One of my favourite ways to learn astrology is to look at charts of those we know; whether it be in our own lives, ourselves, or figures in pop culture. Today we’re going to dive deeper into Kendrick Lamar’s chart since he’s currently having a moment.
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I don’t watch American football, but like many others who fit into that category, I do enjoy a good halftime show. The other day, I was sitting on the couch wondering what I should do when I opened my laptop and went to YouTube to watch Kendrick Lamar and his team on the stage. Not long after pressing ‘play’ did I realise this was much deeper than entertainment, and even deeper than petty drama, and as soon as Samuel L. Jackson spoke, tears started welling up in the corners of my eyes—I should’ve expected that knowing who Kendrick Lamar is, and by his previous work.
Naturally, after the 15 minutes were over and I collected myself and went straight to the internet to find Kendrick Lamar’s birth information so I could geek out on his chart. What makes him, “him?”
I was eager to find out.
I’m not here to talk about the show specifically—there are many writers out there who can speak more deeply to the symbolism and the deeper meaning and speculations behind the art, and with that being said, art is subjective anyway. If you didn’t understand what was going on, if you didn’t like it, or if you didn’t even give it a chance because of who was on the stage, cool. I’m not here to tell you what to feel, and that’s not how art “works” anyway.
I would encourage you to look more deeply into it and possibly learn something new. The show went way past the Drake drama (though a great way to pull people in), and if you didn’t understand it, it might be worth reading some of the pieces linked below. Admittedly, some of it went over my head, and I’ve been deep down the rabbit hole since.
Here are some writers unpacking the show itself:
Kin+ and Kahlil Greene break down the show and the symbols you might’ve missed.
Samantha Perkins touches on Kendrick’s sobriety and how it’s upping her and her husband’s “cool factor” with their kids. We need more examples of badass sober folks on the stage, if you ask me—and Kendrick Lamar is a great example of one of them.
Brandon O'Sullivan and Phil put together this guide that runs through Kendrick Lamar’s discography for a broader sense of his artistry.
Now, what I’m here for—Kendrick Lamar’s astrology chart
The Wordsmith
Kendrick Lamar’s sun is in Gemini, much like many other big name rappers of our time, which instantly makes sense given that Gemini is the wordsmith. His ability to form and align words in a way that communicates an idea to us in a way that sparks curiosity or sends a message. Many people don’t see the depth of the sign of Gemini at first glance because we often see the surface level embodiment—the pettiness (we may have saw a bit of it on Sunday 👀 hey Drake), the flakiness, the wit, and the humour—but Gemini is much more than that. At the highest expression, Gemini is a channel bringing ideas from heaven to earth—the messenger much like Mercury himself ensuring that the message is received by everyone who needs to hear it.
When I look at Lamar’s chart, I see his Gemini sun sits in the 9th house, which is the house of higher education, spirituality and religion, as well as international travel. In a conversation with Rick Rubin, he talks about how he gains much of his inspiration from travel and having conversations with people from all walks of life. It’s the house where the student of life becomes the teacher—it’s giving prophet. A 9th house Gemini sun is the storyteller, the one who teaches through the arc of a story, which is what many of his albums tend to do. Religion and spirituality are themes that run through his music, and seem to be a big part of his own life.
When we take it a step deeper, we see his Gemini sun is no usual Gemini sun because it’s conjunct Chiron, the wounded healer. When I saw this, my first question was “I wonder if he has a wound around communication or learning? Was he always able to communicate effectively or did he have to work for this?”
Through a quick search I found out he had a stutter when he was younger that continued into High School, and he sometimes struggled to pronounce certain words. Something that often happens with Chiron conjunct sun natives, is they’re drawn to lean into the wound to find creative ways to heal, much like the myth of Chiron himself. They gain tools along the way, and eventually may become someone who helps others heal as they gain wisdom. Lamar leaned way into the art of communication, finding healing in a communication style that worked for him—music.
The Artist
The moon represents our emotional body, and for Kendrick, his emotions are best processed through art, solitude, spirituality, and taking care of his energy. Pisces moons are poets, and they are deeply empathetic. I would imagine Kendrick feels the collective pain, and the pain is then transmuted into art that makes us feel things. The low road of this placement would be getting lost in it. One thing I find cool about him (I may be biased here) is that he’s sober. Pisces moons are extra sensitive, especially to substances. The low road of Pisces placements would be getting lost in the pain, which could lead to trying to escape the human experience by way of drugs, alcohol, video games, or anything that allows us not to feel. I would imagine his sobriety is something that can truly allow him to feel the full spectrum of the human experience, which in turn allows us to feel more through his music. He’s one of the few artists that I completely feel when his music fills my ears. His art transports you to another place and immerses you in an experience even if you haven’t experienced what he talks about.
His Pisces moon is in his 5th house of children, romance, and joy. In that conversation with Rick Rubin, he mentions how important children are to his own creative process. Many of his songs were sparked by having conversations with kids and seeing through their fresh perspective.
The Peacemaker
Kendrick Lamar has a Libra rising, which means we meet him as someone who embodies justice, balance, and harmony. His soul is striving for peace—and not the conflict avoidant type. With Pluto in Scorpio in the 1st house, he holds up a mirror in our faces. The internet has been full of people triggered by him and his performance, which to me feels a lot like Pluto pushing the buttons of those who aren’t ready to meet their own shadow. Lamar pushes buttons and elicits the shadow to come out to play as he holds the mirror to parts of us we may be uncomfortable with.
I thought it was interesting that his big three are all signs of duality, which is the whole concept of his Pulitzer Prize winning album(s) “Damn.” Here’s a video that goes deep into the album, if it’s something you’re into.
The Changemaker
The first thing I noticed when I looked at Lamar’s chart was Uranus in Sagittarius opposing his Gemini sun. He’s here to speak the uncomfortable truths in the name of justice and change. He’s here to shake up our belief systems by way of communication. This could also be the part of him that is here to create change through storytelling, as Gemini and Sagittarius both represent stories and words—the thing is, it’s not always going to be comfortable and often times what he says will confront deeper parts of us. With his sun in the 9th house, he’s a leader. He’s using story to lead by example for future generations, while using his words (Uranus in the 3rd house) to break through to our current generation, too. Sagittarius is blunt, honest, and straight to the point—he’s not afraid to say what many of us would usually hold back on. He takes a different approach to other artists in his genre, by going deeper than the surface level—he digs deeper into his own emotional body to pull out the full spectrum of the human experience.
His work in this lifetime is to own his honesty by being direct. He’s also got Saturn in Sagittarius, which means he’s here to learn to be okay with causing controversy by speaking up. With the task of speaking truth, there’s a price to pay for owning what you say. It may ruffle feathers, but he’s here to lean into it because it’s important work—for him and the collective.
The Finger of God
Pluto is also at the apex of a yod in his chart, which has been recently activated in his chart. Yods are a call to action—when people have a yod in their chart, they often feel called to a specific purpose.
Yods are referred to as the “finger of God,” so you could imagine it carries a bit of weight. Pluto in this case makes an aspect called a quincunx to both Venus and his North Node—but what does this mean in English?
I rewrote the devil’s story just to take our power back ~ Kendrick Lamar, Reincarnated
Venus in Gemini (which is the ruler of his chart) is the part of him that values words and communication. It’s in the 8th house of intimacy—his ideas run deep, his words carry depth. He digs quite deep into his own human experience, and he’s talked about how he has taken ideas from his therapy sessions to write songs about what he’s learned in his own life. He’s not here to play it safe.
Venus sextiles his North Node in Aries. This is the part of him that is called forward into action to fight for what he believes in. It sits in his 6th house of daily habits, and it’s the part of him that is called to be direct and to take courageous steps forward in his work. When he takes risks, he’s rewarded.
Both of these points in his chart are at odds with Pluto in his first house. This is where the weight is felt most deeply. With Pluto in his first house, he is continuously going through transformation. He may feel as though he’s lived many lives in one. Pluto is related to power, so this could bring power struggles and dynamics in relationships with others, and within himself. Not only does he experience in this in his personal life, but on a collective level given the nature of his work. He’s here to level power dynamics, reclaim and redistribute power, unearth truths that were once hidden, and shine a light on the truth for all to see—no matter how uncomfortable the truths may be. His authenticity is his superpower. This is the part of him that inspires others through his own willingness to journey through his own shadows.
When we look at the yod as a whole, Lamar is using the communication (Venus in Gemini) of his values to support his courage to fight (NN Aries) to create deep change and transformation (Pluto in Scorpio) and to put it all on the table. He’s holding a mirror up, not only to himself, but to the world through his art. The controversy about Kendrick Lamar directly reflects the divide within society today.
Current Transits
Currently, his Cancer placements are being lit up as well. Natally, he has Mars and Mercury both in Cancer, as well as his midheaven. He’s a natural leader—something people tend to overlook when thinking of the sign of Cancer. Lamar is a leader who cares and nurtures those around him. He’s known for highlighting other artists and sharing the spotlight, which we saw at the halftime show with SZA and Serena Williams.
With Mars and Mercury up there, too, he fights for those he cares about. He’s motivated by a deep sense of purpose in protecting loved ones. In his conversation with Rick Rubin, he talks about finding the emotion he felt when he first had a thought or idea for a song, and he taps back into the emotion when he sits with it again to bring it to life through his expression. He’s deeply motivated by his emotional body. He’s in touch with his emotions and he’s not afraid to go deep, which we can feel through his music (I can, at least).
He’s currently experiencing his progressed moon in Cancer highlighting his career in the 10th house. This is a time where he’s gaining recognition and he’s in the spotlight, clearly. With this transit, he’s nurturing his career and pouring love into his work. Vulnerability is encouraged to be expressed, and in my opinion, he’s doing a great job.
Mars is also straddling his midheaven, natal Mars, and Mercury. There’s extra energy being funnelled into that part of his chart, and his life. We can see it pretty clearly in the mainstream with his new album release, his Grammy wins, and the halftime show.
Jupiter is also expanding his value system and bringing light to one of the deepest parts of his chart—the 8th house of shared resources. This is activating the yod I mentioned before.
Saturn is now conjunct his moon, so he may be going through a period of emotional maturity. This is probably a more personal experience, and I can’t speak to how he’s feeling, but I would imagine there may be some feelings of restriction around his emotional body, or an upleveling in how he processes those emotions. I would imagine it takes a lot out of him to be in the spotlight, especially with his Pisces moon loving solitude.
And lastly, he’s experiencing his Saturn square which is another maturation point. His life lesson (Saturn in Sagittarius) is up for review, and we saw it loud and clear on Sunday.
I want to hear from you:
* What did you think of the half time show, if you watched it?
* If you’re an astrologer (or learning), what did I miss in his chart? Let’s talk about it!
To learn how to embody your own chart, like Kendrick Lamar does so beautifully, join today as a free or paid subscriber.
What’s going on at LTDP…
* Join us in getting creative like Kendrick as we set intentions under the new moon in Pisces on February 28th at 6am PT/9am ET/2pm UK/9pm ICT live on Zoom. A replay will be sent out to paid members who can’t make it live. Become a paid member to unlock access to all upcoming New Moon Workshops for 2025!
* In case you missed it, my story of spelling kindness was featured on Holly Starley's Rolling Desk last week. I’ll be sending it out to all of you soon, but you can read it here in the meantime.
* If you’d like to explore your own chart like we did here with Kendrick Lamar’s, why not book a session?
*paid members can find discount links for sessions in the Paid Member Goodie Box 🎁
