Kendrick Lamar makes Billboard history ahead of Eminem: Here’s what he achieved

AUSTIN, TX - OCTOBER 01: Recording artist Kendrick Lamar performs on the Samsung Stage during day two at Austin City Limits Music Festival 2016 at Zilker Park on October 1, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images for Samsung)

Kendrick Lamar is here breaking records and making history as he waits for the upcoming GRAMMY 2023 nominations he expects to receive.

Although he recently released “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers,” Billboard did not recognize that album.

His album “good kid, m.A.A.d. city” takes the cake, having made waves in the genre-blending album charts since its release.

Although the album was his sophomore effort, it was his first major label release from his critically acclaimed discography.

According to Chart Data, “good kid, m.A.A.d. city” breaks the record for the longest-running hip-hop studio album on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. Last week’s tracking data shows that it has been running for ten years.

To date, “good kid, m.A.A.d. city” holds the record for the longest-running hip-hop album on the charts, having surpassed Eminem’s “The Eminem Show” in 2019.

On the most recent Billboard 200 albums chart, “good kid, m.A.A.d city” is ranked 46th, “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” is ranked 26th, and “DAMN” is ranked 60th.

It currently holds the longest-running hip-hop studio album record, but if the longest-charting hip-hop album in the charts is used, Eminem’s compilation album “Curtain Call” is the one to beat. It has been on the charts for over 600 weeks, which equates to about 11 years and six months.

If Kendrick wants to beat that, he’ll have to wait another 18 months.

With a staggering 242,000 album-equivalent units, “good kid, m.A.A.d city” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 charts in 2012. The album was one of Lamar’s critically acclaimed releases, and many consider it the record that established his name on the scene.

The album, however, has no GRAMMYs because it was defeated by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “The Heist” in the Best Rap Album category in 2014. Despite this, Rolling Stone recently named the album the Greatest Concept Album of All Time.

Lamar was expected to dominate the Rap Category at the upcoming 2023 GRAMMYs, with “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” also a lock for Album of the Year.