Why is Kendrick Lamar called K Dot? Moniker trends online amid rapper’s superbowl performance

Kendrick Lamar, K Dot for short, is making headlines for his halftime Super Bowl performance earlier today, sparking interest in his personal life, and his nicknames.

The name reportedly comes from his juvenile years, back when he just began freestyling and fighting rap battles in high school. Back then, he opted for the name K Dot to be his professional moniker. Under this name, he released several mixtapes, including Konkrete Jungle Muzik.

However, he revealed in a past interview with Hard Knock TV that he eventually chose to work with his birth name professionally to circumvent the confusion surrounding his identity.

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Kendrick Lamar explains the origins of his nickname, K Dot, says he wants people to "know who he is as a person": Read more

Kendrick Lamar, who went by K Dot from 2003 to 2009, told Hard Knock TV, as reported by Tidle Radio:

"The name change was just me basically developing myself,” he said to Hard Knock TV. “When people heard the name K Dot, they were like, ‘The kid is dope, he can rap; but who is he?’ That went on for years—just another kid in the streets that can rap good, right? So I was like, ‘Y’know what? I want people to know who I am as a person and what I represent.’”

Then in 2017, he sat down for an interview with Jinx as part of ComplexCon, where he spoke about the origins of the moniker:

"K Dot, this was me prepping myself, as far as the lyrical ability, and being able to go in the studio and say, 'You know what, I want to be the best wordsmith, anyone who gets on this track, I have to annihilate them however that is -- whether that's through rhyme schemes, whether it's through metaphors, punchlines [or] wordplay,'" Kendrick Lamar stated back then."

He went on, reflecting on what made him want to start using his real name instead:

“I didn't have the actual technique of songwriting then. This is the transition where [I become] Kendrick Lamar and Kung-Fu Kenny. I look at Kung-Fu Kenny as a master of the craft now. Now I have the ability to make songs and still have the wordsmith technique, intertwine it, and have a composed mentality on how to approach music.”

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Fans react to Kendrick Lamar's Superbowl Performance:

As for his name trending on X, here's what the fans are saying:

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During his Super Bowl performance, Kendrick Lamar performed several of his greatest hits, including the Grammy-winning Not Like Us, alongside tracks like HUMBLE and DNA from his Pulitzer Prize-winning album DAMN.