Compton, California's
Kendrick Lamar initially rapped as
K. Dot and released a series of mixtapes under that name. Youngest Head Nigga in Charge (2003), Training Day (2005), and C4 (2009) preceded his decision to go by his birth name. Overly Dedicated, released in 2010, was the first
Kendrick Lamar mixtape and fared well enough to enter Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart that October.
Lamar's first official album was released the following year;
Section.80, issued on Top Dawg Entertainment, entered the Billboard 200 at number 113. From 2009 through 2011, he appeared on tracks by
Big Pooh,
Jay Rock,
Tech N9ne, and
Game. A 2011 concert with
Dr. Dre,
Snoop Dogg, and
Game found the trio dubbing him "The New King of the West Coast," something
Dre endorsed again by signing
Lamar to his Aftermath label. His official debut,
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, landed on Aftermath a year later, with guest shots from
MC Eiht,
Drake, and
Dr. Dre. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi
