It’s not uncommon for Kendrick Lamar’s name to come up when hip-hop heads are naming their Rap Mount Rushmore, but these days, the Compton native’s making constant headlines thanks to his beef with Drake. Even the most dedicated fans can hardly keep up with the allegations being thrown back and forth, from Dave Free having a child with Lamar’s fiancée to Drizzy allegedly hiding a daughter from the world. Amid all the drama, many people are curious what Kendrick Lamar’s net worth is.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, the 36-year-old is worth an estimated $75 million, having made upwards of $180M throughout his career. In 2017 specifically, Lamar was one of the entertainment industry’s highest-paid rappers, with Forbes reporting that he made $30M. Ahead of him at the time was Chance the Rapper ($33M), Dr. Dre ($34.5M), Jay-Z ($42M), Drake ($94M) and Diddy ($130M). Now, let’s explore Kung-Fu Kenny’s money moves and part of the reason why he’s not as wealthy as his counterparts.
Kendrick Lamar’s Humble Beginnings
Growing up in Compton wasn’t easy for Lamar. whose family dealt with poverty after escaping a life of gang violence. Still, the lyricist made the best of his surroundings, writing award-winning essays and impressing his teachers at Centenniel High School. While he was still a student, Lamar released his first mixtape, Youngest Head Ni**a in Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year) in 2003.
The West Coast icon was just 16 at the time, but caught the attention of Top Dawg Entertianment and continued to release mixtapes under the moniker K. Dot until his breakthrough, Overly Dedicated, in 2010. That tape impressed listeners as Lamar leaned into an introspective form of storytelling, and as his fanbase grew, he re-released old music under his real name – Kendrick Lamar.
Major Label Debut to the Black Panther Soundtrack
In 2011, the “Wesley’s Theory” rapper shared his first studio album, Section.80, with 16 songs and features from Ab-Soul, BJ the Chicago Kid and ScHoolboy Q, Many of Lamar’s lyrics notably focused on Black issues, and as he continued to explore those themes on his major label debut, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, in 2012, his presence in the hip-hop community could no longer be ignored. That LP has since sold over one million copies in the U.S. and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. It would be three more years until Lamar’s third studio album, To Pimp a Butterfly, but in the years between he kept busy supporting Kanye West on the Yeezus tour, collaborating with Eminem and being GQ Magazine’s Rapper of the Year. At the 2014 Grammy Awards, the father of two was nominated in seven categories, but failed to win any.
TPaB soared to the top of the Billboard 200 in numerous countries; its blend of genres like jazz, funk and soul beneath Lamar’s powerful voice on songs like “Alright” and “King Kunta” hooked listeners early on and the project remains influential today. Two years later, the multi-talent continued to push boundaries, becoming the first non-classical or non-jazz artist to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music following the arrival of his Damn. album.
Just when we thought K. Dot’s star couldn’t rise any higher, he was tasked with building the soundtrack for Marvel’s Black Panther film in 2018. “All the Stars” earned Lamar an Academy Award nomination, but unfortunately didn’t win. In the same year, he made his acting debut on 50 Cent’s Power series, playing a Dominican drug addict named Laces.
Kendrick Lamar’s Latest Projects
Rather than rushing into another LP, the “Poetic Justice” hitmaker closed out the 2010s by launching PGLang, an “artist-friendly service company” in tandem with Dave Free in 2020. Successful creatives signed to them include Baby Keem and Tanna Leone – both of whom are featured on 2022’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, which marked another No. 1 debut for Lamar.
His tour for that project became the highest-grossing rap tour of all time in 2023, bringing in more than $110.9M throughout 73 shows. He was also one of five artists to take on the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show, joining 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige to give us an unforgettable performance. As for what’s next, we recently got an update on his live-action comedy film with the South Park creators. The film, which centers around a Black man who finds out his White girlfriend’s ancestors owned his, is due out in 2025.
His Many Homes Add to His Multi-Million Net Worth
Like many successful rappers, K. Dot has used his impressive net worth to invest in real estate properties. Lamar began with a modest home in Eastvale, California back in 2013, which cost $523K. As his star continued to rise, the PGLang founder moved into a gated Calabasas community in 2017, which cost $2.65M. From there, Lamar’s homes have only gotten bigger, adding.a Manhattan Beach mansion ($9.7M) in 2019 and Bel Air property in 2022. The following year, he began to expand into the East Coast, spending $8.6M on a four-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn.
What Has Kendrick Lamar Said About Money?
It’s obvious that Lamar has put in work throughout his career to earn his $75M net worth, but in comparison to other MCs, it’s hard not to wonder why he’s made less money. In part, it could be due to the 36-year-old’s reluctance to give up creative control, leading him to turn down more collaborative opportunities than the average rapper. “I promise myself any type of venture or partnership I’m doing with a brand I have to have 100% be in control of how I want the proceeds to go and the look and the creative process and actually what it’s saying,” Lamar said at the Forbes Under 30 Summit in 2017.
That same year, the Section.80 artist spoke with Rolling Stone about his financial come-up, and how he still struggles with a scarcity mindset. “I still got family that go through hard times, and I have to look out for them. Think of it like this: This lifestyle I live now has only been, what, five years. Since 2012. Before that, it was a whole two decades of not knowing what’s next to come. I still have that embedded in me. So I can’t let my career get the best of me,” he told the outlet at the time. Now that Kendrick Lamar has a few more years of fame under his belt, it seems he’s growing more comfortable making major money moves, and there’s no telling what’s next!
