Award-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar and Whitney Alford have been in each other’s lives for decades. They started off as childhood friends in Compton, California, then became high school sweethearts. They are still together and are now engaged with two children.
In April 2015, Lamar confirmed their engagement during an interview with Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club. “Yeah, definitely, [we’re engaged],” he said, per E!. “I’m loyal to the soil.”
He also described Alford as “somebody I can tell my fears to,” in a January 2015 Billboard interview.
From time to time during his career, Lamar has referenced their relationship in his music. Generally though, the couple keeps their personal life very private.
Ahead, everything we know about Lamar and Alford’s love story, including details about their engagement and family life.
Alford and Lamar are high school sweethearts.
Alford and Lamar’s relationship began in their shared hometown of Compton, California, where they both attended Centennial High School and started dating. According to People, they were friends before their relationship turned romantic.
The couple confirmed their engagement in 2015.
In an April 2015 interview with The Breakfast Club on the Power 105.1, Lamar confirmed the news of their engagement. He referenced their history and called himself “loyal to the soil.”
“Everybody that’s been around me has been around since Day 1, and I can’t change that. I don’t change for nobody,” Lamar said. “People that have been by your side–you’re supposed to honor that,” he added.
A couple of months later, Alford was spotted wearing her engagement ring in public at the BET Awards.
They made their first public appearance at the 2014 Grammy Awards.
Alford and Lamar made their public debut at the 56th Grammy Awards. Lamar was nominated that year for seven awards and won his first two Grammys for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song. Lamar also made his debut on the awards show’s stage in a performance with Imagine Dragons.
Lamar and Alford are parents to two children.
Alford and Lamar welcomed their first child, a daughter named Uzi, in July 2019. The couple did not make a public announcement about her birth. Instead, Lamar revealed her name in his 2022 album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. In the song “Mr. Morale,” Lamar rapped, “Uzi, your father’s in deep meditation.”
Their second child, a son named Enoch, was introduced through the same album’s cover image. Lamar appears holding Uzi while Alford cradles their infant son in the background. Lamar revealed Enoch’s name through the lyrics of “Mr. Morale” as well. He rapped, “Enoch, your father’s just detoxed.” In track “Worldwide Steppers,” Lamar described his son as “the part two.”
In October 2022, Lamar spoke about how transformative fatherhood has been to W magazine. “My children allowed me, in their development as human beings beginning to walk and talk, to remove my ego, to know that my children, too, will have their own independence,” Lamar said. “That allows me to understand the unconditional love on my end—will I allow them to be themselves? Will I allow them to journey off in the world and experience life for what they know of? That’s love, to me.”
That June, Alford shared a photo on Instagram for Father’s Day, featuring Lamar and their son.
She wrote about her gratitude seeing more men in her life, including Lamar, show up for their kids. “In my life, I’ve witnessed a great majority of fathers run from their responsibilities,” she began. She added that “I was almost 30 the first time I celebrated Father’s Day, and it’s still one of the hardest for me. I know there are many women like me. So men it’s not as important for us to celebrate you, as it is for You to celebrate You. Celebrate your contribution to the next generation. I am grateful for the men that are showing me a different picture, my lens was very narrow before but not anymore. Love you guys, keep showing up 🤍 Happy Father’s Day @kendricklamar 🤍”
Alford contributes to Lamar’s music.
Alford has played a significant role in Lamar’s creative journey. GQ noted she provided background vocals on two tracks from Lamar’s 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly, “King Kunta” and “Wesley’s Theory.” More recently, her voice appeared on four tracks of Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, including “Mother I Sober.” In the song, Alford is heard encouraging Lamar, saying, “You did it, I’m proud of you. You broke a generational curse.”
Alford and their children also made an appearance in Lamar’s 2024 music video for “Not Like Us.” The black-and-white video shows Lamar, Alford, and their children dancing in their living room.
Alford founded a nonprofit organization.
Alford is the founder of Love + Ethos, a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles that supports mothers “facing systemic, economic, and social challenges,” the organization wrote on its site. Its vision is “a world where every woman—and her family—defines their individual and collective futures on their own terms.”
Alford’s personal experiences led her to create the organization.
“As women, we are often the first to be overlooked, especially if you’re a minority,” Alford wrote on the nonprofit’s site. “I hope to be an asset to my community through my work with Love + Ethos.”
Alford is an esthetician and makeup artist as well. Us Weekly reported she launched her own beauty business in Los Angeles and graduated from California State University, Long Beach.
Alford and Lamar keep their relationship relatively private.
Despite Lamar’s fame, the couple has kept their love story and family mostly out of the spotlight.
However, Lamar has discussed about his deep respect for Alford. In a 2015 interview with Billboard, Lamar said that Alford is much more than a romantic partner to him. “I wouldn’t even call her my girl,” he said. “That’s my best friend.”
When Vanity Fair asked in a 2018 interview if there’s a reason Lamar doesn’t say much about Alford, Lamar replied, “I want something that’s just for me,”
In recent years, Alford has offered rare glimpses into their family life through her Instagram.
In August 2024, she shared photos of herself with their children. She captionined the post, “Still thanking God for every day I get the opportunity to experience life (even on the days I say f—- this s—-)…Loving Me. Loving my family…Chilling with my babies, grateful for the opportunity to be their mommy. Learning to see life the way they see it (bcuz my way seems a little warped) . They are the inspiration behind the work that I’m doing through Love + Ethos (my new baby). I’m excited for more healing and writing the next chapter in my book of life✌🏽.”