrick Lamar “Returning the favour, Lamar guests on Bruner's latest LP Drunk, which is his third solo album to date.” (Hotpress)
• Velvet Portraits by Terrace Martin (2016). Velvet Portraits (Terrace Martin) — collaborator for Kendrick Lamar “I'm always doing my own stuff, but the thing about working with Kendrick is a lot of my creative energy comes from doing my own thing, even while I'm working with him.” (Billboard)
• Oxnard by Anderson .Paak (2018). Oxnard (Anderson .Paak) — collaborator for Kendrick Lamar “He's the most humble, selfless, amazing, focused young gentleman I've ever met," the rapper said.” (Complex)
• Beth Gibbons (1965). Beth Gibbons collaborated with Kendrick Lamar on 'Mother I Sober'. (also via Mother I Sober) “Gibbons also appeared on Kendrick Lamar 's track "Mother I Sober" from the album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers , released on 13 May.” (Wikipedia)
• Channel Orange by Frank Ocean (2012). Channel Orange (Frank Ocean) — peer for Kendrick Lamar “In came Frank Ocean's album in July and Kendrick Lamar's studio debut in October, literally shocking an industry that was in bad need of new blood” (Smack Media)
• Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A (1988). Straight Outta Compton (N.W.A) — geography for Kendrick Lamar “He took inspiration from N.W.A's tenacity of representing his hometown with "courage, honesty and artistic brilliance", and credited Kanye West with teaching him to "never have any boundaries".” (en.wikipedia.org)
• family ties by Baby Keem. Performed live 93 times (2021–2025) per setlist.fm (YouTube)
• goosebumps by Travis Scott. Performed live 79 times (2017–2019) per setlist.fm (YouTube)
• vent by Baby Keem. Performed live 58 times (2022–2023) per setlist.fm (YouTube)
• range brothers by Baby Keem. Performed live 42 times (2021–2022) per setlist.fm (YouTube)
• Mask Off by Future. Performed live 38 times (2017) per setlist.fm (YouTube)
• New Freezer by Rich the Kid. Performed live 31 times (2018) per setlist.fm (YouTube)
• Nosetalgia by Pusha T. Performed live 22 times (2023) per setlist.fm (YouTube)
• Sidewalks by The Weeknd. Performed live 22 times (2023) per setlist.fm (YouTube)
• Collard Greens by ScHoolboy Q. Performed live 98 times (2016–2025) per setlist.fm (YouTube)
• Imagine Dragons (2008). Imagine Dragons collaborated with Kendrick Lamar for a live medley performance. “The band performed a medley of "Radioactive" and " M.A.A.D City " alongside rapper Kendrick Lamar at the ceremony.” (Wikipedia)
• My Name Is My Name by Pusha T. Kendrick Lamar guest appeared on My Name Is My Name. “featuring guest appearances from Rick Ross , Young Jeezy , 2 Chainz , Big Sean , Future , Pharrell Williams , Chris Brown and Kendrick Lamar , among others.” (Wikipedia)
• Robert Glasper. Robert Glasper is credited as a collaborating musician on the album. “Kendrick Lamar works here with a number of notable musicians, including the jazz pianist Robert Glasper, and producers, most crucially, Thundercat.” (Fresh Air (WHYY/NPR))
• No More Parties in LA. The song features a collaboration with Kendrick Lamar. “released new songs " Real Friends " and a snippet of " No More Parties in LA " with Kendrick Lamar.” (Wikipedia)
• Tyler, the Creator (1991). Section.80 (Kendrick Lamar) — geography for Tyler, The Creator (via Section.80) “He is also the founder of the Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, an annual music festival launched in 2012 that has featured performers including Kanye West, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Rey, and Billie Eilish.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Miguel (1985). good kid, m.A.A.d city (Kendrick Lamar) — collaborator for Miguel (via good kid, m.A.A.d city) “Lamar was featured on six songs throughout the year: "YOLO" by the Lonely Island featuring Adam Levine, the remix of "How Many Drinks?" by Miguel, "Collard Greens" by Schoolboy Q, "Control" with Big Sean and Jay Electronica, "Give It 2 U…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Trey Parker (1969). Parker's studio Deep Voodoo created deepfake visuals for Kendrick Lamar's music video. (via The Heart Part 5) “Parker and Stone developed the deepfakes used in the music video for Lamar's promotional single " The Heart Part 5 " (2022) through their artificial intelligence startup studio Deep Voodoo .” (Wikipedia)
• Doggystyle by Snoop Dogg (1993). Doggystyle (Snoop Dogg) — geography for Kendrick Lamar “After watching the music video for the song "Ignorance Is Bliss" on YouTube, he reached out to Lamar with hopes of working with him and Snoop Dogg on his unfinished album, Detox.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West (2010). My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Kanye West) — peer for Kendrick Lamar “From October to December 2013, Lamar opened for Kanye West on his Yeezus Tour, despite disapproval from his label and management team.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Whitney Springs. Parker collaborates with Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free on the film Whitney Springs.
• Beyoncé. Kendrick Lamar — Collaborator (Collaborator) for Beyoncé · hand-labeled by Tony Brancato, 2022

Who Kendrick Lamar influenced

• SZA. SZA calls Lamar her sensei, and he has inspired her musical experimentation. (also via DAMN.) “But when I heard Mr. Morale, I was like, “I’m not digging [deep enough in my art]. I’m running from so many things.”” (Harper’s Bazaar)
• Doechii (1998). Doechii names Kendrick Lamar among her major musical influences. “she has cited Kanye West , Tyler, the Creator , Kendrick Lamar , and SZA as her major musical influences” (Wikipedia)
• Care for Me by Saba (2018). Care for Me (Saba) — legacy for Kendrick Lamar “His ability to craft a narrative through impressively delivered verse is very reminiscent of early Kendrick Lamar, specifically his own sophomore album good kid, m.A.A.d city from 2012.” (The Heights (Boston College))
• The Forever Story by JID (2022). The Forever Story (JID) — legacy for Kendrick Lamar (musicbrainz.org)
• Alfredo by Freddie Gibbs & Madlib (2020). Alfredo (Freddie Gibbs & Madlib) — legacy for Kendrick Lamar