The astrology of Kendrick Lamar: his birth chart explained
Kendrick Lamar is not just a rapper, wordsmith, story teller, composer, artist, entrepreneur and father of two. He’s the first rapper to win the Pulitzer Prize, ‘the leader of the culture’ and ‘the conscience of hip-hop’. Recently, this modern-day Shakespeare released the masterpiece “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” that brought me to tears: high time to dive into the birth chart of Kendrick Lamar.
The birth chart of Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar was born on June 17th, 1987 at 03:04 p.m. in Compton, California. His birth chart is a screenshot of the sky the exact moment he was born. In this blog, I will break down what I consider the most important components of his birth chart.
Cancer Midheaven
Kendrick Lamar has his Midheaven in Cancer. The Midheaven (MC) is the highest point in a birth chart that represents your reputation, your legacy, your career and how the public perceives you. It’s the most visible part of a birth chart. When we think of a celebrity, we often think of the traits of their Midheaven.
With his Midheaven in the sign of Cancer, Kendrick is known as one of the most vulnerable, sincere hip-hop artists to ever exist, not afraid of showing his emotions. Cancer is a water sign that is all about emotions, nostalgia and (protecting) their family. Kendrick often raps about survivor's guilt, depression, fame, savior complex, fatherhood, materialism, systemic racism, religion, infidelity, addiction, sexual assault, cancel culture, daddy issues, his relationship to queerness and toxic masculinity.
Kendrick Lamar is also known as one of the rare celebrities who has always had a stable, private life: he has been together with his fiancée Whitney Alford before he became famous and describes himself as ‘loyal to the soil’. They welcomed their first child in 2019 and recently their second child. His fiancée and their two children are even portrayed on his latest album cover “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers”. Pay attention to the gun in his pants: he is showing that he’s protective over his family.
The album cover of “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” (2022)
The album cover of “DAMN.” (2017) shows a depressed Kendrick
The album cover of “To Pimp a Butterfly” (2015) shows Kendrick with his closest friends and the people from his neighborhood
The album cover of "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City" (2012) shows a childhood polaroid of Kendrick with his two uncles and his grandfather
Kendrick even featured a voicemail of his mom at the end of the song "Real".
Kendrick Lamar is a Cancer Midheaven to a T.
Libra Ascendant a.k.a. Libra Rising
Kendrick Lamar has the Ascendant in Libra which makes him a Libra Rising. The Ascendant is a highly personal point in a birth chart. It represents the exact degree of the zodiac that was rising up over the eastern horizon at the moment you took your first breath, hence the term “rising sign”. Your rising sign reflects the themes that will constantly reappear throughout your life. The themes represented by your rising sign show your life direction and motivation for living.
A Libra Rising is motivated to initiate relationships and sees life as a constant series of choices. Although they have the tendency to please people, it's their duty to learn how to find the right balance between their own needs and the needs of their loved ones, and in Kendrick's case also the needs of his fans.
Kendrick has gone silent the past five years to spend time with his fiancée and their children. In the song “Mirror” on his latest album Kendrick discusses the pressures of fame and the dichotomy of living selfishly. In the song we hear Kendrick sing ‘I chose me, I'm sorry’ 23 times.
However, the song "Crown" on his latest album where Kendrick sings about his contrasting feelings is the true Libra Rising anthem:
You walk around like everything is in control
Favor come with favors and you can't say no
Go out the way to make the coin available
That's what I call love
The closest ones afraid to say they need some time
The turnaround is life or death, but you don't mind
Go out the way to say you made the compromise
That's what I call love
But the time it'll come to not be there when somebody needs you
You say no and all you've done gives them amnesia
One thing I've learned, love can change with thе seasons
And I can't please еverybody
Eventually Kendrick ends up singing ‘I can't please everybody’ a whopping 54 times.
Enough said.
Pluto in Scorpio in the first house
Kendrick Lamar has Pluto in Scorpio in his first house. The first house represents the following life areas: self, identity, appearance and body. Planets in the first house of a birth chart are deeply woven into the birth chart owner’s personality and the energies of the planets in question are often obvious for the rest of the world.
Pluto is the planet that represents death, rebirth and transformation. Pluto is also the modern ruler of the sign of Scorpio, which means that Pluto is strengthened in the sign of Scorpio. Therefore, people with Pluto in Scorpio in the first house lead intense lives full of depth. They often experience many traumatic events and cyclic identity crises in their life, only to constantly emerge from the ashes as a new person while undergoing a cathartic transformation. Death is always a recurring thread throughout their life, whether literal or metaphorical. One could say it’s the job of the 1st house Pluto in Scorpio person to learn how to be friends with their inner demons.
In “Duckworth” Kendrick raps:
It was always me vs the world
Until I found it's me vs me
Kendrick Lamar grew up in Compton, engrossed with tragedy. He saw his first murder at age 5 and lost many loved ones. In his songs he tells about the abuse of his mother when he was little, and the lasting oppressive guilt for not taking action then. He also wrote about the violence and sexual abuse he witnessed at a young age, relationship crises, and transgender relatives who were humiliated by his community, as well as himself when he was young. Lamar has also stated he converted to religion after the death of a close friend. Kendrick Lamar is known as an artist that’s obsessed with survival, death, and any subject that seems impossible to resolve.
In "Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst" Kendrick raps:
I woke up this morning and figured I'd call you
In case I'm not here tomorrow, I'm hoping that I can borrow
A peace of mind, I'm behind on what's really important
My mind is really distorted, I find nothing but trouble in my life
I'm fortunate you believe in a dream
This orphanage we call a ghetto is quite a routine
[...]
I'm not sure why I'm infatuated with death
My imagination is surely an aggravation of threats
In the song “Mortal Man” on the album “To Pimp a Butterfly”, Kendrick has a one on one conversation with the legendary Tupac Shakur which sums up the whole album, telling him of his transformations from caterpillar, to cocoon, to butterfly. It doesn’t get any more Plutonian.
Mercury and Mars in Cancer in the 9th house
Kendrick Lamar has Mercury and Mars together in Cancer in the 9th house. Mercury and Mars form a conjunction which means that the energies of the two planets involved are merged. Mercury is the planet that represents how you communicate and how you express yourself. Mars is the planet of action that represents how and where you assert your energy. The 9th house is the house that represents higher education, religion, spirituality and world views. Cancer is a protective, emotional water sign.
The merged energies of Mercury (communication) and Mars (action) point to someone with a quick mind and a sharp tongue, a perfect combination for a rapper. These two planets together in the 9th house in Cancer also point to someone who pours a lot of energy into speaking and teaching his truth, protecting his beliefs and not holding back on anything he believes in.
Kendrick is a devoted Christian and often raps about his faith and world views. People call his albums "prophetic" and see him as a preacher. His Sun in the highly-creative, expressive sign of Gemini in the same house - the 9th house - underlines this: the house placement of the Sun shows where a person shines the most. Kendrick has also said he wants his albums to serve as teachings. He has always been very outspoken about topics as systemic racism, materialism, sexual assault, cancel culture and toxic masculinity. Especially the album "To Pimp a Butterfly" was ahead of its time.
Moon in Pisces in the 5th house
Kendrick Lamar has the Moon in Pisces in the 5th house. The Moon represents your emotions, your deepest feelings and instincts and what you need to feel safe and secure. The 5th house is the house that represents creativity and self-expression, among other things. Pisces is an emotional, poetic and artistic water sign. Many artists have their Moon in Pisces. Their sensitivity, enormous imagination and desire to escape from the daily grind needs a creative outlet after all.
What’s important to note is that Kendrick’s Moon in Pisces forms a harmonious connection - a 90 degree angle that astrologers call a ‘trine’ - to his Mercury and Mars in Cancer, all water placements. This means that the energies of his Moon, Mercury and Mars support each other and manifest as gifts. In other words: the way Kendrick expresses himself (Moon in 5th house) is through successfully writing and preaching what he believes in (Mercury/Mars in the 9th house). Kendrick pours all his feels onto paper. He turns his emotions into art, into music. He has said he only wanted to be classified as an artist who recognizes his true feelings, emotions, thoughts and views on the world. If you read his lyrics, it reads like poetry. Kendrick Lamar is not just a rapper. He is a poet.
Descendant ruler in the 9th house
Kendrick Lamar has his Descendant in Aries. The Descendant can always be found opposite the Ascendant. Whereas the Ascendant represents the self, the Descendant represents the other. Therefore, the Descendant is the relationship point in a birth chart. The house where your Descendant ruler can be found always reveals where you will meet your significant other.
So Kendrick has the Descendant in Aries. The ruling planet of the sign of Aries is Mars. Mars sits in Cancer in the 9th house. So the planet that rules his Descendant can be found in the 9th house. The 9th house is the house of higher education, among other things. Kendrick met his fiancée Whitney while they were students at Centennial High School in their hometown of Compton. They were high school sweethearts.
I hereby rest my case.
North Node in Aries in the 6th house
Kendrick Lamar has the North Node in Aries in the 6th house. The North Node is a point in a birth chart that represents someone’s purpose in life. The 6th house represents work, among other things. Aries is a fire sign that is combative and focused on the self. It's Kendrick’s purpose to work hard, to fight for his place, to have a job where he can inspire others, to break ground by being unapologetically himself, to be a pioneer and to stay true to his vision.
Before getting his first record deal at Top Dawg Entertainment, Kendrick rapped for an hour straight to prove himself to Top Dawg. He also first started rapping under the name "K.Dot" but soon replaced it for his real name, unlike most rappers, because he wanted people to know who he really was. Meanwhile, he has achieved both commercial success and critical praise and releases his projects on his own terms. People call him ‘the leader of the culture’ and Kendrick even won the Pulitzer prize as the first rapper ever.
In "Wanna be heard", a song from 2009 when he wasn’t big yet, he raps:
I used to wanna rap like Jay-Z
Until I finally realized he wasn't me
I took my time to jot down every line that's a quotable
Critics say I don't be killing this shit but I know I do
Because I used to practice early morning and then after school
I'm working on my hooks my nigga, I ain't tryna battle you
[...]
Yep, yep, that's my word
Make a statement with these nouns and verbs
I represent the liquor that's poured out on the curb
Listen to my nouns and verbs (man I wanna be heard)
Like a cattle with sheep
While y'all sleep I be up, cooking up all day
Like a mad scientist in that laboratory
Motherfuck what a critic got to say, I'mma be heard
In "Control" (which is not even his own song, but a Big Sean track) he pioneered boldly by making naming names a thing again:
Pusha T, Meek Millz, A$AP Rocky, Drake
Big Sean, Jay Electron', Tyler, Mac Miller
I got love for you all but I'm tryna murder you niggas
Tryna make sure your core fans never heard of you niggas
They dont wanna hear not one more noun or verb from you niggas
What is competition? I'm tryna raise the bar high
Who tryna jump and get it? You better off tryna skydive
Kendrick Lamar, the astrologer
Last but not least, I want to mention that Kendrick Lamar loves astrology! When Kendrick was asked what he'd be doing if he weren't a rapper he answered: “I’d probably be in astrology. Studying astrology - the moon, the stars, all that shit.” He has also referenced his zodiac sign Gemini several times and wears it like a badge of honor.
In “Hol’ Up” he references his zodiac sign Gemini, the sign denoted by twins and alluded to multiple personalities. Kendrick states he can’t trust his other half:
Who can I trust in 2012? there's no one, not even myself
A Gemini screaming for help, somebody
In “Wesley’s Theory” he raps:
Your horoscope is a Gemini, two sides
So you better cop everything two times
Two coupes, two chains, two C-notes
Too much ain't enough, both we know
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