American rapper Kendrick Lamar has appeared in 74 music videos, 17 of which he directed with his creative partner Dave Free. [lower-alpha 1] He was featured in several documentaries, helmed three short films, and released one concert film.
For his debut studio album, Section.80 (2011), Lamar worked with directors such as Vashtie Kola to release four music videos, including visuals for "HiiiPower" and "A.D.H.D". [2] His second album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012), was supported by music videos for "Swimming Pools (Drank)", "Backseat Freestyle" (Lamar's music video directorial debut), "Poetic Justice", "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe", and "Sing About Me". He also starred in and produced a companion short film, which was directed by Khalil Joseph. [3] Lamar and Free began receiving recognition for their directorial work with Lamar's third studio album, To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). [4] [5] Among its six visual components, "Alright" won Best Direction at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards. [6] Lamar also won Video of the Year and Best Collaboration during the ceremony for his featured appearance on singer-songwriter Taylor Swift's music video for "Bad Blood". [7] Directed by Joseph Kahn, it additionally received the Grammy Award for Best Music Video in 2016. [8]
Lamar's fourth studio album, Damn (2017), was supported by music videos primarily directed by Lamar, Free and Dave Meyers. [9] The video for its lead single, "Humble", won six accolades at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best Direction and Video of the Year. With his victory in the latter category, Lamar became the first artist to win Video of the Year for a video they co-directed. [10] "Humble" also received the Grammy Award for Best Music Video in 2018. [11] Lamar and Free directed the majority of the visuals for the former's fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022). [12]
Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Director(s) | Notes | Album | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
"Bitch I'm in the Club" | 2009 | — | Dee.Jay.Dave | C4 | [13] | |
"Compton State of Mind" | — | Compton State of Mind | [14] | |||
"Jason Keaton & Uncle Bobby" | — | Brandon Dimit | Kendrick Lamar | [15] | ||
"She Needs Me" | 2010 | — | Jerome D | [16] | ||
"Ignorance Is Bliss" | — | Dee.Jay.Dave OG Michael Mihail | Also writer | Overly Dedicated | [17] | |
"Monster Freestyle" | — | Calmatic | — | [18] | ||
"H.O.C." | — | Jerome D | Overly Dedicated | [19] | ||
"Cut You Off" | — | Calmatic | [20] | |||
"P&P 1.5" | Ab-Soul | Jerome D | [21] | |||
"Michael Jordan" | Schoolboy Q | Fredo Tovar | [22] | |||
"HiiiPower" | 2011 | — | Fredo Tovar Scott Fleishman | Section.80 | [23] | |
"Tammy's Song (Her Evils)" | — | Jerome D | [24] | |||
"A.D.H.D" | — | Vashtie Kola | [25] | |||
"Rigamortis" | — | The ICU | [26] | |||
"Swimming Pools (Drank)" | 2012 | — | Jerome D | Good Kid, M.A.A.D City | [27] | |
"Backseat Freestyle" | 2013 | — | Kendrick Lamar Jerome D Dee.Jay.Dave | Co-director | [28] | |
"Poetic Justice" | Drake | The Little Homies Dee.Jay.Dave Dangerookipawaa | [29] | |||
"Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" | — | The Little Homies OG Mike Mihail | [30] | |||
"Sing About Me" | — | Darren Romanelli | [31] | |||
"i" | 2014 | — | The Little Homies Alexandre Moors | Co-director | To Pimp A Butterfly | [32] |
"King Kunta" | 2015 | — | Director X | [33] | ||
"Alright" | — | The Little Homies Colin Tilley | Co-director | [34] | ||
"For Free? (Interlude)" | — | The Little Homies Joe Weil | [35] | |||
"These Walls" | — | The Little Homies Colin Tilley | [36] | |||
"Humble" | 2017 | — | The Little Homies Dave Meyers | Damn | [37] | |
"DNA" | — | The Little Homies Nabil | [38] | |||
"Element" | — | The Little Homies Jonas Lindstroem | [39] | |||
"Loyalty" | Rihanna | The Little Homies Dave Meyers | [40] | |||
"Love" | Zacari | The Little Homies Dave Meyers | [41] | |||
"All the Stars" | 2018 | SZA | The Little Homies Dave Meyers | Black Panther: The Album | [42] | |
"Family Ties" | 2021 | Baby Keem | Dave Free | Also executive producer | The Melodic Blue | [43] |
"The Heart Part 5" | 2022 | — | Kendrick Lamar Dave Free | Co-director and executive producer | Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers | [44] |
"N95" | — | Kendrick Lamar Dave Free | [45] | |||
"Rich Spirit" | — | Calmatic | Also executive producer | [46] | ||
"Count Me Out" | — | Kendrick Lamar Dave Free | Co-director and executive producer | [47] | ||
"The Hillbillies" | 2023 | Baby Keem | Neal Farmer | Non-album single | [48] | |
"Not Like Us" | 2024 | — | Dave Free Kendrick Lamar | [49] |
Title | Year | Artist(s) | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
"Hooligan" | 2020 | Baby Keem | Executive producer | [87] |
"No Sense" | 2021 | Executive producer; credited as K.L. | [88] | |
"Durag Activity" | Baby Keem and Travis Scott | [89] | ||
The Melodic Blue | Baby Keem | Album trailer; executive producer | [90] | |
"Issues" | Executive producer; credited as KL | [91] | ||
"First Order of Business" | [92] | |||
"16" | 2022 | [93] | ||
"With The Villains" | Tanna Leone | [94] | ||
"Death n’ Taxes" | [95] |
Title | Year | Artist(s) | Director(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
"Win" | 2018 | Jay Rock | Dave Meyers Dave Free | [96] |
† | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Lennon or McCartney | Himself | Short documentary film | [97] |
M.A.A.D | Short film; also producer | [98] | ||
2015 | God Is Gangsta | Short film; also co-director and co-editor | [99] | |
2017 | Louder Together | Documentary film | [100] | |
2018 | Jay Rock: Road to Redemption | [101] | ||
Quincy | [102] | |||
2019 | Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes | [103] | ||
2022 | We Cry Together – A Short Film | The Man | Short film; also co-director, writer, and executive producer | [104] |
Kendrick Lamar Live: The Big Steppers Tour | Himself | Concert film; also executive producer | [105] | |
The Show: California Love | Documentary film | [106] | ||
2023 | Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé | Documentary concert film | [107] | |
The Melodic Blue: Baby Keem | — | Short film; executive producer only | [108] | |
2024 | Piece by Piece † | Himself (voice) | In production | [109] |
2025 | Untitled Trey Parker film † | — | Producer only; in development | [110] |
† | Denotes series or specials that have not yet aired |
Title | Year | Role | Network | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon | 2012 | Himself | NBC | Musical guest | [111] |
Conan | TBS | [112] | |||
Le Grand Journal | Canal+ | Musical guest (two episodes) | [113] | ||
Saturday Night Live | 2013 | NBC | Musical guest (S38E12) | [114] | |
Late Show with David Letterman | CBS | Musical guest | [115] | ||
Jimmy Kimmel Live! | ABC | [116] | |||
Chelsea Lately | E! | [117] | |||
The Arsenio Hall Show | CBS | Musical guest | [118] | ||
Saturday Night Live | 2014 | NBC | Guest appearance for Imagine Dragons (S39E13) | [119] | |
Musical guest (S40E6) | [120] | ||||
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Musical guest | [121] | |||
The Colbert Report | Comedy Central | [122] | |||
The Ellen DeGeneres Show | 2015 | NBC | [123] | ||
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert | CBS | [124] | |||
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | 2016 | NBC | [125] | ||
Noisey | Viceland | Episode: "Noisey Bompton" | [126] | ||
Unsung | TV One | Episode: "Kurupt" | [127] | ||
Footnotes for 4:44 | 2017 | Tidal | [128] | ||
The Defiant Ones | HBO | [129] | |||
Power | 2018 | Laces | Starz | Episode: "Happy Birthday" | [130] |
Shut Up and Dribble | Himself | Showtime | [131] | ||
Saturday Night Live | NBC | Guest appearance for Anderson .Paak | [132] | ||
Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America | 2019 | AMC | [133] | ||
Super Bowl LVI halftime show | 2022 | Himself / Headliner | NBC | Television special | [134] |
Saturday Night Live | Himself | Musical guest (S48E01) | [135] | ||
Hussle† | TBA | TBA | Upcoming documentary series | [136] |
Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr., better known by his stage name Jay Rock, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he signed with local independent label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2005. He secured a major label joint venture deal with Warner Bros. Records and Asylum Records to release his 2008 debut single, "All My Life ". Failing to chart, the mergers fell through and Rock departed from both of the latter labels shortly after. He then signed with Missouri rapper Tech N9ne's label Strange Music in a joint venture deal with TDE in 2011.
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is an American rapper and songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he is the only musician outside of the classical and jazz genres to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music. His songwriting, noted for its cinematic approach, often includes social commentary and political criticism.
Black Hippy was an American hip hop supergroup from South Los Angeles, California, formed in 2008. The group consisted of West Coast rappers Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolboy Q. Black Hippy was constructed after all of its members had signed to Carson-based indie record label, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE).
Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) is an American independent record label. Specializing in hip hop and R&B artists, TDE is based in Carson, California. The label was founded in 2004 by record producer Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, who is the chief executive officer. His son, Anthony "Moosa" Tiffith Jr., and Terrence "Punch" Henderson are the presidents of the label.
Herbert Anthony Stevens IV, better known by his stage name Ab-Soul, is an American rapper. Raised in Carson, California, he signed to indie record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2007, where he eventually formed West Coast hip hop group Black Hippy, alongside fellow California-based rappers Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q. He is perhaps most known for his introspective lyrics and his five independent albums under TDE, Longterm Mentality, Control System, These Days..., Do What Thou Wilt., and Herbert, which were all released to positive reviews and commercial success.
"M.A.A.D City" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his second studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). The song, which appears as the eighth track on the album, features a guest appearance from fellow Compton native and West Coast rapper MC Eiht. The song was produced by Top Dawg in-house producers THC and Sounwave for the first part of the instrumental, and Terrace Martin for the second part. The song peaked at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe", is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his major-label debut studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). The song, produced by frequent collaborator Sounwave of Top Dawg Entertainment in-house production team Digi+Phonics, heavily samples "Tiden Flyver", by Danish electronic group Boom Clap Bachelors. It was originally intended to be a collaboration with American singer Lady Gaga, but her contributions were ultimately excluded from the final recording due to timing issues. A remix of "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" featuring American rapper Jay-Z was sent to radio as the album's fifth single on March 21, 2013, with the original version and another remix featuring British singer Emeli Sandé later being released.
Digi+Phonics is an African American hip hop production team, composed of California-based record producers Tae Beast, Sounwave, Dave Free and Willie B. They currently serve as the main in-house producers for Carson-based record label, Top Dawg Entertainment. Digi+Phonics work significantly on projects from all the members of hip hop supergroup Black Hippy, who are also signed to Top Dawg and is composed of rappers Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q, and Ab-Soul. Their best known productions include "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" by Kendrick Lamar, "There He Go" by Schoolboy Q, and "Terrorist Threats" by Ab-Soul. They frequently co-produce songs together and put the finishing touches on the projects released by Top Dawg Entertainment.
Mark Anthony Spears, known professionally as Sounwave, is an American record producer and songwriter. He is a frequent collaborator of rapper Kendrick Lamar, having worked on all of his projects since his 2009 self-titled extended play. Sounwave has also worked with artists such as Taylor Swift, Chloe x Halle, Baby Keem, Mac Miller, and Bleachers. He has won three Grammy Awards, including two for Best Rap Album.
David Isaac Friley, known professionally as Dave Free, is an American filmmaker and record producer. Born and raised in Inglewood, California, he is best known for his creative partnership with rapper Kendrick Lamar. During his tenure as co-president of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), Free directed music videos and short films with Lamar under the name the Little Homies. Following his departure from TDE in 2019, he co-founded the creative company PGLang. Among Free's accolades are one Grammy Award and three MTV Video Music Awards.
"Alright" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar featured on the artist's third studio album, To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). The song expresses ideas of hope amid personal struggles and features uncredited vocals in its chorus from co-producer Pharrell Williams. "Alright" was released to radio stations as the album's fourth single on June 30, 2015. Many music publications considered it among the best songs and videos of the year. "Alright" received four nominations at the 58th Grammy Awards: Song of the Year, Best Music Video, Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song, winning the latter two. It was also nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year.
Dacoury Dahi Natche, known professionally as DJ Dahi, is an American record producer, songwriter, disc jockey and singer from Inglewood, California. Working primarily in hip hop and R&B music, he has been credited on commercially successful singles including "Money Trees" by Kendrick Lamar, "Worst Behavior" by Drake, and "I Don't Fuck with You" by Big Sean—the latter rose to number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. He made his vocal debut on Lamar's 2018 single "Loyalty", which he also produced.
Hykeem Jamaal Carter Jr., known professionally as Baby Keem, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Las Vegas, he gained recognition in the late 2010s with his contributions to Black Panther: The Album, Redemption, Crash Talk, and The Lion King: The Gift. He rose to prominence in 2019 through his sleeper hit single "Orange Soda".
American rapper and record producer Baby Keem has released one studio album, two mixtapes, four extended plays (EP), and ten singles. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), he has sold one million certified albums and five million certified singles in the United States.
PGLang is an American independent multidisciplinary creative communications company. Co-founded by rapper Kendrick Lamar and filmmaker & record producer Dave Free in 2020, it specializes in music and visual media production, and is headquartered in Los Angeles. The company has won six Cannes Lions Awards, including the Special Award for Independent Agency of the Year – Craft in 2023.
The Melodic Blue is the debut studio album by American rapper and record producer Baby Keem. It was released on September 10, 2021, by PGLang and Columbia Records, with Keem serving as the executive producer. The standard version of the album featured guest appearances by rappers Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, and Don Toliver. An updated version, released on September 22, features an additional guest appearance from singer Brent Faiyaz. The deluxe edition of The Melodic Blue, released on October 28, 2022, contained additional guest appearances from PinkPantheress and Lil Uzi Vert.
"Family Ties" is a song by American rappers Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar. The song was released on August 27, 2021, by Columbia Records and pgLang. The song serves as the fourth single from Keem's debut album, The Melodic Blue. The song also serves as Lamar’s first musical release under pgLang, a production company he co-founded in March 2020.
Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is the fifth studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, released on May 13, 2022, by PGLang, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records. The album serves as his first release under his creative company PGLang, and his final project with both TDE and Aftermath. It features narration by Whitney Alford and Eckhart Tolle, and guest appearances from Blxst, Amanda Reifer, Sampha, Taylour Paige, Summer Walker, Ghostface Killah, Baby Keem, Kodak Black, Sam Dew, Tanna Leone, and Beth Gibbons of Portishead. Lamar, who executive produced the album under the pseudonym Oklama, reunited with frequent collaborators Sounwave, J. Lbs, DJ Dahi, and Bekon for the majority of the album's production.
"N95" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released as the lead single from his fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, on May 20, 2022 through PGLang, Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The song was produced by Boi-1da, Sounwave and Jahaan Sweet, with additional production by Lamar's cousin, fellow American rapper and record producer Baby Keem.
Kendrick Lamar Live: The Big Steppers Tour is a 2022 American concert film documenting The Big Steppers Tour, the 2022–2023 concert tour by rapper Kendrick Lamar. Directed by Mike Carson, Dave Free and Mark A. Ritchie, it was filmed in October 2022 at Accor Arena in Paris.