The Tragic Truth About Kendrick Lamar

Warning: This article discusses mental health, suicide, and addiction.

Following the protests and ensuing chaos, Lamar’s father Kenneth “Kenny” Duckworth, like many others, seized the opportunity to loot. “I can see smoke. We stop, and my pops goes into the Auto-Zone and comes out rolling four tires. I know he didn’t buy them. I’m like, ‘What’s going on?'” he added. However, rioting and looting weren’t the most harrowing experiences Lamar witnessed as a child.

At the age of 5, Lamar witnessed a teenage drug dealer being killed in a drive-by shooting in Compton. “It was outside my apartment unit. A guy was out there serving his narcotics and somebody rolled up with a shotgun and blew his chest out,” he shared during an interview with NPR. These tragic incidents deeply impacted Lamar and influenced his music. Since his breakthrough in the industry, Lamar has consistently addressed police brutality in his songs. Notably, his 2015 single, “Alright,” has emerged as a powerful anthem within the Black community.

He dealt with depression in his teenage years

In 2015, Kendrick Lamar released “u,” a track from his “To Pimp a Butterfly” album, where he candidly detailed his struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts. “I know your secrets, n, mood swings is frequent, n / I know depression is restin’ on your heart for two reasons … And if this bottle could talk I cry myself to sleep,” Lamar rapped in the song.

In a 2015 interview, Lamar revealed that he drew inspiration for the song from his upbringing. “Nothing was as vulnerable as that record, so it’s even pulling from those experiences of coming up in Compton … the experience of going through change,” he shared with MTV. Lamar further disclosed that his mental health struggle was partly due to survivor’s guilt after losing some childhood friends to the challenges of life in Southern California.

In “I,” another song from the “To Pimp a Butterfly” album, Lamar once again delved into his struggles, admitting: “I’ve been dealing with depression ever since an adolescent.” Seeking therapy to address his issues, Lamar acknowledged the novelty of this step, particularly as a Black man. “To challenge myself to go therapy, s***, that’s like a whole new step in a whole new generation. That’s growth,” he shared with Spotify during a trip to Ghana.

Lamar ran with a rough crowd, surrounded by gang violence

In the tenth grade, Kendrick Lamar attended a summer school program that required him to walk there every day. However, the journey became daunting due to the ongoing conflict between two rival gangs in his neighborhood. Lamar recalled the challenges he faced, stating, “This was the time the gang rivals was heavy between my neighborhood and the neighborhood a few blocks down. We would always debate, like ‘Damn, I hate going to this summer school class cause we gotta walk home at this time in the summertime where we know the war likes to pop off around the evening,'” in a 2012 Vevo Lift interview.

Regrettably, Lamar eventually became entangled in the gang lifestyle, a common narrative for those growing up in Compton. While still in high school, the rapper joined a group of friends engaged in various illegal activities, including home invasions and robberies. It wasn’t long before Lamar found himself in trouble. One of his crew members was shot, and on another occasion, police visited Lamar’s home to inform his parents of his criminal activities in the neighborhood. As a form of discipline, Lamar was expelled from his home for two days—an ordeal that left him deeply shaken. “That’s a scary thing, because you might not come back,” he confided to Rolling Stone.

He lost his friend to a drive-by shooting

During his 2015 interview with NPR, Kendrick Lamar opened up about the heartbreaking loss of his friend Chad Keaton. “Chad Keaton. He was like my little brother; we grew up in the same community,” he shared, recounting his close bond with Keaton’s older brother, Jason, before Jason’s incarceration. “And him just always telling me to make sure that Chad is on the right path. And, you know, he was on the right path,” Lamar added. Tragically, Keaton was gravely injured in a drive-by shooting while Lamar was on tour in 2013.

Haunted by his promise to Jason, Lamar was consumed by guilt following Keaton’s death, compounded by the fact that he had been unable to visit the 23-year-old in the hospital before his passing. “Chad was a really hard one for Kendrick. It was really hard for him because Chad was younger than us. The little bro,” Lamar’s friend and business partner Dave Free reflected in an episode of “The Big Hit Show.” “We were supposed to go see him, and we didn’t even get to see him … we didn’t make it back to see him before he passed.”

His struggles with sex addiction

In his 2022 album “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,” Kendrick Lamar bravely addresses his struggle with sex addiction, revealing that it led him to betray his longtime partner, Whitney Alford. Despite abstaining from drinking and smoking, Lamar acknowledges grappling with his own vice.

“Insecurities that I project, sleepin’ with other women / Whitney’s hurt, the purest soul I know, I found her in the kitchen / Askin’ God, ‘Where did I lose myself? And can it be forgiven?’ / Broke me down, she looked me in my eyes, ‘Is there an addiction?'” Lamar rapped in “Mother I Sober.” Despite his struggles, Lamar initially concealed his addiction from Alford, opting to keep her unaware. Alford eventually became aware and urged Lamar to seek help. “Pure soul, even in her pain, know she cared for me / Gave me a number, said she recommended some therapy,” he explained in the song.

Lamar and Alford’s relationship began in high school, blossoming into something profound. In 2015, the notoriously private rapper confirmed his engagement to Alford. Since then, the couple has welcomed two children, daughter Uzi in July 2019 and son Enoch in 2022. “I wouldn’t even call her my girl. 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,” Lamar affectionately expressed to Billboard in 2015.Explore the profound challenges and triumphs in Kendrick Lamar’s life, from his encounters with gang violence and personal tragedies to his battles with depression and addiction, and how he emerged as a powerful voice in music.Lamar and Alford’s relationship began in high school, blossoming into something profound. In 2015, the notoriously private rapper confirmed his engagement to Alford. Since then, the couple has welcomed two children, daughter Uzi in July 2019 and son Enoch in 2022. “I wouldn’t even call her my girl. 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,” Lamar affectionately expressed to Billboard in 2015.