Whitney Alford

Alford was born on May 12, 1986, in Compton, California to an African-American father and a biracial mother. Growing up, both Alford and Lamar were exposed to the rich and vibrant hip-hop culture that exists in Compton. In the past, the town has given the music world the likes of Ice Cube, Dr Dre, and Suge Knight. It is a treasure trove of talents that often gets overshadowed because of the gang violence and poverty. Lamar’s own father, Kenny Duckworth, was associated with the infamous street gang called Gangster Disciples and his other family members had ties with the Bloods.

Alford and Lamar met as young adults, while they were both attending the local Centennial High School. Soon, a friendship developed between them that only deepened in the ensuing months. They began dating not long after that.

Lamar’s rise to stardom as a hip-hop artist has been nothing short of meteoric. After making his debut as a rapper in 2003 with ‘Youngest Head Nigga in Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year)’, Lamar has since put out four studio albums, one compilation album, four other mixtapes, one extended play and one soundtrack album. He has won 12 Grammys, five BET Awards, and one American Music Award.

Throughout his years of struggle and of the subsequent success, Alford has been there for him. He does not like to call her “my girl” as he thinks she is much more than that, stating, “I wouldn’t even call her my girl. That’s my best friend. 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.”

On March 24, 2015, during an outing with Lamar, Whitney was photographed sporting a huge rock on her left ring finger. On 3 April, amidst speculations, Lamar confirmed the engagement during his appearance on the radio program, Power 105.1’s ‘The Breakfast Club’. There were speculations in the media in mid-2017 that Alford was pregnant but nothing has been confirmed since.

After Lamar confirmed that they were engaged, most of his fans were happy and congratulated the couple. However, self-proclaimed Dark Skin Activist Rashida Strober was not pleased with the news at all. She took to Facebook and criticised Lamar, who is known to be quite proud of his black heritage, for his fiancée’s appearance. Strober called him a hypocrite and stated that she would never buy any of his records ever again. While a few supported her, many pointed out that Whitney, who is three-quarters black, has always identified herself as such.

Alford is a licensed aesthetician and make-up artist. She runs a successful beautician business in Los Angeles.