Kendrick Lamar Record Label: Who Is He Signed To? 2024 Deal Info & Past Contracts

Curious about what record label Kendrick Lamar is signed to?

Want to know all about past deals, releases, net worth, and Kendrick Lamar masters ownership? 

Perfect; you're in the right place!

In this post, we are exploring all of that and more, so scroll on 🙂 …

Who is Kendrick Lamar Signed To?

pgLang and Top Dawg

In 2020, Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free founded the pgLang.

It is an American multi-disciplinary creative collective. A record label, a production company, and music publishing services are all housed under the collective. He's also a part of the Top Dawg Entertainment.

Lamar signed with the independent record company Top Dawg Entertainment, which has its headquarters in Carson, in 2004.

In 2012, Lamar and the label formed a joint venture with Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. Under this joint venture, Lamar released his major-label debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, in October 2012 to critical acclaim and commercial success.

The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart and was soon certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

It produced five singles that attained commercial success: “Swimming Pools (Drank)”, “Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe”, “Backseat Freestyle”, “Poetic Justice”, and “Alright”.

By March 2015, the album had sold more than two million copies in the United States alone. His fourth album To Pimp a Butterfly debuted atop multiple charts worldwide upon release in March 2015 and received universal acclaim from critics; it won several Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album, while Lamar also earned nominations for Album of the Year and Best Rap Performance.

DAMN., his fifth studio album, followed in April 2017 to continued success; it became his third consecutive number-one album in the US and earned him another Pulitzer Prize for Music.

Apart from his work as a musician, he has also been involved in acting, directing videos, writing poems, and social activism. With over 27 million albums and 142 million singles sold worldwide as of 2020, he is regarded as one of the most successful hip-hop artists of his generation.

Artist Background: Kendrick Lamar's Previous Record Labels & Contracts

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Lamar signed in 2004 with Top Dawg Entertainment. He also joined a joint venture with the Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records.

After the release of his fourth mixtape, Overly Dedicated, in 2010, Lamar first started to receive significant notice.

He only made his debut independent album, Section.80, available through iTunes the following year.

The album was well-received by critics and immediately recognized as one of the best digital hip-hop albums of the year.

Awards: Kendrick Lamar's Achievements

Following the release of his second studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City in 2013, following the release of multiple mixtapes and his debut studio album Section.80 (2011), he attained widespread notoriety (2012).

Lamar received seven nominations for the album, including Album of the Year, Best New Artist, and Best Rap Album, at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. For his track “I,” he went on to win his first two Grammy Awards for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance.

With eleven nominations, his third studio album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) gave him the most Grammy nominations of any rapper in a single night.

During the 58th ceremony, he took home five of those honors, including Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Performance for “Alright” as well as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “These Walls” with Bilal, Anna Wise, and Thundercat.

Lamar released his fourth studio album Damn in 2017, which went on to win five awards at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album, and became the first non-classical or jazz work to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music.

In 2015, Lamar was given the California State Senate's Generational Icon Award by State Senator Isadore Hall III.

In addition to receiving an Academy Award nomination for the song “All the Stars” alongside SZA, the soundtrack he selected for the superhero movie Black Panther (2018) received the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance.

In 2022, Lamar received two awards: the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for co-headlining the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show and the Grammy for Best Rap Performance for the song “Family Ties” alongside Baby Keem.

The 65th Grammy Awards event saw the release of his fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, and he was nominated for eight Grammy Awards.

How Did Kendrick Lamar Get Famous?

As opening acts for seasoned West Coast rapper The Game throughout 2006 and 2007, Lamar would perform alongside other emerging West Coast rappers including Jay Rock and Ya Boy. Lamar appeared on The Game's tracks “The Cypha” and “Cali Niggaz” as K.Dot as well.

In 2009, Lamar released his third mixtape, named C4, which was highly inspired by Lil Wayne's album Tha Carter III.

Soon after, Lamar made the decision to stop using the stage name K.Dot and instead utilize his birth name.

Late in 2009, he followed up with the release of a self-titled extended play. The same year, Lamar joined forces with other TDE labelmates Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, and ScHoolboy Q to form the hip-hop supergroup Black Hippy.

To learn more, read the full come-up story of Kendrick Lamar.

Does Kendrick Lamar Write His Own Songs?

He does, indeed. This does not imply that he writes everything himself, though.

For instance, 9th Wonder wrote DUCKWORTH, a song by Kendrick. , a song that only Kendrick could have written and in which he conveys a tale. He has people he can bounce ideas off of, like his studio engineers and producers.

What is Kendrick Lamar's Net Worth?

Kendrick Lamar has a net worth of $75 Million as of November 2022.

The fact that Kendrick Lamar, a critically acclaimed American rapper, has become one of the most well-known musicians in the world and has risen fast through the ranks of the music business, his net worth does not come as a surprise.

He has frequently worked with other well-known figures in the field and has received various honors for his talent.

Other Artists Signed To pgLang and Top Dawg

The pgLang artist roster is composed of Kendrick Lamar, Baby Keem, and Tana Leonne. For Top Dawg Entertainment, it has Punch, Jay Rock, SZA, Black Hippy, Reason, and many more.

Does Kendrick Lamar Own His Masters?

One of the most discussed topics when it comes to Kendrick Lamar is whether or not he owns the masters to his music.

Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to this question. While it's true that Kendrick Lamar does own a share of his previous music label company, Top Dawg Entertainment, there is no evidence to say that he has any ownership over the masters to his songs.

This means that, while Kendrick Lamar may have some say on the masters of his songs, he does not technically own them.

This lack of ownership could explain why Kendrick Lamar has yet to release any official re-recordings of his older songs, even though he has expressed interest in doing so in the past.

For now, it seems that Kendrick Lamar does not have full control over the masters to his music, but that could change in the future if he is able to negotiate a better deal with his label.

The Wrap Up

There you have it!

I'm curious, was that what you expected from Kendrick Lamar?

Let me know in the comment section…

Record labels can be very complicated, and there are so many different types of record deals and contracts to be aware of.

If you are an artist yourself, exploring possible options for your career, you might wanna check out our example record deal contracts to stay in the know – record label scams are rampant these days, sadly.

You might also like to check out the contract status of these other prominent artists:

• Baby Keem Record Label: Who Is He Signed To?
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• Sam Smith Record Label: Who Is He Signed To?
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