Kendrick Lamar albums discography

Kendrick Lamar albums discography
Lamar performing in 2016
Studio albums	5
Compilation albums	1
EPs	1
Soundtrack albums	1
Mixtapes	5

The American rapper Kendrick Lamar has released five studio albums, one compilation album, one extended play (EP), one soundtrack album, and five mixtapes. His records have sold more than 17.9 million album-equivalent units worldwide,^[1] 7.5 million of which are certified in the United States.^[2] Throughout his career, he has earned four number-one albums on the US Billboard 200.

Lamar began his recording career under the stage name K.Dot. His first mixtape, Youngest Head Nigga in Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year), was released while he was attending high school. Lamar signed a recording contract with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2005; much of his work was issued under the label. His next mixtapes, Training Day (2005), No Sleep 'Til NYC (with Jay Rock; 2007), and C4 (2009) helped him generate local recognition. After retiring his stage name with his 2009 self-titled EP, Lamar scored his first entry on the Billboard charts with his fifth mixtape, Overly Dedicated (2010). The positively received project fared well enough to peak at number 72 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and sold 12,000 copies by October 2012.^[3]

All of Lamar's studio albums have been met with acclaim from music critics and enjoyed varying commercial success. His debut, Section.80 (2011), peaked at 113 on the Billboard 200 with minimal mainstream promotion. Lamar's popularity surged with his second album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012), his first record under a joint recording contract with Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. It earned the highest first-week sales by a male rapper of 2012, and has spent more weeks on the Billboard 200 than any hip hop studio album in history.^[4] Lamar's third album, To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), marked his first number-one album in Australia,^[5] Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom,^[6] and the United States.^[7] He earned his second American and Canadian chart-topping set in less than a year with the compilation album Untitled Unmastered (2016).^[8]

Damn (2017), Lamar's widely successful fourth album, was the Billboard year-end number-one album of 2017.^[9] It was also the seventh best-selling album of the year, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).^[10] Lamar curated and executive produced Black Panther: The Album (2018), which broke the record for the most streams in a single week for a soundtrack album.^[11] His fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022), marked the conclusion of his tenure with TDE and Aftermath. A chart-topper in over ten countries, it was the first hip hop album of 2022 to accumulate over one billion streams on Spotify.^[12]