What is “Kendrick Lamar & The Morale of the m.A.A.d city”? Temple University will introduce a new course focused on rapper's life and music

Kendrick Lamar is set to become the subject of a new course at Temple University, Philadelphia. Starting in Fall 2025, students can enroll in "Kendrick Lamar & The Morale of the m.A.A.d city." The course, taught by Professor Timothy Welbeck, will reportedly explore the rapper's life, artistry, and influence in the music industry through an Afrocentric lens.

The course is named after two of the rapper's records: good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012) and Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022).

Professor Welbeck, who teaches Africology and African American Studies at Temple, is also a hip-hop artist himself. The professor aims to teach students about Lamar's impact on the music industry, focusing on his lyrical depth and his contributions to uplifting West Coast hip-hop culture.

The course will introduce students to Lamar's life growing up in Compton, California, and how that influenced his perspective and voice in hip-hop. In a statement to WHYY.org, Professor Welbeck explained why he chose to center the course around the Grammy-winning artist, saying:

“Kendrick Lamar is one of the leading voices of his generation and has a keen ability to articulate various dynamics of black life and the quest towards self actualization and particularly also capturing the narrative of marginalization and rising from that.”

The professor, who previously taught the “Hip-hop and Black Culture” course at Temple University, hopes this new course will give students more insight into the Pulitzer Prize winner's career. Various industry professionals who have collaborated with Lamar are invited to provide guest lectures as part of the course.

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Recapping Kendrick Lamar's highlights in 2025

For Kendrick Lamar, 2025 began fresh off the success of his album, GNX, which debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 following its release in November 2024. In February, the rapper won five Grammys, including Song of the Year for the Drake diss track Not Like Us.

The following week, on February 9, he headlined the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show, which was reportedly crowned the most-watched halftime show of all time after drawing 133.5 million viewers. According to Billboard, Kendrick Lamar also made history as the first solo rap act to headline a Super Bowl halftime performance.

Throughout the 11-minute set, the rapper teased Not Like Us, amid intense speculation about whether he would perform the song due to its connection to Drake's defamation lawsuit against UMG. Lamar eventually performed the track but omitted the line "certified p*dophiles."

In April, Kendrick Lamar and SZA embarked on their "Grand National Tour," which broke records immediately. Their opening show in Minneapolis became the highest-grossing rap concert of all time, surpassing the previous record held by Eminem. The April 19 concert grossed over $9.1 million and attracted over 47,000 fans.

In June, Kendrick Lamar emerged victorious at the BET Awards, winning five out of the 10 nominations. His awards included Album of the Year for GNX, Best Male Hip-Hop Artist, and Video of the Year for Not Like Us. During his acceptance speech for Album of the Year, he said:

“I ain’t been here in a long time but I always kept my heart BET. I always made sure they representing the culture right and they put me in the midst of the cycle we represent and that’s real, true, down to earth music that people can feel so I always give my heart to BET."

That same month, he and SZA performed two back-to-back shows in Toronto as part of their tour, on June 12 and 13. The first show in Drake's hometown earned Lamar a two-minute ovation and cheers for an encore after he performed Not Like Us.

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In other news, Kendrick Lamar and SZA concluded the North American leg of their tour in Landover on June 18 and are reportedly set to embark on the European leg from July 2.

Edited by Shubham Soni