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Kendrick Lamar is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in rap, and he has a sizeable net worth to match.
With a string of chart-topping albums and several multi-million-dollar properties, the 37-year-old “Not Like Us” hitmaker was estimated by Forbes magazine to be worth $38.5 million in 2019.
As Lamar prepares to take the Super Bowl halftime stage on Sunday, February 9, The Independent takes a look back at his success as a multi-million dollar artist.
Music career
Born and raised in Compton, California, Lamar began making music when he was in high school under the name K.Dot.
In 2005, he signed with Top Dawg Entertainment and co-founded the hip-hop supergroup Black Hippy, where he remained a member for nearly 14 years before his eventual departure in 2022.
While the collective, which consisted of Lamar, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock and ScHoolboy Q, didn’t end up releasing any albums together, they frequently collaborated on solo projects.
Over the span of his decades-long music career, Lamar has released a total of six studio albums, including his 2011 debut record Section.80, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012), To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), Damn (2017), Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022) and GNX (2024).
He first gained notoriety with his second album, which landed him his first three Grammy nods for Best Rap Album, Album of the Year and Best New Artist. He’s since gone on to receive a total of 57 Grammy nominations of which he’s won 17.
His next four albums, in addition to his 2016 compilation album Untitled Unmastered and his 2018 Black Panther soundtrack album, have all been chart-toppers and contribute to his extensive music catalog, which happens to make up a bulk of his wealth.
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His albums have sold more than 17.9 million album-equivalent units worldwide.
Back in 2016, Newsweek reported that according to Spotify calculations, the “Squabble Up” rapper earned between $921,600 and $1,290,240 in a single day for a record-breaking 9.6 million streams of his To Pimp a Butterfly album.
In January, his Drake diss track, “Not Like Us,” surpassed more than one billion streams on Spotify.
Lamar has additionally headlined five concert tours in support of his albums and is scheduled to embark on his sixth later this spring alongside longtime collaborator and R&B star SZA.
With his most recent Big Steppers tour, he grossed over $100 million in ticket sales.
Real estate portfolio
Lamar owns several high-value properties. According to Architectural Digest, his earliest known property was a $523,400 four-bedroom, three-bathroom home he bought in 2013 in Eastvale, California. It’s reported that he later sold it in 2021 for $825,000.
The magazine reports that in 2017, he purchased his next investment property, a six-bedroom, six-bathroom residence in Calabasas, California for $2.65 million. However, similar to his first property, it was used mostly as a residence for his family members, per listing records.
He additionally owns a $9.7 million contemporary-style mansion in Manhattan Beach, a $15.85 million midcentury ranch-style house in Bel Air, and an $8.6 million Manhattan penthouse.
Last year, Lamar purchased his most expensive property, a $42 million Brentwood mansion.
Sponsorships and endorsements
An added source of income for the Pulitzer Prize winner is his numerous brand deals. He’s previously worked with popular shoe brands like Reebok and Converse before officially becoming a member of the Nike family in August 2017.
He’s also made millions from previous collaborations with American Express, according to Forbes.
