Kendrick Lamar Celebrates 38th Birthday with Album Success and Chart Milestones

On June 17, Kendrick Lamar turned 38 years old. His latest album, GNX, won Album of the Year at the BET Awards the week before. The artist from Compton took home five awards after getting ten nominations.

"BET always makes sure that they represent the culture right, and always put me in the midst of the cycle of what we represent, and that's real, true down-to-earth music that people can feel. So I always give my heart to BET," said Lamar in his acceptance speech.

He won Best Male Hip Hop Artist and Best Collaboration for his team-up with SZA on "Luther." The music video for "Not Like Us" earned him two more wins — Music Video of the Year and Video Director of the Year with Dave Free. "Luther" stayed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 straight weeks after its debut.

GNX marks his sixth studio album. The music mixes classic West Coast sounds with modern beats. This adds to his string of hits, as 23 of his songs have made it to Billboard's top 10.

Since his collaboration with A$AP ROCKY, Drake, and 2 Chainz on 2012's "F**kin' Problems," he's been crushing the charts. Last year brought three more smash hits. "Squabble Up," "TV Off," and "Wacced Out Murals" shot into Billboard's top 5.

His awards tell quite a story. Twenty-two GRAMMYs sit on his shelf next to a Pulitzer Prize from 2018 for his DAMN album. No other rap artist had ever won a Pulitzer before him.

As a teenager, he created mixtapes under the name K-Dot. Then came 2012's good kid, m.A.A.d city — the album that changed everything. Critics loved it. Fans couldn't get enough.

After leaving Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2021, he dropped Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. This two-part album explored significant themes, including being a dad and growing up. Now, with GNX, he continues to push music forward while staying at the top of the charts.