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Kendrick Lamar and Whitney Alford attending The 58th GRAMMY Awards
Kendrick Lamar and Whitney Alford attending The 58th GRAMMY Awards
Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NARAS
Culture > Entertainment

Kendrick Lamar & Whitney Alford’s Relationship Started When They Were Teenagers

Kendrick Lamar and Whitney Alford’s love story is one for the books. From their humble beginnings in Compton to navigating the spotlight as a private couple, Lamar and Alford’s romance, of over a decade, has melted the hearts of fans worldwide. Not only are they childhood sweethearts but they’re also parent to two adorable children. Alford has even served as a constant muse for Lamar’s music, as he’s been writing songs about her since 2005. 

Alford has been Lamar’s long-term muse. Not only did she appear in the cover art for his 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly. She sang backing vocals on his tracks and even narrated four songs including “Mother I Sober” and “Father Time,”. Lamar’s heartwarming track “She Needs Me” was his first-ever love song, which was inspired by none other than Alford. In the track, Lamar references how she carries herself with unwavering confidence, how he, ultimately, can’t live without her, and how he needs her in his life. “She needs me, she needs me, she needs me, she needs me / Even if we seem to separate, eventually it’ll come to pass, and she’ll need me / I need her, we need we,” he raps in the track. 

Since Lamar will soon be headlining the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show, what better time to look at his and Alford’s swoon-worthy relationship timeline?

2001-2005

Lamar and Alford first met in high school. They both attended Centennial High School in Compton and dated shortly after becoming friends. Lamar referred to their meeting in 2005 in his song “She Needs Me” from his 2010 album Overly Dedicated. “Five years later, an accounting major, work at a firm / Abundance of paper, she got a career, she look in the rear / View mirror of a Mercedez that she can steer,” he raps.

January 2014

The private couple made their first public appearance in 2014 on the red carpet at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.

January 2015

Lamar revealed a rare detail about his relationship with Alford in a January 2015 interview with Billboard. “That’s my best friend,” he said. “I don’t even like the term that society has put in the world as far as being a companion — she’s somebody I can tell my fears to.” Needless to say, my heart is melting.

March 2015

Alford provided backing vocals on Lamar’s songs “King Kunta” and “Wesley’s Theory” from his album To Pimp a Butterfly.

April 2015

In April 2015, Lamar confirmed engagement rumors during a The Breakfast Club interview. “Yeah, definitely,” he said. “I’m loyal to the soul.”

A few years later, in 2018, Alford posted a photo of herself on Instagram with her stunning engagement ring on full display.

2019-2022

Lamar and Alford expanded their family in 2019, welcoming their daughter, Uzi, who was born on July 1. Uzi is even mentioned in Lamar’s song “Mr. Morale” from his album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers when he rapped, “Uzi, your father’s in deep meditation.” Their son, Enoch, was born soon after Uzi, though the specific details of his birth remain unknown. Enoch is also mentioned in the track “Mr. Morale” when Lamar raps, “Enoch, your father’s just detoxed.”

December 2022

Alford appeared in the music video for Lamar’s song “Count Me Out” from his album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

July 2024

In July 2024, Alford appeared in the music video for Lamar’s song of the summer “Not Like Us” where the couple was seen dancing together.

Since 2005, Lamar and Alford have been going strong. IDK about you, but this private celeb couple has my heart melting from their unwavering support of one another.

Amanda Brown is a current national writer for Her Campus, focusing largely on the Entertainment & Culture vertical. She was formerly the Summer 2024 Entertainment & Culture intern, writing about all things pop culture! Beyond Her Campus, Amanda is a sophomore Writing and Rhetoric major with an Honors Interdisciplinary Studies minor at James Madison University. Amanda is the Founder/President/Editorial Director of JMU's Spoon University chapter and the Junior Social Media Manager of JMU's Her Campus chapter. She is also a member of Gamma Phi Beta. In her free time, Amanda loves binge-watching reality TV (especially while drinking iced lattes) and going on long walks (ideally using it as a yap session or listening to music). Amanda loves reading romance novels while listening to Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams.