“Sonnymoon and Quadrants are a couple of bands that really inspire me in terms of the melodics of things and certain tones and just what feels good. It takes me back to the type of music that I grew up on in my household. We played a lot of gangsta rap, but we also played a lot of oldies, and I think that mix is part of what inspires my sound.”

American rapper and songwriter

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is an American rapper and songwriter. Emerging from the West Coast hip-hop scene, he has built a career around sharp, reflective writing and music that often carries political criticism and social commentary about African-American culture. His work is known for combining personal introspection with broader social concerns, which has made him a major figure in contemporary rap. Music journalists have listed him among the greatest rappers of all time. In 2018, he became the first musician outside classical and jazz to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Music.