By Geoffrey Rowlands
 

It took nearly two years for Compton-born rapper Kendrick Lamar to fulfil his full potential after being named among XXL magazine’s Freshman Class of 2011. Yet this timespan typifies his career. Now 25, Kendrick has been making music since he was 16.
“That was when I released my first mixtape,” he explained. “I’d really set my sights on a music career after seeing my heroes, Tupac Shakur and Dr Dre, shooting their video for California Love when I was eight. I did well at school and never got into the Compton gang lifestyle but was always aiming towards the music business.
“The positive reaction to my mixtape attracted interest from Top Dawg Entertainment, an independent label in Los Angeles. I freestyled for about an hour for the bosses there. They said I had a raw talent and signed me. From then, my career has been a slow progression of releasing mixtapes and making contacts with major players in the industry who could help me along the way.” Kendrick originally used the stage name K-Dot. He changed to what is two thirds of his real name in 2009.
“My family name is Duckworth. I didn’t think Kendrick Duckworth would sound so good but my given names of Kendrick Lamar sounded great. I made the change from K-Dot because my song lyrics are based around personal experience and observations. I wanted to match this by using my own name rather than a stage name.”
In addition to his own work, Kendrick toured with rap star The Game and made guest appearances on two of his songs. He also joined forces with Top Dawg labelmates Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul to form the Black Hippy hip-hop collective.
“Tech N9ne called us the new N.W.A. We’re really tight friends who appear on each other’s records so doing something as a group was a logical move. We’ve played gigs and put out a few singles but all of us having solo careers means we don’t have so much time to work as a unit on Black Hippy material. We’ll probably get around to releasing our first album later this year.” Kendrick’s own major label debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, was issued last October. Critical acclaim was matched by sales figures which saw the album shoot straight to second spot on the Billboard 200.
“My first album, Section.80, was released in July, 2011. That was only available via iTunes. It sold pretty well though and got me noticed by the people at Interscope Records and Aftermath Entertainment. They did the deal with Top Dawg to provide the promotion and distribution which gave my latest album the chance to become so successful.” The album earned Kendrick a gold disc. He has also enjoyed a top 20 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 with Swimming Pools (Drank). “This was the second track released as a single. The first, The Recipe, was more like a publicity song although it still did okay.
Swimming Pools was promoted as the lead single and it’s paid off big time. I’m really pleased to have such an enormous hit, top three on the R&B and Rap charts.” 2012 closed with HipHopDX naming Kendrick Emcee of the Year and good kid, m.A.A.d city Album of the Year, a selection endorsed by the Readers’ Choice Album of the Year award. 2013 promises even bigger and better things.
“Downloaders have already made my next single, Poetic Justice, a big hit and we haven’t even fixed an official release date. People are obviously interested in me and appreciative of my music. I don’t think any artist can hope for more than that.”

IN BRIEF


Fairytale of New York is festive favourite
 
Twenty-five years after it was first released, Fairytale of New York by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl has become the 126th single to break the million sales barrier in Britain.
The duet about an Irish immigrant couple who have fallen on hard times has become a perennial seasonal favourite finding a place in the UK Christmas week top 20 for the last eight years. It peaked in second spot when first released being beaten to the 1987 Christmas number one by The Pet Shop Boys’ cover of Always on My Mind. The song has now entered Britain’s top 20 on nine separate occasions and the top ten four times, including three in successive years. These feats are unmatched by any other single.
In a programme on British television just before this past Christmas, a survey of ITV viewers saw Fairytale of New York unsurprisingly named as the nation’s favourite Christmas song.
 
Phosphorescent’s sixth album due in March

A release date in March is scheduled for Muchacho, the sixth full length studio album from singer/songwriter Matthew Houck, better known by his stage name of Phosphorescent.
The title was inspired by Matthew’s method of writing the 10 songs on Muchacho. He spent a week almost entirely devoted to songwriting in a hut on the beach at Tulum on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Lead single, Song for Zula, is available to hear now at www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcdOLKx2XG8. Two more Phosphorescent songs are included among the links to other videos on this webpage.
All five previous albums can be heard in full at www.myspace.com/phosphorescent
 
Chloe Howl’s single hit

Chloe Howl is certainly attracting attention. The 17-year-old Londoner has issued just one song, No Strings. But the reviews have been entirely positive and music insiders are so impressed that comparisons are already being made with Lily Allen.
Her vocal style is much more like Kate Nash than Lily. But Chloe’s uninhibited lyrics certainly draw parallels with the woman who is now using her married name of Lily Rose Cooper.
Judge for yourself by listening to her song at soundcloud.com/chloehowl/chloe-howl-no-strings
There is no word yet on when Columbia Records may be releasing Chloe’s debut album.
 
Widowspeak follow up with Almanac

Next week sees the release of Almanac, the second album from Brooklyn-based indie band Widowspeak.
It comes just 17 months after their critically acclaimed self-titled debut album. But the band have since added to their line-up with the recruitment of Pam Garabano-Coolbaugh. Despite being a classically trained pianist, Pam plays bass in Widowspeak.
Two of their own songs, plus a cover of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game, are posted at www.myspace.com/bandwidowspeak. A further two songs can be heard at (no www.) widowspeak.bandcamp.com/
 
DJ Rupture gives away back catalogue
 
DJ Rupture  is a generous man. He has made most of his back catalogue available for free download.
Real name Jace Clayton, he has posted the music to hear and download at www.negrophonic.com/dj-rupture-mixes-free-download/.
Although everything is free, he requests some kind of donation if you particularly enjoy his songs. A donation link is on the webpage.
Anyone who wishes to hear DJ Rupture’s radio work can gain access to an archive of nearly 300 one-hour shows at (no www.) wfmu.org/playlists/dr