Rapper, Hip-Hop artist Kendrick Lamar has proved his influence in the music industry, with the upcoming release of the Kendrick Lamar biography, The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America, set to hit stores Oct. 10, 2020. The biography is written by the Senior Editor of BandCamp, Marcus J. Moore, and will be published by Atria Books (owned by Simon and Schuster) publishing agency. Moore has been in the process of creating the Kendrick Lamar biography since 2018, where he announced his intent to write the book in an interview. According to Vibe magazine, The Butterfly Effect will be classified as a “cultural biography” in that it will focus on Kendrick Lamar’s culture, as well as the culture of Rap and Hip-Hop within America and around the world.
Kendrick Lamar’s music has been classified as powerful on a political and influential level, as his music tells a story that his listeners can relate to and/or empathize with. Lamar was born and raised in Compton, California in the late ’80s and ’90s. With this era being the heart of the crack epidemic, he was able to see how the distribution and use of drugs slowly affected members of his community – both young and old. While not growing up in the most affluent neighborhood, he was able to witness the great lengths people went to in order to survive – with their actions heavily being influenced by drugs and gangs. Lamar incorporates his community of Compton and his experiences into his music, as it is what shaped him to be the person he is and has allowed for his career to flourish. In 2015, Kendrick Lamar released a West-Coast Hip-Hop album titled, Compton. In this album, he indirectly shares stories of his experiences through a lyrical and rhythmic aesthetic. With production help from Dr. Dre, Compton was nominated for a Grammy the following year in 2016.
As stated by the New Yorker, Kendrick Lamar is a “master of storytelling.” This has to do with him having a substantial story to share. Since the age of 16 years old, Lamar – formally known as K-dot – has been sharing his stories in a lyrical setting through the music he creates. Therefore, when it came time for his story to be placed in a biography-setting, it was just as captivating to members of the literary industry as well.
The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America has the power to continue influencing individuals all around the world, using a non-musical perspective, and sending the message that anything is possible, especially for those with similar backgrounds and environments as Lamar himself. Especially in the Black community, this biography will reign pivotal to critics and young individuals, being that he represents hope for many around the world and also represents a successful Black artist.
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