THIS is HUGE! Researchers at Mie University in Japan have successfully used CRISPR Cas9 gene editing to remove the extra chromosome 21 responsible for Down syndrome from human cells for the first time. The team is led by Dr. Ryotaro Hashizume. Published in PNAS Nexus
In 2018, Lamar became the first non-classical or jazz recording artist to win a Pulitzer Prize for Music for his album DAMN. The Pulitzer Prize Board cited the album’s innovative conceptual framework, narrative structure and use of the Book of Deuteronomy to provide context for systemic racism. /7
Lamar has won 27 Grammy Awards. He dominated charts in 2024 with his Drake diss track “Not Like Us,” and performed at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show. He is now in the middle of his Grand National Tour with SZA, which is already the highest-grossing co-headlining hip-hop/R&B tour in history. /end
Even though his music is deeply spiritual and moral, Lamar rejects the “preacher” label. In Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (2022), he lays bare his moral failures. Throughout the album’s promotion, he wore a diamond crown of thorns to symbolize the crushing expectations placed on him. /8
Lamar’s early work, particularly Section.80, critiques the impacts of the 1980s crack epidemic and systems that disadvantage Black communities. Inspired by a trip to Nelson Mandela’s prison cell, his 2015 single “Alright” confronts police violence while offering a message of hope and survival. /6
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Having his father present kept Lamar from joining street gangs. His father was also a music fan who exposed Lamar to multiple genres. Lamar’s maternal grandmother was a vital spiritual anchor who introduced him to the Bible and planted the theological concepts that would frame his songwriting. /4
Lamar grew up in a two-parent household, a rare family structure in Compton. Lamar’s father, Kenny “Ducky” Duckworth, was a former Chicago gang member who worked normal jobs while occasionally hustling on the side to provide. He taught Kendrick how to survive and channel his emotions. /3
Lamar started his musical career in his teens under the early moniker K-Dot before using his birth name. In 2012, he achieved widespread acclaim with his major-label debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, in which he documents peer pressure and survival in Compton without glorifying gang culture. /5
Lamar’s journey from a kid on welfare in Compton to a Pulitzer Prize-winning global icon is a story of familial stability amid urban chaos and a dedication to the craft of writing. He survived the streets by acting as an observer who documented his surroundings rather than let them consume him. /2
#ResistanceRoots
Kendrick Lamar was born on this day in 1987 in Compton, Calif. He is a rapper, record producer and one of the most influential lyricists of his generation. His introspective, socially conscious narratives explore themes of Black culture, personal struggle and systemic inequality./1
