Who is Kendrick Lamar's dad? Everything you need to know about Kenny Duckworth
The hip-hop industry has produced sparkling talents like Kendrick Lamar, whose career peaked in the early 2010s with his second album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. The rapper has often mentioned in his songs that his father shaped his worldview and artistic voice. Get to know Kendrick Lamar's dad, Kenny Duckworth, and how he inspired his son.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Kendrick Lamar's dad endured many hardships, including getting involved in gang culture to provide for his family.
- His wife encouraged him to abandon his gang life and relocate to a new environment where he turned on a new leaf.
- Kendrick mentions interesting details about his father in some of his songs.
- His music frequently draws from the experiences and lessons his father taught him.
Kenny Duckworth's profile summary
| Full name | Kenneth Duckworth Sr. |
| Nickname | Kenny Duckworth |
| Gender | Male |
| Place of birth | Illinois, Chicago, USA |
| Current residence | Compton, California, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Black |
| Religion | Christian |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Hair color | Black |
| Eye color | Black |
| Marital status | Married |
| Wife | Paula Oliver |
| Children | Five |
Who is Kendrick Lamar's dad?
The singer's father is Kenneth "Kenny" Duckworth Sr. He was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, a multicultural city with socio-economic challenges.
Duckworth was raised at the Robert Taylor Homes, a public housing project in the Bronzeville neighbourhood on the South Side of Chicago.
Growing up in a tough environment, he witnessed firsthand the struggles of urban life, including poverty and systemic inequality.
How old is Kendrick Lamar's dad?
Information about Kenny Duckworth's age is not public.
How did Kendrick Lamar's mom and dad meet?
Kenny met Paula Oliver, who had also been raised in the public housing projects of Chicago. She would later become his wife and mother of his five children, including rapper Kendrick Lamar.
Source: UGC
What did Kendrick Lamar's dad do?
While in Chicago, Duckworth was briefly affiliated with the Gangster Disciples, an African-American street gang, until Oliver came into his life.
According to Rolling Stone, Oliver gave Kenny two options, either to quit the gang and leave Chicago with her or stay with the gang and lose her. Kendrick's dad chose love over the gang.
In 1984, the two lovebirds hopped on a train with their clothes packed in two garbage bags and moved to Compton, California, where they were received by Kendrick's aunt, Tina. The talented singer said her parents had only $500 in their account to start a new life in Compton.
Oliver and Kenny worked odd jobs to support themselves and slept in their car or motels. Sometimes they slept in the park when it was hot enough. Kendrick said;
...My Auntie Tina was in Compton. She got ’em a hotel until they got on their feet, and my mom got a job at McDonald’s....Eventually, they saved enough money to get their first apartment, and that’s when they had me.
Kendrick Lamar's dad's KFC story
Kenny reportedly worked at a local Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) shop, while his mom worked at McDonald's. The couple struggled but saved enough money to improve their living standards. While working at KFC, Kendrick's dad made friends with his son's would-be future boss, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith.
Who tried to rob Kendrick Lamar's dad?
Kendrick explained on The Howard Stern Show that Top Dawg Entertainment's founder, Anthony, once robbed a KFC where his father, Kenny, worked.
Kenny was spared because he was on good terms with Anthony who was known for robbing chicken shops. He knew that Anthony had robbed and shot up the same premises a year before. So, he did his best to get on his good side.
Kenny would offer Anthony two extra biscuits and free chicken every time he dropped by, eventually winning him over. His kindness helped him evade danger when Anthony decided to rob the KFC again.
Source: UGC
Where was Kendrick Lamar born?
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born on 17 June 1987 in Compton, California, USA. His mother named him after singer Eddie James Kendrick of the Motown singing group, the Temptations.
Kenny Duckworth's influence on Kendrick Lamar
Duckworth played a key role in shaping their son's artistic journey, enabling him to achieve stardom and an illustrious career. Growing up, Lamar would often hang out with his older cousins and friends.
Being the only one with a dad around him among his friends taught him how to deal with emotions better than his peers. He told the Rollingstone in August 2017:
When you see kids doing things that the world calls harmful or a threat, it’s because they don’t know how to deal with their emotions.
When you have a father in your life, you do something, he’ll look at you and say, “What the f*ck is you doing?” Putting you in your place. Making you feel this small.
That was a privilege for me. My peers, their mothers, and grandmothers may have taught them the love and the care, but they couldn’t teach them that.
After graduating from high school, Kendrick Lamar's dad encouraged him to get a job. He got a job as a cashier at a Wendy’s but his parents were vehemently against it when he was asked to work at a high-risk location.
Years later, Lamar was working the graveyard shift at a gas station, and his father would pay a visit and buy a Coke every other day, around midnight.
Kendrick did not appreciate this gesture at 19, but looking back, he understands how hard must have been for his dad knowing the dangers his son could face on those night shifts.
Source: UGC
Is Duckworth about Kendrick's dad?
Lamar has talked about his dad in several songs, including Father Time and Duckworth. His song, Duckworth, mentions his dad's previous encounters with the Top Dawg label boss, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith.
The lyrics say:
Pay attention
That one decision changed both of they lives, one curse at a time
Reverse the manifest and good karma, and I’ll tell you why
You take two strangers and put ’em in random predicaments
Give ’em a soul, so they can make their own choices and live with it
Twenty years later, them same strangers, you make ’em meet again
Inside recording studios where they reapin’ their benefits
Then you start remindin’ them about that chicken incident
Whoever thought the greatest rapper would be from coincidence?
Because if Anthony killed Ducky, Top Dawg could be servin’ life
While I grew up without a father and die in a gunfight
Lamar mentions Anthony as a father figure in the song and explains how he and Duckworth knew each other for many years before Anthony signed Lamar to his Top Dawg label.
Source: UGC
The lyrics reveal that due to the good relationship between Top Dawg and Kendrick Lamar's dad, the two taught him how to deal with emotions, preventing him from getting immersed in gun violence and gang culture.
Lamar also says in the song that he would have grown up without a father and would also not have had a father figure if Antony had killed his dad and gone to prison for it.
Is Kendrick Lamar's dad alive?
Since there has been no news of Kenny Duckworth's death, it seems he is alive and in good health.
Is Kendrick Lamar's dad in jail?
His father, Kenny Duckworth, is not in jail. However, Kendrick revealed, in his song Jason Keaton & Uncle Bobby, about his uncle Bobby who was in prison for fifteen years.
What is the story behind Kendrick Lamar's Daddy Issues?
Lamar's song, Father Time, describes how his father's parenting style created lasting "daddy issues" that affect his adult life and relationships. Part of the lyrics say:
I come from a generation of home invasions and I got daddy issues, that's on me
Everything them four walls had taught me, made habits bury deep
That man knew a lot, but not enough to keep me past them streets
Source: UGC
Is Kendrick Lamar a dad?
He has two children, a daughter named Uzi and a son named Enoch, with his fiancée Whitney Alford. The couple has been together since they were teenagers.
Facts about Kendrick Lamar's dad
- Kenny Duckworth was affiliated with the Gangster Disciples street gang of Chicago.
- He met his wife, Paula Oliver, in Chicago.
- The couple moved to Compton, California, while still teenagers.
- Kenny and Oliver's son, Kendrick Lamar, was born in Compton.
- Kenny Duckworth's relationship with music executive, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, helped Kendrick get signed to the record label.
Kendrick Lamar's dad, Kenny Duckworth, has played an integral role in shaping his son's music career. His influence is most apparent in Kendrick’s critically acclaimed album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. The album’s narrative reflects the complexities of growing up in Compton, with references to Kenny appearing throughout.
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Chris Ndetei (Lifestyle writer) Christopher Ndetei is a reporter writer who joined the Yen team in May 2021. He graduated from the Machakos Technical College in 2009 with a diploma in ICT. Chris has over three years of experience in content creation and more than ten working in the hospitality industry. He covers lifestyle/entertainment, focusing on biographies, life hacks, gaming and guides. In 2023, Christopher finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. You can reach him at chrisndetei@gmail.com
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