In November 2013 , he was named '' GQ '' 's " Rapper of the Year , " and was featured on the cover of the magazine 's " Men of the Year " issue . During the interview , he stated that he would begin recording his second major-label studio album in January 2014 . Following the issue 's release , TDE 's CEO Anthony " Top Dawg " Tiffith pulled Kendrick Lamar from performing at '' GQ '' s party that accompanies the issue , calling out writer Steve Marsh 's profile , " Kendrick Lamar : Rapper of the Year , " for its " racial overtones . " '' GQ '' editor-in-chief Jim Nelson responded with the following statement : " Kendrick Lamar is one of the most talented new musicians to arrive on the scene in years . That 's the reason we chose to celebrate him , wrote an incredibly positive article declaring him the next King of Rap , and gave him our highest honor : putting him on the cover of our Men of the Year issue . I 'm not sure how you can spin that into a bad thing , and I encourage anyone interested to read the story and see for themselves . " Lamar received a total of seven Grammy nominations at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards ( 2014 ) , including Best New Artist , Album of the Year , and Best Rap Song , but did not win in any category . Many publications felt that The Recording Academy snubbed Lamar , as well as Seattle-based rapper Macklemore , who won Best Rap Albumcategory for which Lamar was also nominated . At the ceremony , Lamar performed " M.A.A.D City " and a remix of " Radioactive " in a mash-up with American rock band Imagine Dragons at the awards ceremony . The remix was again performed by Lamar and the band on February 1 , 2014 , during the airing of '' Saturday Night Live '' , marking Lamar 's second appearance on the show
56th Annual Grammy Awards
56th Annual Grammy Awards
Kendrick Lamar