Kendrick Lamar biography to be published

Titled The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America, it will track the musician's 'rise to rap superstardom'

A biography of rapper Kendrick Lamar is currently in the works.

Marcus J. Moore, Bandcamp Senior Editor and Pitchfork contributor, announced on Twitter that he had signed a deal with Touchstone Books to pen a cultural biography titled The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America, which will track the Compton musician’s “rise to rap superstardom”.

Elaborating to Pigeons & Planes, Moore added that: “My book details the artist’s coming of age as an MC, how he helped resurrect two languishing genres (bebop and jazz), his profound impact on a racially fraught America, and his emergence as the bonafide King of Rap.”

The book will centre specifically on three of his four studio albums - good kid, m.A.A.d city, To Pimp a Butterfly, and DAMN.— with an aim to examine how “Lamar charted a personal and societal awakening in America.”

“It details how his story directly connects to the charged spirits of art and revolution. Ultimately, the biography explores the broad global impact of Mr. Lamar and his work,” Moore added.

The author said that the book will include interviews with people from Lamar’s past, including his childhood, and that the rapper’s team are aware of the biography’s existence.

“Having covered Lamar’s music over the years, I’m always fascinated by the sheer gravity of his work,” he said. “He’s an iconic musician, and someone who truly appreciates the foundation of black art, using it as a vehicle to shed light on his community. He’s never forgotten where he’s come from and I think that’s honorable.”

“He’s also a conflicted soul who’s always looking to improve, and is never satisfied with the status quo. He shapes culture and music in a way no other lyricist has. As a a big fan of his work, I want to shed adequate light on the man behind the music while giving proper context to his art.”

There is no word on when the book will be published.

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