The Best Kendrick Lamar Songs: Rap Essentials

The best Kendrick Lamar songs have something for everybody. There are straight-ahead pop songs that stimulate the imagination, deeply rooted metaphors that take multiple close readings to untangle, and political songs diving into the history of Black oppression. Quite simply, there are few rappers (if any) that are more well-rounded or more talented on a bar-for-bar level.

From Section.80 to good kid m.A.A.d. city and DAMN., it’s clear K.Dot is both an album artist and a singles superstar. In 2024, he once again confirmed this by churning out the most celebrated song of the year with “Not Like Us” and the culture-shifting surprise album GNX. He was celebrated at the following year’s Grammys, where he took home five awards, and followed it up by performing the halftime show at Super Bowl LIX. Without further ado, here’s our best crack at the best Kendrick Lamar songs, from standout singles to album cuts that stand above the rest.

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25. Jay Rock – Vice City feat. Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul

On “Vice City,” Jay Rock recruits a few TDE mainstays to flesh out his sharp commentary on the role Black women play in society. Kendrick Lamar nails the chorus, showing the struggle between stacking paper and knowing the struggles spending money will cause. He spits, “I pray to a C-Note, my mama gave up hope/I can’t stand myself/I just bought a new coat, I might go broke/I can’t stand myself.”

24. The Blacker the Berry

With a message as powerful as the one within “The Blacker The Berry,” Kendrick Lamar knew he needed to assemble a crack staff. K.Dot recruited Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, Lalah Hathaway, Thundercat, and Anna Wise to round out the instrumental, giving Kendrick plenty of space to spit profound verses about the racial inequalities at the heart of America.

23. Big Shot feat. Travis Scott

As if the Black Panther film wasn’t a big enough blockbuster, the soundtrack features Kendrick Lamar and Travis Scott flexing their skills on “Big Shot.” In an interview with Billboard, Scott explained their relationship, saying, “I met him at the [MTV Video Music Awards] one year and he came up to me and was just like, “Yo, man, I fuck with your music. It’s super dope and inspirational.” I was like, whoa, this is the best rapper in the globe – he fucks with my music!” The rest is history.

22. HUMBLE

Kendrick Lamar wasn’t always sure “HUMBLE.” would be a hit, but his team convinced him otherwise. The song eventually became the lead single for DAMN., but the beat was made by Mike Will Made It for Gucci Mane. K.Dot got his ears on the beat, and after spitting over it, the duo decided to put it on Mike Will Made It’s debut album Ransom 2, but his team convinced Lamar to keep it for his upcoming album.

21. Untitled 02 | 06.23.2014.

Shortly after releasing To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar quickly returned with a thrilling and mysterious project titled untitled unmastered. “Untitled 02 | 06.23.2014.” is a standout, sounding like many of the tracks from Butterfly. The song examines Kendrick’s duality as both a Compton resident and a global superstar.

20. Luther feat. SZA

SZA is one of Kendrick Lamar’s favorite collab partners. Just listen to “luther,” where K.Dot and SZA trade bars and harmonize together, spitting over a prominent sample from “If This World Were Mine” by Luther Vandross. At its core, the song is a love jam, with both artists envisioning a world in which pain is eradicated. “I’d take away the pain, I’d give you everything,” they sing during the chorus.

19. ADHD

Kendrick Lamar often reflects on his hometown of Compton, California. On “ADHD” from Section.80, he relates the current over-medicating of young Americans with the high drug and medication tolerance of people born during the 1980s. It’s an early example of Kendrick as sociologist, examining the links in American history and how much of it comes from root causes of white supremacy.

18. Mother I Sober feat. Beth Gibbons of Portishead

Kendrick linking up with Portishead’s Beth Gibbons may seem like an unexpected collaboration, but the duo unite to make the strongest track on Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. It’s also one of the most moving cuts in Kenny’s discography, with the MC beginning by recalling the trauma his mother faced. From there, he reflects on the way this inherited pain manifested into bad decisions, eventually zooming out to take stock of a toxicity that permeates throughout culture. No one is better than K.Dot when he takes the personal and applies it to culture, community, and the world; “Mother I Sober” is his best example of this deeply moving style.

17. All The Stars feat. SZA

Kendrick Lamar and SZA teamed up for an all-star collaboration from The Black Panther soundtrack, so it only makes sense they’d name the song “All The Stars.” The song, to put it mildly, was a hit. It was nominated for Best Original Song at the 76th Golden Globe Awards and the 91st Academy Awards, as well as receiving four nominations at the 61st Grammy Awards including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

16. Compton

Hearing Kendrick Lamar and Dr. Dre go bar for bar over a Just Blaze is a rap fan’s dream. On “Compton,” the album closer from good kid m.A.A.d. city, the duo let loose. As always, Kendrick impresses with a fancy couplet, spitting, “Fix your lenses forensics would’ve told you Kendrick had killed it/ Pretend it’s a massacre and the masses upon us/ And I mastered being the master at dodging your honor.”

15. Complexion (A Zulu Love) feat. Rapsody

Kendrick Lamar’s “Complexion (A Zulu Love)” sheds light on the issues of colorism in popular culture, especially how they negatively affect standards of Black beauty. In an oral history of the album, Kendrick explained the inspiration behind the song, saying, “The idea was to make a record that reflected all complexions of Black women. There’s a separation between the light and the dark skin because it’s just in our nature to do so, but we’re all Black. This concept came from South Africa and I saw all these different colors speaking a beautiful language.”

14. TV OFF feat. Lefty Gunplay

Come for Kendrick rapping his ass off, stay for his “MUSTARDDDDDDD” scream, which went viral almost immediately after K.Dot surprise released GNX. The ferocious cut featuring rising LA star Lefty Gunplay finds Kenny using the sharp string swells he raps over like a sword, going after opps and enemies standing between him and rap’s crown. He laments how few good people are left in this world, channeling that rage into a beat switch that immediately ranks among hip-hop’s best.

13. DUCKWORTH

There are plenty of huge tunes from 2017 DAMN. to consider for inclusion in a list of the best Kendrick Lamar songs, “DNA.,” “PRIDE.,” and “LOVE.” among them. But “DUCKWORTH.” finds Lamar in his storytelling bag. This time around, he spits about former gangbanger, Anthony Tiffith, who would go on to start Top Dawg Entertainment, and his father, who went by the name Ducky. Kendrick looks at their relationship before K.Dot signed to the label, creating a warm, full-circle moment for the MC.

12. How Much a Dollar Cost feat. James Fauntleroy & Ronald Isley

You can listen to “How Much a Dollar Cost” from To Pimp A Butterfly, and be amazed by Kendrick Lamar’s storytelling, his ability to weave metaphors about poverty, selfishness, and the role of God, but perhaps the only convincing you need of its brilliance is that President Barack Obama named the track his favorite of 2015.

11. Big Sean – Control feat. Kendrick Lamar and Jay Electronica

Listening to Big Sean, Jay Electronica, and Kendrick Lamar going bar for bar on “Control” is a masterclass in rap songwriting. The seven-and-a-half-minute song is featured on Sean’s 2013 album, Hall of Fame. All three rappers bring their A-game, but Kendrick steals the show and causes controversy all at once, calling out a dozen or so rappers by name and telling them he wants to shred them all in the booth.

10. N95

On “N95,” one of many standout cuts from Lamar’s 2022 album, Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, the MC namechecks the masks used by many during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lamar turns in one of his most impressive vocal performances to date, reflecting on modernity as he spits, “The world in a panic/The women is stranded/The men on a run/The prophets abandoned.”

9. LOYALTY. feat. Rihanna

“LOYALTY.” is Kendrick Lamar’s attempt at a radio hit, but his inability to dumb it down gives it satisfaction on critical, intellectual levels, too. Of course, Rihanna turns in an absolute gem of a hook, but Kendrick uses that starting point to explore his psyche over a beat that’s a funk-pop-hop gem.

8. Money Trees

Kendrick Lamar’s “Money Trees” has tons of memorable lines, but are any better than, “It go Halle Berry or hallelujah/Pick your poison tell me what you do/ Everybody gon’ respect the shooter/ But the one in front of the gun lives forever.” It’s just four bars, but it does a perfect job of conveying the themes of the song, in which Kendrick has returned from his encounter with Sherane and her two friends, deciding the best course of action.

7. Backseat Freestyle

We all know Kendrick Lamar can rap, but holy shit does he prove his outsized talent on “Backseat Freestyle” from good kid m.A.A.d city. Though graphic, Kendrick blends his sheer brilliance and hilarious one-liners, rapping, “All my life I want money and power/ Respect my mind or die from lead shower/ I pray my d–k get big as the Eiffel Tower/ So I can f–k the world for 72 hours.”

6. Wesley’s Theory feat. George Clinton and Thundercat

Kendrick Lamar begins To Pimp A Butterfly with the utterly intoxicating “Wesley’s Theory,” which features George Clinton and Thundercat. On the track, Kendrick establishes the themes of the record, particularly white supremacy in America controlling Black artists for profit.

5. Swimming Pools (Drank)

For Kendrick Lamar, “Swimming Pools (Drank)” is sort of where it all began. It was the first single from good kid, and introduced him to a much wider audience. It’s an intoxicating hit, which finds Kendrick struggling to deal with the social pressures affiliated with drinking.

4. Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe

“Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” is obviously an instant classic, but it didn’t always begin that way. Originally, the chorus was supposed to feature Lady Gaga’s vocals, but scheduling conflicts prevented the collaboration from happening. The song is a staple in Kendrick Lamar’s discography, but it’s hard not to wonder what could have been had the two linked up after all.

3. Alright

Few things are better than Kendrick Lamar letting his fans know that despite everything else, things may end up working out. The song eventually became associated with Black Lives Matter after several youth-led protests were heard chanting the chorus, showing the unflinching power of Kendrick’s vision.

2. Not Like Us

“Not Like Us” was the song of 2024. At the 2025 Grammys, the track won Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video. “Not Like Us” was the capstone of tunes released during a feud with Drake that included “Meet The Grahams,” “Euphoria,” and “Like That.” With an infectious beat by DJ Mustard, though, “Not Like Us” quickly transcended its immediate context to become a mainstream hit.

1. Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst

“Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst,” is to put it mildly, an epic. Planted towards the end of good kid m.A.A.d. city, the two-part song clocks in at 12 minutes and is widely cited among Kendrick devotees as his best pure lyrical performance. While that ranking is up for debate, it is certainly one of his most outstanding performances, which is saying a lot.

Think we missed one of Kendrick Lamar’s best songs? Let us know in the comments below.