Latest news with #Mr.Morale&TheBigSteppers
The Herald Scotland
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
From 'Good Kid' to Chanel? Kendrick Lamar's complicated legacy
Lamar's feud with Drake drew clear battle lines: Drake was painted as a purveyor of façade and immorality while Lamar stood as the righteous force destined to take him down. But now, everything Lamar does is under a microscope. The immense goodwill he's earned has fostered the illusion of him being some flawless saviour. And many fans feel entitled to dictate his next move, as if they alone know what his career should ultimately mean. These fans made their voices heard when Lamar was announced as a brand ambassador for luxury fashion house Chanel. Confusion followed. Is this the same Lamar who spoke for the voiceless, stood up for the marginalised, and confronted systemic inequality in Black America? Now, here he is, promoting high-end fashion that most of his fans could never afford. It's as if Lamar exists separately from the genre he dominates – as if a rapper collaborating with a luxury brand is inherently noteworthy. But for Lamar, it is noteworthy, precisely because it doesn't go unnoticed by his supporters. In fact, it clashes with the enlightened persona his fans have constructed over the years. To them, it feels like either ignorance or betrayal. But even when Lamar collaborates with his rapping peers, it becomes a moral and ethical dilemma. In 2022, Lamar released his critically acclaimed double album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Nestled in the second disc is the track Silent Hill, featuring Florida rapper Kodak Black – a controversial choice for the moment. Kodak, a hardened street rapper with a raw, emotional delivery, and a firm talent in invoking pathos, brought something Lamar couldn't replicate. Yet his inclusion didn't fit the pristine narrative surrounding Lamar. Kodak had been charged with sexual assault, child neglect, and served time for gun and drug offences – only freed after an unexpected pardon from Donald Trump. Kendrick Lamar was announced as Chanel's new brand ambassador – prompting confusion and derision from his purist supporters (Image: Getty) Then came another controversial move for Lamar's fans. Playboi Carti dropped his long-awaited album MUSIC after a gruelling five-year wait and Lamar appeared on three tracks. The collaboration seemed odd, given how polar opposite the two artists are in the rap world. Here was a Pulitzer Prize winner, the same artist who sampled Maya Angelou and other black radical intellectuals, now ad-libbing over raging trap beats about lavish, wealthy lifestyles. To some, it came across as hypocrisy. But it's possibly just the exhale of an artist after years of suffocating under the weight of his own mythology. Lamar's presence on Carti's album wasn't just a stylistic and thematic diversion – it was another crack in the pedestal. Playboi Carti represents everything Lamar's purist fans disdain: a hedonistic rapper whose appeal lies in vibes and aura rather than lyrical depth, an artist who thrives on aesthetics rather than conscious messaging. For Lamar, a collaborator long associated with meticulous intentionality, jumping into Carti's universe felt like a provocation or a stretch of hands to not be willingly boxed in. This is the curse of the pedestal. The higher you're lifted, the narrower the space you're allowed to occupy. Every deviation becomes a betrayal; every experiment, a misstep. Fans who praised Lamar for his complexity now feel the right to question any surface level moves that bubble up from below. The same critics who hail him as rap's moral compass are more than happy to scrutinise his associations, as if an artist's worth should be measured by the purity of his collaborators rather than the depth and intention of his art. But maybe that's the point. Perhaps Lamar isn't slipping, perhaps he's shaking off the weight of expectation. After being rap's thinking man for so long, maybe he's no longer interested in playing the role assigned to him. The Chanel deal, the Kodak Black feature, the Carti features – they're not accidents. They're statements. If the pedestal demands perfection, maybe Lamar would rather stand on the ground, flaws and all. The tragedy isn't that Lamar is falling off the pedestal; it's that we ever put him there. Pedestals freeze their subjects in perpetual stasis, hindering the artistic liberty to evolve beyond an audience's grasp. The irony? The same fans who claim to love authenticity often reject it when it doesn't align with their fantasy. Now, his greatest challenge isn't staying on top, it's convincing the world to let him step down.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Who is Kendrick Lamar dating? Everything we know about his fiancée Whitney Alford and their two children
Super Bowl LIX is fast approaching, with Kendrick Lamar set to take the stage at the halftime show in New Orleans, Louisiana. The 2025 Super Bowl will be taking place on Sunday, February 9, with the Kansas City Chiefs returning to the field in hopes of a three-peat against the Philadelphia Eagles. The two teams previously faced off against each other in 2023, with the Chiefs winning 38-35. The halftime event is expected to be a show-stopping occasion, with Lamar as the headliner. The 'Not Like Us' singer will be joined by his longtime collaborator and friend, SZA, who he's going on tour with later this year. Although it's unclear if his family will join him at his event, Lamar has a longtime partner: Whitney Alford, 38. The couple – who've been engaged since 2015 — also share two children: Uzi, five, and Enoch, whose age has not been publicly revealed. Here's everything we know about Lamar's relationship with Alford and their family. Lamar and Alford started dating when they were in high school. The pair first met back when they were teenagers, as they were both attending Centennial High School in Compton, California together. He references their meeting in his 2010 song, 'She Needs Me.' 'Five years later, an accounting major, work at a firm / Abundance of paper, she got a career, she look in the rear / View mirror of a Mercedez that she can steer,' he raps in the tune. During an interview with The New York Times in 2014, he was asked who in his life had the power to call him out, and he gave Alford a shoutout. 'One particular young lady,' he said. 'She's been here since Day 1.' He's also previously gushed about how open he is with his wife. 'That's my best friend. I don't even like the term that society has put in the world as far as being a companion — she's somebody I can tell my fears to,' he told Billboard about Alford in 2015. They got engaged in 2015. In 2015, Lamar officially confirmed rumors that he and Alford were engaged. When asked if the engagement speculation was true, during an appearance on Power 105.1 radio show The Breakfast Club at the time, he said: 'Yeah, definitely. I'm loyal to the soil.' Lamar and Alford welcomed their first child in 2019. In 2019, the couple welcomed their now-five-year-old daughter, as reported by Us Weekly at the time. Since Alford and Lamar are notoriously private about their lives, they did not reveal their daughter's name when she was born. Lamar and Alford welcomed their second child in 2022. Lamar announced that he was a father of two through his album cover. In May 2022, he unveiled the cover art for his album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. In the album cover art, he was seen holding his eldest child, while Alford was sitting on the bed with their infant son in her arms, seemingly revealing they had another child. 'Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Shot by @renellaice,' Alfrod wrote in the caption of an Instagram post of the photo. One month later, she shared another snap on Instagram of the family of four posing outside, as she held her youngest child in her arms. In the caption, she reflected on how she was celebrating Father's Day, noting that she was honoring the men in her life who've 'stepped up' for the women they love. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Whitney Alford (@blushedbywhit) 'Men it's not as important for us to celebrate you, as it is for You to celebrate You. Celebrate your contribution to the next generation. I am grateful for the men that are showing me a different picture, my lens was very narrow before but not anymore,' she wrote. 'Love you guys, keep showing up. Happy Father's Day @kendricklamar.' However, it wasn't until after the 2023 Grammy Awards that Lamar's children's names were revealed. As he took the stage to accept the award for Best Rap Album, the 'DNA' singer gave a special shoutout to his loved ones. 'First and foremost, I want to thank my family for giving me the courage and the vulnerability to share these stories and share my truth with this album,' he said. Following the ceremony, Alford posted a video of her daughter reacting to Lamar's speech. In the footage, the then-three-year-old shared her and her brother's name. 'He's talking about his family,' she said in Alford's since-deleted video, which has been reshared on X. 'Uzi, Enoch and mommy.' Alford has appeared on Lamar's albums. Alford provided backup vocals in two of Lamar's songs, 'Wesley's Theory' and 'King Kunta,' which are on his 2015 album, To Pimp a Butterfly. Last summer, she made an appearance in Lamar's music video for his hit tune, 'Not Like Us.' Lamar has also shared how his children have shaped his career. During an interview with W Magazine in 2022, he said that when he wasn't sure if he wanted to release Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, he thought about his children. 'When I got to completion and I said, 'I may or may not put this out; I'm not going to put this out; it's way too much,' I thought about my children,' he explained. 'I thought about when they turn 21, or they're older in life, and when I got grandchildren, or if I'm long gone—this can be a prerequisite of how to cope. That's the beauty of it for me.'
The Independent
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Who is Kendrick Lamar dating? Everything we know about his fiancée Whitney Alford and their two children
Super Bowl LIX is fast approaching, with Kendrick Lamar set to take the stage at the halftime show in New Orleans, Louisiana. The 2025 Super Bowl will be taking place on Sunday, February 9, with the Kansas City Chiefs returning to the field in hopes of a three-peat against the Philadelphia Eagles. The two teams previously faced off against each other in 2023, with the Chiefs winning 38-35. The halftime event is expected to be a show-stopping occasion, with Lamar as the headliner. The 'Not Like Us' singer will be joined by his longtime collaborator and friend, SZA, who he's going on tour with later this year. Although it's unclear if his family will join him at his event, Lamar has a longtime partner: Whitney Alford, 38. The couple – who've been engaged since 2015 — also share two children: Uzi, five, and Enoch, whose age has not been publicly revealed. Here's everything we know about Lamar's relationship with Alford and their family. Lamar and Alford started dating when they were in high school. The pair first met back when they were teenagers, as they were both attending Centennial High School in Compton, California together. He references their meeting in his 2010 song, ' She Needs Me.' 'Five years later, an accounting major, work at a firm / Abundance of paper, she got a career, she look in the rear / View mirror of a Mercedez that she can steer,' he raps in the tune. During an interview with The New York Times in 2014, he was asked who in his life had the power to call him out, and he gave Alford a shoutout. 'One particular young lady,' he said. 'She's been here since Day 1.' He's also previously gushed about how open he is with his wife. 'That's my best friend. I don't even like the term that society has put in the world as far as being a companion — she's somebody I can tell my fears to,' he told Billboard about Alford in 2015. They got engaged in 2015. In 2015, Lamar officially confirmed rumors that he and Alford were engaged. When asked if the engagement speculation was true, during an appearance on Power 105.1 radio show The Breakfast Club at the time, he said: 'Yeah, definitely. I'm loyal to the soil.' Lamar and Alford welcomed their first child in 2019. In 2019, the couple welcomed their now-five-year-old daughter, as reported by Us Weekly at the time. Since Alford and Lamar are notoriously private about their lives, they did not reveal their daughter's name when she was born. Lamar and Alford welcomed their second child in 2022. Lamar announced that he was a father of two through his album cover. In May 2022, he unveiled the cover art for his album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. In the album cover art, he was seen holding his eldest child, while Alford was sitting on the bed with their infant son in her arms, seemingly revealing they had another child. 'Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Shot by @renellaice,' Alfrod wrote in the caption of an Instagram post of the photo. One month later, she shared another snap on Instagram of the family of four posing outside, as she held her youngest child in her arms. In the caption, she reflected on how she was celebrating Father's Day, noting that she was honoring the men in her life who've 'stepped up' for the women they love. 'Men it's not as important for us to celebrate you, as it is for You to celebrate You. Celebrate your contribution to the next generation. I am grateful for the men that are showing me a different picture, my lens was very narrow before but not anymore,' she wrote. 'Love you guys, keep showing up. Happy Father's Day @kendricklamar.' However, it wasn't until after the 2023 Grammy Awards that Lamar's children's names were revealed. As he took the stage to accept the award for Best Rap Album, the 'DNA' singer gave a special shoutout to his loved ones. 'First and foremost, I want to thank my family for giving me the courage and the vulnerability to share these stories and share my truth with this album,' he said. Following the ceremony, Alford posted a video of her daughter reacting to Lamar's speech. In the footage, the then-three-year-old shared her and her brother's name. 'He's talking about his family,' she said in Alford's since-deleted video, which has been reshared on X. 'Uzi, Enoch and mommy.' Alford has appeared on Lamar's albums. Alford provided backup vocals in two of Lamar's songs, 'Wesley's Theory' and 'King Kunta,' which are on his 2015 album, To Pimp a Butterfly. Last summer, she made an appearance in Lamar's music video for his hit tune, 'Not Like Us.' Lamar has also shared how his children have shaped his career. During an interview with W Magazine in 2022, he said that when he wasn't sure if he wanted to release Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, he thought about his children. 'When I got to completion and I said, 'I may or may not put this out; I'm not going to put this out; it's way too much,' I thought about my children,' he explained. 'I thought about when they turn 21, or they're older in life, and when I got grandchildren, or if I'm long gone—this can be a prerequisite of how to cope. That's the beauty of it for me.'
