Just wanted to say how much I appreciate this sub! I’ve downloaded over 80 albums in the last few days and just wanted to say you’re all amazing for the sharing you do! K-Dot - Training Day (2005) Calidad: 192 kbps 01. One Shot Kill 02. Who Shot Ya (Freestyle) 04.
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City | ||||
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Released | October 22, 2012 | |||
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Length | 68:23 | |||
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Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (stylized as good kid, m.A.A.d city) is the second studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on October 22, 2012, by Aftermath Entertainment, Interscope Records, and Top Dawg Entertainment. The album is Lamar's major label debut, after his independently released first album Section.80 in 2011 and his signing to Aftermath and Interscope the following year.
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City was recorded mostly at several studios in California, with producers such as Dr. Dre, Just Blaze, Pharrell Williams, Hit-Boy, Scoop DeVille, Jack Splash and T-Minus, among others, contributing to the album. Billed as a 'short film by Kendrick Lamar' on the album cover, the concept album follows the story of Lamar's teenage experiences in the drug-infested streets and gang lifestyle of his native Compton. The album received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised its thematic scope and Lamar's lyrics. It earned Lamar four Grammy Award nominations at the 56th Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.
The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, selling 242,000 copies in its first week – earning the highest first-week hip hop album sales of 2012 from a male artist, along with the best-selling debut from a male artist of the year. It became Lamar's first album to enter the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number 16, and entering the UK R&B Albums Chart at number two. The album was also named to many end-of-the-year lists, often topping them. It was later certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in June 2018. By April 2018, the album had sold 1.7 million copies domestically.
The album's release was supported by five singles – 'The Recipe', 'Swimming Pools (Drank)', 'Backseat Freestyle', 'Poetic Justice' and 'Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe'. All five singles achieved chart success, of varying degrees. Lamar also went on a world tour between May and August 2013, featuring the other members of the hip hop collective, Black Hippy.
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After the release and success of his debut studio album Section.80 (2011), Lamar signed a major label record deal with Interscope Records and Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. He told HipHopDX that he did not want to work with high-profile producers, but with those he had established himself with, mainly producers from Top Dawg's in-house production team, Digi+Phonics.[3]
In an interview for XXL, Lamar said that the album would not sound like Section.80, but will return to his Compton roots: 'I couldn't tell you what type of sound or where I [will] be in the next five years as far as music.. Back to the neighbourhood and [going] back in that same space where we used to be, got [me] inspired. So this album won't sound like Section.80.'[4]
Lamar also said that the album will showcase the influence of his hometown: 'The kid that's trying to escape that influence, trying his best to escape that influence, has always been pulled back in because of circumstances that be'.[3] Before the album's title was officially revealed, fans had already been calling Lamar's major label debut Good Kid, Mad City or Good Kid in a Mad City, as it was a nickname Lamar had given himself. The album's title mainly refers to Lamar's childhood innocence, and how Compton affected his life. After keeping the album title's acronym concealed, Lamar later revealed M.A.A.D is an acronym with two meanings: 'My Angry Adolescence Divided' and 'My Angels on Angel Dust', with Lamar stating: 'That was me, [and it's] the reason why I don't smoke. It was just me getting my hands on the wrong thing at the wrong time [and] being oblivious to it.'[5]
The cover artwork for Good Kid, M.A.A.D City features a baby Lamar, two of his uncles, and his grandfather, with the adults' eyes censored. Though there is no confirmed explanation for why Lamar chose to do this, he explained that the reason why he had not censored his own eyes was that the album's story was told through his eyes, and is based around his experiences. The uncle who is holding Lamar also is displaying the Crips gang sign with his hand, and the poster above the head of the uncle features Lamar and his father.[6]
Recording sessions for the album took place at PatchWerk Recording Studios in Atlanta, Encore Studios in Burbank, TDE Red Room in Carson, and 'At My Mama's Studio' in Los Angeles.[7] The first song that Lamar recorded for the album was 'Compton', which featured Dr. Dre. The track serves as the twelfth track on the album, and acts as the standard edition's closing track.[8]
On August 15, 2012, Lady Gaga announced via Twitter, that she had collaborated with Lamar on a song called 'Partynauseous', for the album, and would be released on September 6. However, on August 23, Gaga announced that the song was no longer being released on that date and apologized to fans for the delay.[9][10] Eventually, it was confirmed that Lady Gaga would not be featured on the album due to timing issues and creative differences.[11] The song was later revealed to be re-titled 'Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe'. On November 8, Gaga released the version she was featured on, which had her singing the chorus and a verse.[12] Lamar expressed he was surprised and happy that Gaga released her version of the song, as it displayed confidence in their work together.[13]
—Robert Christgau[14]
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City has a low-key,[15] downbeat production,[16] with atmospheric beats and subtle, indistinct hooks.[14] It eschews contemporary hip hop tastes[17] and generally features tight bass measures, subtle background vocals, and light piano.[18] Writers draw comparisons of the music to Outkast's 1998 album Aquemini.[19][20][21] Andrew Nosnitsky of Spin cites the music's 'closest point of reference' as 'the cold spaciousness of ATLiens-era Outkast, but as the record progresses, that sound sinks slowly into the fusionist mud of those sprawling and solemn mid-2000s Roots albums.'[22]Sasha Frere-Jones of The New Yorker finds its use of 'smooth' music as a backdrop for 'rough' scenarios to be analogous to Dr. Dre's G-funk during the early 1990s, but adds that 'Lamar often sounds like Drake .. whose various dreamy styles have very little to do with the legacy of the West.'[23]Okayplayer's Marcus Moore writes that its 'expansive and brooding' instrumentals eschew 'California's glossy West Coast funk' for a 'Dungeon Family aesthetic.'[24]
Lyrically, the album chronicles Lamar's experiences in his native Compton and its harsh realities,[25] in a nonlinear narrative.[26] The songs address issues such as economic disenfranchisement, retributive gang violence[27] and downtrodden women,[28] while analyzing their residual effects on individuals and families.[27] Lamar introduces various characters and internal conflicts,[28] including the contrast of his homesickness and love for Compton with the city's plagued condition.[2] Del F. Cowie of Exclaim! observes a 'transformation' by Lamar's character 'from a boisterous, impressionable, girl-craving teenager to more spiritual, hard-fought adulthood, irrevocably shaped by the neighbourhood and familial bonds of his precarious environment.'[16]Slant Magazine's Mark Collett writes that Lamar executes the character's transition by 'tempering the hedonistic urges of West Coast hip hop with the self-reflective impulses of the East Coast.'[29] David Amidon of PopMatters views that the album provides a 'sort of semi-autobiographical character arc',[30] while MSN Music's Robert Christgau writes that Lamar 'softspokenly' enacts a 'rap-versus-real dichotomy'.[14]
The album features naturalistic, vérité-like skits that dramatize the characters' limitations.[14] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times finds them to be a part of the album's 'narrative strategy', with 'prayers and conversations and different voices and recollections and interludes, all in service of one overarching story: Mr. Lamar's tale of ducking Compton's rougher corners to find himself artistically.'[17]Pitchfork's Jayson Greene feels that they reinforce the album's theme of 'the grounding power of family', interpreting 'family and faith' to be 'the fraying tethers holding Lamar back from the chasm of gang violence that threatens to consume him.'[31]
Lamar exhibits a tempered delivery on the album[17] and raps with dense narratives, internal rhyme,[32]double and triple time flow[33] and multiple voices for different characters.[26] Music journalist Jody Rosen characterizes him as 'a storyteller, not a braggart or punch-line rapper, setting spiritual yearnings and moral dilemmas against a backdrop of gang violence and police brutality.'[32]
The album's first single, 'The Recipe', was released on April 3, 2012.[34] The song featured Lamar's mentor, Dr. Dre, and was produced by Scoop DeVille. It peaked at number 38 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[35] Lamar and Dr. Dre shot a video for the song at a mansion in Los Angeles in May, although it was never released.[36] The album's second single, 'Swimming Pools (Drank)', was released on July 31, 2012, while the music video premiered on August 3, 2012.[37][38] The song became a hit, peaking at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[39] 'Swimming Pools (Drank)' was also certified gold in the United States by the RIAA.[40]
The music video for the song, 'Backseat Freestyle', was released on January 2, 2013, which included Lamar's father in a cameo appearance.[41] It was later revealed to be released as the third single in the United Kingdom on January 7.[42] The song peaked at number 29 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[35]
'Poetic Justice' was released third single in North America, featuring Drake. The song was serviced to American rhythmic contemporary radio on January 15, 2013,[43] and peaked at number 26 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[39] It was also soon certified gold in the United States by the RIAA.[44]
On March 9, 2013, Kendrick told Rap-Up that his next single off the album would be 'Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe'.[45] On March 13, Young Guru premiered a snippet of the song's official remix, which featured Jay-Z.[46] Lamar would later describe the remix as an 'accomplishment to have [worked] with Jay-Z'.[47] Shortly after the remix premiered, Lamar confirmed 'Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe' would be the next single from the album.[48] The full version of the remix was premiered by Funkmaster Flex on March 18.[49][50] The remix was released as the album's fourth single to rhythmic contemporary radio on April 9.[51] The song has since peaked at number 32 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[39] The music video for the original version of the single was released on May 13, with comedian Mike Epps making a cameo appearance.[52] The same day, an extended version of the music video was released. It featured a cameo from Juicy J, and a bonus clip of a new song by Schoolboy Q from his own respective major label debut album, Oxymoron (2014).[53]
On March 10, 2015, Lamar unexpectedly released the song 'County Building Blues' to iTunes as a promotional single.[54]
Before and after the album's October 2012 release, Lamar toured as a supporting act alongside Drake and Steve Aoki.[55][56] On May 5, 2013, he begun his first headlining tour with the Good Kid, M.A.A.D City World Tour, in West Palm Beach, Florida. The tour consisted of 23 headlining shows, 22 international music festivals, and 15 United States music festivals. The tour ran through August 24, and featured other members of Black Hippy on all US dates.[57]
After subtitling the album 'a short film by Kendrick Lamar', Lamar would state in an interview with GQ that 'he plans on doing a short film to bring his story to life.' He also expressed interest in directing the short film, as well as suggesting that Tristan Wilds, Taraji P. Henson and Rihanna as potential names he'd want to cast in the film.[58] On December 23, 2013, the music video for 'Sing About Me', was released, and was directed by Darren Romanelli.[59]
In the album's first week of release, it debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and sold 242,000 copies in the United States.[60][61] The album also entered the UK Albums Chart at number 16 on October 28,[62] as well as entering at number two on the UK R&B Albums Chart.[63] The album also peaked in the top ten of the album sales charts in Canada,[64] New Zealand,[65] and the Netherlands.[66] In its second week, it sold 63,000 copies in the US,[67] and 176,000 more copies over the next four weeks, bringing its total sales to 481,000 by November 25.[68] On November 24, the album peaked at number three on the US Vinyl Albums.[69] By April 2018, the album had sold 1,720,000 copies.[70] It was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in June; for combined sales, streaming and track-sale equivalents of three million units in the US.[71]
Professional ratings | |
---|---|
Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 8.6/10[72] |
Metacritic | 91/100[73] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Entertainment Weekly | A−[74] |
The Guardian | [28] |
The Irish Times | [75] |
Los Angeles Times | [27] |
MSN Music (Expert Witness) | A−[14] |
Pitchfork | 9.5/10[31] |
Rolling Stone | [32] |
Spin | 8/10[22] |
USA Today | [76] |
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 91, based on 36 reviews.[73] It was widely praised by reviewers for Lamar's lyrical ability and narratives.[77]
Reviewing the album for Rolling Stone, Jody Rosen said it 'warrants a place in that storied lineage' of 'Seventies blaxploitation soundtracks and Nineties gangsta rap blaxploitation revivals'.[32] In the Chicago Tribune, Greg Kot applauded Lamar for giving 'gangsta tropes .. a twist, or sometimes upend[ing] them completely' on a record that 'brims with comedy, complexity and the many voices in Kendrick Lamar's head.'[15]Pitchfork's Jayson Greene wrote that 'the miracle of this album is how it ties straightforward rap thrills' to its 'weighty material' and narrative,[31] while David Amidon from PopMatters believed the album was simultaneously accessible and substantial, capable of appealing to both underground and mainstream hip hop listeners.[30]Fact journalist Joseph Morpurgo called it an autobiographical 'triumph of breadth' and a 'wide-ranging, far-reaching success'.[26] Jaeki Cho of XXL hailed Good Kid, M.A.A.D City as 'one of the most cohesive bodies of work in recent rap memory' and wrote that each song sounded 'both complexly arranged and sonically fitting, foregrounding Kendrick's vivid lyricism and amazing control of cadence'.[33] In The Irish Times, Jim Carroll viewed it as an entertaining and forward-thinking that nonetheless echoed the past era of West Coast hip hop.[75] In the opinion of AllMusic editor David Jeffries, the album was 'some kind of elevated gangsta rap'; he wrote of its subject matter:
Besides all the great ideas and life, this journey through the concrete jungle of Compton is worth taking because of the artistic richness, plus the attraction of a whip-smart rapper flying high during his rookie season. Any hesitation about the horror of it all is quickly wiped away by Kendrick's mix of true talk, open heart, open mind, and extended hand. Add it all up and subtract the hype, and this one is still potent enough to rise to the top of the pile.[2]
Some reviewers were less enthusiastic. Hazel Sheffield of NME believed the album 'might lack the raw appeal of' Section.80,[78] while Alex Macpherson of The Guardian found 'Lamar's depiction of downtrodden women' to be 'unnecessarily prurient and unconvincing'.[28]Robert Christgau from MSN Music felt that its 'commitment to drama has musical drawbacks', but stated, 'the atmospheric beats Dr. Dre and his hirelings lay under the raps and choruses establish a musical continuity that shores up a nervous flow that's just what Lamar's rhymes need.'[14]
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City appeared on several year-end top albums lists by music critics. It was named the best album of 2012 by BBC, Complex, Fact, New York and Pitchfork. The album was also ranked number two by Billboard, the Chicago Tribune, MTV, Spin and Time, number four by Filter, Jon Pareles of The New York Times and Ann Powers of NPR, number five by The Guardian, number six by Rolling Stone and number eight by Entertainment Weekly.[79] In December 2012, Complex also named Good Kid, M.A.A.D City one of the 25 classic hip hop albums of the previous 10 years.[80]Complex also ranked its album cover as the best of 2012,[81] while Pitchfork included it on its list of the 20 best album covers of the year.[82] In April 2013, Vibe placed the album at number 19 on its 'The Greatest 50 Albums Since '93' list.[83] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[84]
In October 2013, Complex named it the second best hip hop album of the last five years.[85] Also in 2013, Rolling Stone placed the album at 86 on its 'The 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time' list.[86] The album was ranked number two of 'The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far (2010-2014)', a list published by Pitchfork in August 2014[87] and number five of 'The 20 Best Albums of the 2010s (so far)', a list published by Billboard in January 2015.[88] According to Acclaimed Music, a site which aggregates hundreds of critics' lists from around the world into all-time rankings, the album is the most acclaimed of 2012, the third-most acclaimed of the 2010s, and the 141st most acclaimed album of all time.[89]
The album was nominated for Top Rap Album at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards and the 2013 American Music Awards,[90][91] and won the award for Album of the Year at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards.[92]Good Kid M.A.A.D City earned Lamar five Grammy Award nominations at the 56th Grammy Awards, for Album of The Year, Best Rap Album, Best New Artist, Best Rap/Sung Performance for 'Now or Never' with Mary J. Blige, and Best Rap Performance for 'Swimming Pools (Drank)'.[93]
On October 23, 2012, after receiving much critical acclaim from the hip hop community, rapper Shyne took to Twitter to disparage the album, calling it 'trash' and the production horrible.[94]West Coast rappers Nipsey Hussle, Schoolboy Q and The Game quickly took offense to this, with The Game defending Lamar due to his 'non-confrontational nature'.[95][96][97] Lamar would later respond to Shyne's comments on October 26, saying that he is not a sensitive person and was unfazed by his comments. In addition he said Good Kid, M.A.A.D City was not necessarily a 'classic' as some have called it, but 'classic worthy' if enough time would pass.[98] He would later reference Shyne on the song 'The Jig Is Up', stating: 'I pray to God this beat good enough for Shyne'.[99] After Shyne stood by his comments, The Game responded with a freestyle calling out Shyne, entitled 'Cough Up a Lung'.[100][101] Shyne would later respond with his own diss track in retaliation, titled 'Psalms 68 (Guns & Moses)'.[102]
In 2014, it was reported that Good Kid, M.A.A.D City was being studied as a text in the freshman composition class of Georgia Regents University professor Adam Diehl, alongside other coming of age works such as the James Joyce novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Gwendolyn Brooks' Selected Poems, James Baldwin's short story Going to Meet the Man, and the John Singleton film Boyz n the Hood. The theme of the class was meant to 'inspire students to find an outlet to bring some sanity to our own mad city–Augusta', Diehl told HipHopDX. 'Lamar is the James Joyce of hip-hop', he said, 'in the complexity of his storytelling, in his knowledge of the canon, and in his continuing focus on the city of his upbringing - Compton.'[77]
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[103]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 'Sherane a.k.a Master Splinter's Daughter' | Tha Bizness | 4:33 | |
2. | 'Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe' | Sounwave | 5:10 | |
3. | 'Backseat Freestyle' | Hit-Boy | 3:32 | |
4. | 'The Art of Peer Pressure' |
| Tabu | 5:24 |
5. | 'Money Trees' (featuring Jay Rock) | DJ Dahi | 6:26 | |
6. | 'Poetic Justice' (featuring Drake) |
| Scoop DeVille | 5:00 |
7. | 'Good Kid' | Williams | 3:34 | |
8. | 'M.A.A.D City' (featuring MC Eiht) | 5:50 | ||
9. | 'Swimming Pools (Drank)' (Extended Version) |
| T-Minus | 5:13 |
10. | 'Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst' | 12:03 | ||
11. | 'Real' (featuring Anna Wise) |
| Martin | 7:23 |
12. | 'Compton' (featuring Dr. Dre) | Just Blaze | 4:08 | |
Total length: | 68:23 |
Deluxe edition bonus tracks | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
13. | 'The Recipe' (featuring Dr. Dre) |
| Scoop DeVille | 5:52 |
14. | 'Black Boy Fly' | 4:38 | ||
15. | 'Now or Never' (featuring Mary J. Blige) | Splash | 4:17 | |
Total length: | 87:41 |
iTunes Deluxe edition bonus tracks | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
16. | 'Collect Calls' (featuring Kent Jamz) |
| THC | 3:57 |
17. | 'Swimming Pools (Drank)' (Single Version) | T-Minus | 4:07 | |
Total length: | 95:45 |
Target Deluxe edition bonus tracks | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
16. | 'County Building Blues' | DJ Khalil | 4:18 | |
17. | 'Swimming Pools (Drank) (Black Hippy Remix)' (featuring Black Hippy) |
| T-Minus | 5:14 |
Spotify Deluxe edition bonus track | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
16. | 'The Recipe (Black Hippy Remix)' (featuring Black Hippy) |
| Scoop DeVille | 4:21 |
UK Deluxe edition bonus disc | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
13. | 'The Recipe' (featuring Dr. Dre) |
| Scoop DeVille | 5:52 |
14. | 'Black Boy Fly' | 4:38 | ||
15. | 'Now or Never' (featuring Mary J. Blige) | Splash | 4:17 | |
16. | 'County Building Blues' |
| DJ Khalil | 4:18 |
17. | 'Swimming Pools (Drank) (Black Hippy Remix)' (featuring Black Hippy) | T-Minus | 5:14 |
2013 re-issue bonus track | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
13. | 'Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe (Remix)' (featuring Jay-Z) | Sounwave | 4:39 |
2013 re-issue international bonus tracks | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
13. | 'Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe (Remix)' (featuring Jay-Z) | Sounwave | 4:39 | |
14. | 'Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe (International Remix)' (featuring Emeli Sandé) |
| Sounwave | 5:06 |
Notes
Sample credits
Credits for Good Kid, M.A.A.D City adapted from AllMusic.[109]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[139] | Gold | 40,000^ |
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[140] | Platinum | 20,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[141] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[143] | Gold | 193,000[142] |
United States (RIAA)[71] | 3× Platinum | 1,720,000[70] |
^shipments figures based on certification alone |
Region | Date | Version | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Canada | October 22, 2012 | [145][146] | |||
United Kingdom | Standard | [147] | |||
United States |
| [148][149] | |||
United Kingdom | December 3, 2012 | Deluxe | [150] |
..a powerful, significant, thrilling and astonishing affair, good kid, mAAd city recalls the heyday of West Coast rap supremacy while sketching out a new manifesto.
Hip-hop debuts don't come much more 'highly anticipated' than Kendrick Lamar's. A series of killer mixtapes displayed his talent for thought-provoking street lyrics delivered with an attention-grabbing flow, and then there was his membership in the Black Hippy crew with his brethren Ab-Soul, Schoolboy Q, and Jay Rock all issuing solo releases that pleased the 'true hip-hop' set, setting the stage for a massive fourth and final. Top it off with a pre-release XXL Magazine cover that he shared with his label boss and all-around legend Dr. Dre, and the 'biggest debut since Illmatic' stuff starts to flow, but Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City would be a milestone even without the back-story, offering cool and compelling lyrics, great guests (Drake, Dr. Dre, and MC Eiht) and attractive production (from Pharrell, Just Blaze, Tabu, and others). Here, Kendrick is living his life like status and cash were extra credit. It is what makes this kid so 'good' as he navigates his 'mad' city (Compton) with experience and wisdom beyond his years (25). He's shamelessly bold about the allure of the trap, contrasting the sickness of his city with the universal feeling of getting homesick, and carrying a Springsteen-sized love for the home team. Course, in his gang-ruled city, N.W.A. was the home team, but as the truly beautiful, steeped-in-soul, biographic key track 'The Art of Peer Pressure' finds a reluctant young Kendrick and his friends feeding off the life-force of Young Jeezy's debut album, it's something Clash, Public Enemy, and all other rebel music fans can relate to. Still, when he realizes that hero Jeezy must have risen above the game -- because the real playas are damned and never show their faces -- it spawns a kind of elevated gangsta rap that's as pimp-connectable as the most vicious Eazy-E, and yet poignant enough to blow the dust off any cracked soul. Equally heavy is the cautionary tale of drank dubbed 'Swimming Pools,' yet that highlight is as hooky and hallucinatory as most Houston drank anthems, and breaks off into one of the chilling, cassette-quality interludes that connect the album, adding to the documentary or eavesdropping quality of it all. Soul children will experience déjà vu when 'Poetic Justice' slides by with its Janet Jackson sample -- sounding like it came off his Aunt's VHS copy of the movie it's named after -- while the closing 'Compton' is an anthem sure to make the Game jealous, featuring Dre in beast mode, acting pre-Chronic and pre-Death Row. This journey through the concrete jungle of Compton is worth taking because of the artistic richness within, plus the attraction of a whip-smart rapper flying high during his rookie season. Any hesitation about the horror of it all is quickly wiped away by Kendrick's mix of true talk, open heart, open mind, and extended hand. Add it all up and even without the hype, this one is still potent and smart enough to rise to the top of the pile.
Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 4:33 | ||
2 | 5:10 | ||
3 | 3:32 | ||
4 | Kendrick Duckworth / Rune Rask / Jonas Vestergaard | 5:24 | |
5 | 6:26 | ||
6 | 5:00 | ||
7 | 3:34 | ||
8 | 5:50 | ||
9 | 5:13 | ||
10 | 12:03 | ||
11 | 7:23 | ||
12 | 4:08 |
Kendrick Lamar's 'Good Kid, Maad City' album is a.Find album reviews, stream songs, credits and award information for Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City - Kendrick Lamar on AllMusic - 2012 - Hip-hop debuts don't come much more.Listen free to Kendrick Lamar good kid,.
Last year Kendrick Lamar released his major label debut album good kid, m.A.A.d city and the rap internet collectively shat their pants.
It wasn’t just scrawny white boys with a passion for snapbacks who found their trousers soaked with excitement, though. Critics who have a limited lexicon heralded it as rap’s return to form, while others lazily labeled it as the West Coast’s Illmatic. It was a record so great that in ten years, if these critics content farmers are still around, they’ll be compiling listicles celebrating its anniversary.
The other day, while passively hating on the rest of the commuting public for using the same transport as myself, I found myself listening to Kendrick’s masterpiece. As I listened, I no longer found myself on the coffee machine jockey’s convoy to the coast; instead, I was riding through South Central Los Angeles tarnished with sympathy for Kendrick’s dad and his Dominos. In between wondering if Kendrick’s father ever satisfied his want to sink ships of over-priced pizza crust into seas of garlic and herb sauce, I wondered if anyone had ever compiled the narrative bastion of GKMC into an easily digestible guide.
If anyone ever has, I’m sorry. This is the internet and unfortunately, it’s illegal to superglue our interns to laptops to search through every miniscule rap blog for a mention of Kendrick Lamar.
For everyone else, let’s start at the beginning….
But first – TL:DR – The story starts at the end. GKMC’s narrative focuses on K.Dot's transition to Kendrick Lamar as he tries to break free from Compton. The story isn’t completely chronological, as we’re told stories from K.Dot’s perspective, with a few Kendrick tracks peppering the storyline throughout.
The Prelude – Introducing Us To Compton
“Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe [Skit]”
“Backseat Freestyle”
GKMC opens with “Sherane a.k.a Master Splinter’s Daughter”. In terms of narrative, though, this isn’t the beginning. It’s like the opening scene in Annie Hall. Except instead of Woody Allen encapsulating all the neurotic aspects of my personality into five minutes, Kendrick sets up the story of him and Sherane. We’ll get back to that later, though.
Instead, the prelude to the story starts right after “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” with Kendrick’s friends picking him up.
“K.Dot, get in the car nigga. C’mon it’s time to roll out. I’ve got a packet of blacks and a beat CD”
In the story, Kendrick is playing the character of K.Dot, his own persona based around his real life experiences growing up in Compton. The majority of the record focuses on K.Dot and his journey toward transforming into Kendrick Lamar. Anyway…because a packet of cigarillos and a beat CD sounds appealing, K.Dot jumps in his friend's Toyota and rides around town.
When I spent my weekday nights clustered inside a steamed up Vauxhall Corsa, I was happy with a scruffily rolled stick of the devil’s lettuce and a trip to Tesco. But, I’m not Kendrick. I’m a white kid from the suburbs where the only danger is coming home too late. Instead, Kendrick starts freestyling with a verse that seemingly represents the mantra of his community ('Backseat Freestyle')
“All my life I want money and power / Respect my mind or die from lead shower”
Which leads us to…
The Beginning – K.Dot Sets Up The GKMC Narrative
“The Art Of Peer Pressure”
“Compton” [Skit]
“Sherane a.k.a Master Splinter’s Daughter”
I’m going to put my Media Studies A-Level to use and suggest that the narrative of K.Dot's transition to Kendrick truly starts with “The Art Of Peer Pressure”. It’s clearly split into two separate songs. The first acts as a leading intro, backed up by Kendrick’s narration – “Everybody sit your bitch ass down and listen to this true motherfuckin’ story told by Kendrick Lamar on Rosecrans” – as they drive down Rosecrans Avenue.
The introduction to the track, with the mention of location, seems to represent a clear start to the story with the composition not sounding dissimilar to that of a film. It’s as if Kendrick is introducing the story of K.Dot.
After the “rolling credits”, the bulk of the track starts. We’re brought right out on to location with K.Dot and his homies as they “roll deep in a White Toyota… on a mission for bad bitches and trouble.” We follow them as they bump through Jeezy’s first album, and hotbox the car like “George Foreman grilling the masses”
If the title wasn’t enough for you, we’re also introduced to the perpetuation of gangbanging culture through strong friendships. As they speed down the 405 past Westchester, K.Dot takes a huff of a blunt.
He doesn’t normally smoke, but, shit. He’s with the homies. And, as we learn, being with the homies in Compton doesn’t just involve sparking a roll-up. Instead, it means rushing people in colours and robbing Nintendos from houses. Gang culture and the lifestyle that it perpetuates throughout the community is probably the most dominant theme across the album.
The track ends with K.Dot’s friends dropping him back at his house because they “know he trying to fuck on Sherane tonight.”
We fast forward here to the end of the album. Sounds confusing, right? But at the end of “Compton”, you can hear Kendrick asking if he can borrow his mother’s van, telling her that he’ll “be back in 15 minutes”. This directly coincides with “Sherane a.k.a Master Splinter’s Daughter” where we listen to Kendrick’s mother leaving him a voicemail in which she says: “I’m sitting here waiting on my van, you told me you’d be back here in fifteen minutes!”.
So, there we are, right back at the beginning of the album, which sits slap bang in the middle of the story. Does that make sense? So, in terms of narrative, we run through from “The Art Of Peer Pressure”, the skit at the end of “Compton” and back to “Sherane”, with the skit at the end of 'Bitch Don't Kill my Vibe' and 'Backseat Freestyle' setting up the events that led to Kendrick getting blunted and taking his mother's car to visit Sherane.
The Middle: Realisation Of The Danger’s Of Compton’s Lifestyle
“Poetic Justice”
“Good Kid”
“M.A.A.D City”
Where “Sherane a.k.a Master Splinter’s Daughter” introduces us to the story of Sherane as Kendrick drives to meet her, “Poetic Justice” seems to act as the simultaneous thought process inside K.Dots’s head. It also makes sense that the two tracks are linked, because at the end of the track we revisit the instrumental heard in “Sherane”. The skit picks up the story directly after K.Dot pulls up outside her house and is greeted by “two niggas [in] two black hoodies”.
The run-in with the gangbangers kicks off the second half of the story. It’s like the bit in every good gangster story where the protagonist realises that they need to break out of the death-ridden community they’re living in, before it eats them alive. On “Good Kid” the transition from K.Dot to Kendrick starts to take place.
Kendrick talks about almost being killed the previous day – “I recognise that I’m easy prey / I got ate alive yesterday” – and ponders over the gang colour war that’s threatening Compton – “what am I supposed to do / when the topic is red or blue?”
K.Dot’s self-awareness of the situation that he’s finding himself in continues across “M.A.A.D City”. He talks about driving down “Rosecrans” and references the cocaine-laced blunt that he smoked in “The Art Of Pressure” and talks about being fired from his job for the robbery that he committed in the same track. We hear Kendrick tell how he saw someone killed at a burger stand. In an old cut, “P&P” and in GKMC joint “Money Trees”, we know that Kendrick’s uncle was shot outside Louis Burger, so it’s pretty clear he’s talking about his uncle.
The Final Transition From K.Dot To Kendrick Lamar
“Money Trees”
“Swimming Pools” [Skit]
“Sing About Me / I’m Dying Of Thirst”
This brings us back round to “Money Trees” – a track that appeared earlier in the album. We hear Kendrick reassessing what’s happened so far. He talks about fucking Sherane and going to tell his bros. He’s also assessing the current situation in Compton and reflecting on the immortalisation of his uncle after he was shot.
“Everybody gon’ respect the shooter / But the one in front of the gun lives forever”
The track makes me want to walk around the streets with “a heater under my dungarees”, purely because I’m English and to me, it just sounds like I’d be nice and warm. But, to K.Dot, he’s trying to get out and Kendrick is flashing back to the situation at the time.
At the end of the track K.Dot’s mum calls him again and asks him to bring the car back. His dad has forgotten about the Domino’s by now, suggesting that K.Dot has been out of the house for a while, driving around and trying to figure his life out, having just been jumped on outside Sherane’s house.
He then meets up with his friends, and despite being brought up around alcohol abuse; he starts to drink to feel better ('Swimming Pools'.) In the end, the drink starts to mentally poison Kendrick’s friends, as they plan to get revenge on the dudes that jumped him outside Sherane’s.
“They stomped the homie out over a bitch… I’mma pop a few shots, they gon’ run, they gon’ run opposite ways.”
It all ends pretty badly though, because Dave gets shot.
We’re then treated to perhaps the most enlightened track on the album, “Sing About Me / I’m Dying Of Thirst”, which is told from several perspectives. The first, from Dave’s brother - evidenced by the lyric “You ran outside when you heard my brother cry” – the second from Keisha’s sister – a girl whom Kendrick referenced on his debut album – and the third, from Kendrick.
Dave wants Kendrick to sing about him and is proud of his passion. But, by the end of his verse, he gets shot. He’s nothing more than a product of the dead-end cycle of Compton life. Keisha’s sister doesn’t want Kendrick involved in her life anymore, and she certainly doesn’t want him referencing her family on any more songs.
“And if you have a album date, just make sure I’m not in the song / Cause I don’t need the attention to bring enough of that on my own”
She’s a product of Kendrick Lamar, the rapper, as opposed to K.Dot, the character in the GKMC narrative. The final verse see’s Kendrick’s character start to take over as he apologises, but also reflects on how music is starting to save him from the wrongs of the neighborhood.
“Your brother was a brother to me / And your sister’s situation was the one that pulled me in a direction to speak of something that’s realer than the TV screen….. Her personal life, I was like “it need to be told” / Cursing the life of 20 generations after her soul / Exactly what’d happen if I ain’t continued rapping.”
At the end of the track, we’re introduced to K.Dot’s next door neighbour. She see’s one of K.Dot’s friends carrying a gun, probably to avenge Dave’s brothers death – “Is that what I think that is? Why are you young men so angry?” – and try’s to invigorate K.Dot and his crew and send them on a new path of enlightenment, away from the sin’s of Compton.
It’s at this moment that the transition between K.Dot and Kendrick is complete.
Kendrick’s Conclusion
“Real”
“Compton”
On “Real” Kendrick is completely comfortable with himself. He’s shed the character of K.Dot and the negative connotations of growing up in Compton. He’s real. He’s real. He’s really, really real.
The track ends with K.Dot’s parents calling him up. His mum tells Kendrick how she saw their neighbour offering him advice and mentions that Top Dawg came by to ask him to come to the studio. She tells him to take his music business seriously.
The album concludes with “Compton”, a track clearly told from the viewpoint of a resurrected Kendrick Lamar, free from the constraints of Compton.
“Now everybody serenade the new faith of Kendrick Lamar / This is king Kendrick Lamar”
Before the track starts, a tape is rewinded, which cements the idea that Compton – despite being the ending credits of the story - is the start of the narrative. It’s like the bit in Donnie Darko where the film ends at the beginning, with the sum of it’s parts contributing to the storyline coming round full circle.
So, at the end we learn that GKMC is a story told by Kendrick Lamar, with some tracks told through his new-found perspective, and some through the perspective of K.Dot, giving reason to tracks like “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” – which is unrelated to the narrative – and “Money Trees” which appears at a random point in the storyline. It also gives reason to the non-linear storytelling technique of having a prelude to the album and a return to the skit at the end of 'Compton'
Does this make sense? To sum up, the storyline goes…
Opening Credits
“Compton” – Kendrick Lamar
Prelude
“Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe [Skit]” – K.Dot
“Backseat Freestyle” – K.Dot
Introduction of K.Dot/Sherane/Kendrick Narrative
“The Art Of Peer Pressure” – K.Dot
“Compton [Skit]” – K.Dot
“Sherane” – K.Dot
Climax of the narrative as Kendrick get's jumped and starts to question Compton
“Poetic Justice” – K.Dot
“Good Kid” – K.Dot
“M.A.A.D City” – K.Dot
“Money Trees [Skit]” – K.Dot
“Swimming Pools” – K.Dot
Conclusion
“Sing About Me / I’m Dying Of Thirst” – K.Dot / Kendrick Lamar
“Real” – Kendrick Lamar
Closing Credits
“Compton” – Kendrick Lamar
While “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” and “Money Trees” take place in the present day from the viewpoint of Kendrick Lamar.
Is this right? I’ve spent so long typing this up that my cranium has turned to a mush of membrane. So, I’m going to sign out and go listen to good kid, m.A.A.d city again. Cya!
Follow Ryan on Twitter @RyanBassil
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18 Songs, 1 Hour 35 Minutes
West Coast hip-hop elders like Snoop and Dre have virtually anointed Kendrick Lamar to carry on the legacy of gangsta rap. His second studio album good kid, M.A.A.d city, conceptual enough to be a rock opera, certainly uplifts the genre with its near-biblical themes: religion vs. violence and monogamy vs. lust. Verbally nimble, Lamar experiments with a variety of different lyrical styles, from the Bone Thugz-type of delivery on “Swimming Pools (Drank)” to the more straightforward orthodox G-funk flow on “m.A.A.d. City feat. MC Eiht.” Like prog rock, Lamar’s tracks have songs within songs—sudden tempo changes with alter egos and embedded interludes, such as unscripted recordings of his parents asking for their car back and neighborhood homies planning their latest conquest. These snippets pepper the album providing an anthropological glimpse into his life in Compton. The deluxe version of good kid, m.A.A.d. city features five bonus tracks.
West Coast hip-hop elders like Snoop and Dre have virtually anointed Kendrick Lamar to carry on the legacy of gangsta rap. His second studio album good kid, M.A.A.d city, conceptual enough to be a rock opera, certainly uplifts the genre with its near-biblical themes: religion vs. violence and monogamy vs. lust. Verbally nimble, Lamar experiments with a variety of different lyrical styles, from the Bone Thugz-type of delivery on “Swimming Pools (Drank)” to the more straightforward orthodox G-funk flow on “m.A.A.d. City feat. MC Eiht.” Like prog rock, Lamar’s tracks have songs within songs—sudden tempo changes with alter egos and embedded interludes, such as unscripted recordings of his parents asking for their car back and neighborhood homies planning their latest conquest. These snippets pepper the album providing an anthropological glimpse into his life in Compton. The deluxe version of good kid, m.A.A.d. city features five bonus tracks.
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