Kendrick Lamar Wins Male Rapper of the Year for XXL Awards 2023
Kendrick Lamar has won Male Rapper of the Year for the XXL Awards 2023.
Today (Jan. 30), K-Dot defeats a packed field of competitors, which includes 21 Savage, Future, Lil Baby, Drake, Pusha T and YoungBoy Never Broke Again. Kendrick Lamar came out on top as 2023's Male Rapper of the Year.
The ever-elusive Compton rapper jumped back into the public eye in 2022, starting with his appearance at the Super Bowl halftime show alongside Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Mary J. Blige last February. He dropped his highly anticipated album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers months later in May, his first album since 2018's critically acclaimed DAMN.
Packed with heavy themes and rife with self-exploration, Mr. Morale marked yet another chapter in Kendrick's storied career. The album's reception and standout songs ("Rich Spirit," "Savior," "Silent Hill," "N95" and more) showed Kendrick is still a talented rapper who remains entrenched in music culture. He also made his presence felt onstage, whether it's when he became the first rapper to close England's Glastonbury Festival last June or heading out on his worldwide Big Steppers Tour with his cousin, Baby Keem, in tow. On top of that, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers has been nominated for eight Grammy awards this year, for both Album of the Year and Best Rap Album. A great year, by any metric.
Selected by a board packed with music industry veterans, from managers, execs, producers and beyond, Kendrick is truly appreciated by people at every level within the game. The board features impactful movers and shakers like RCA Records' A&R Derrick Aroh; Cofounder and President of Audible Treats' Michelle McDevitt; Quality Control Music's Co-Head and Executive Vice President of A&R, Wayne "Wayno" Clark; Interscope Geffen A&M Records' Vice President of Publicity, Randy Henderson; Warner Records' Vice President of Media & Strategic Development, Yashar Zadeh; Atlantic Records Vice President of Publicity, Jason A. Davis; and many more. There are also more artists on the board this year, including Future, Pusha T, Jadakiss and Method Man.
Male Rapper of the Year is just one category of many in this year's XXL Awards. The board voted also voted on Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Female Rapper of the Year, Best New Artist of the Year, Lyricist of the Year, Producer of the Year, Performer of the Year, Video of the Year and Hip-Hop's Humanitarian of the Year. The People's Champ award is open to the public and voted on by the fans, where they are free to simply choose the rapper they love the most.