In his early years of his career, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was known as K-Dot. Born in Compton, California to parents from Chicago, he was named after Eddie Kendricks (well, the surname). In 1995, Kendrick saw 2Pac & Dr. Dre film the music video of "California Love", which would be a special moment in his life (well, of course, if you were that person who witnessed it, you'd feel that way). Around 2004 or 2005, Kendrick released his very first mixtape, Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year (YHNIC), which saw him rap over beats from The Game, Beanie Sigel, Jay-Z, Lloyd Banks and more. The mixtape got him signed to Top Dawg Entertainment. Kendrick started making guest appearances, firstly making frequent appearances on Watts Finest Vol. 1, Jay Rock's first mixtape. He even made an appearance on a cypher with The Game, and many artists. He released his sophomore mixtape, Training Day in 2007 and later released a collaborative mixtape with Jay Rock, No Sleep Til NYC, which sees them both rap over New York rap instrumentals.
In 2009, K-Dot released C4, a tribute to Lil Wayne, especially after Wayne released Tha Carter III. By mid-Summer, K-Dot changed his stage name to his birth name (Kendrick Lamar, just without Duckworth) for the reason being that people still wanted to known who K-Dot is. In December of that year, Kendrick released his self-titled EP, known for his first project as his given name. 2010 saw the release of Overly Dedicated, which can be known for having some of his best work, and appearances from Ab-Soul, Alori Joh, Jhené Aiko and Ash Rider.
Kendrick released Section.80, his debut album released independently on Top Dawg, in 2011, with appearances from Soul, BJ The Chicago Kid, Ashtro Bot (Ash Rider) and more. The album was best known for ADHD and HiiiPower. Meanwhile, somewhere in California (or maybe not), Dr. Dre was listening to Kendrick's "Ignorance is Bliss", a track off the tape Overly Dedicated; which gave him the idea to sign him to Aftermath/Interscope. After the official announcement of Kendrick signing to Dre and Jimmy, he premiered "The Recipe", the first single off the album, which featured Dr. Dre. July saw the release of "Swimming Pools (Drank)". While this was going on, news about the album was already out, with people calling it Good Kid in a Mad City, or Good Kid, Mad City, until good kid, m.A.A.d city was the official and finalized title.
On October 22, 2012 , Kendrick released his major label debut, good kid, m.A.A.d city, released on Aftermath/Interscope. Subtitled as a "short film" with ScHoolBoy Q's handwriting, the title refers to his childhood and his life in Compton. Days after the album came out, people were already calling it a classic. Controversy also sparked when rapper Shyne called the album "trash" and the production "horrible". Game & ScHoolBoy Q quickly replied and defended Kendrick for this, with Game calling Kendrick non-confrontational and that he won't reply.
So, as we look forward to the second anniversary and also wait for his second major project, I decided to revisit my memories of this album...
1. Sherane aka Master Splinter's Daughter
The album starts with Kendrick telling a story about how he met Sherane and how the relationship was like. He met her at a party and they exchanged their numbers. They both kept in contact with Sherane asking Kendrick to come over. He drove over to her house, and when he got out, he found her along with two guys in black hoodies, ending with a skit of Kendrick's mum leaving a message on his phone (skits are going to be a frequent thing in this album) wondering where he is. I like the dark atmosphere of this track, which makes this track interesting and sound-catching for me. Kendrick's delivery on this track is decent, and makes this track very tolerable.
2. Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe
The hook is weak but, of course, very catchy at the same time. But, forget that, this song is awesome. We're 2 tracks in and I find a really awesome track. Sounwave's instrumental is actually memorable and smooth, but then the beat kicks in, we get a banger. Kendrick's lyrics are interesting. The concept of a vibe being ruined is gripping. The 3rd part of this song is weird but I can accept that. Behind it all, this song rocks.
3. Backseat Freestyle
Kendrick turns a normal freestyle into a memorable track. Using Hit-Boy's instrumental, he creates another banger, which follows the story of rapping it to his friends in the backseat (hence the title). Even though he uses an I-can't-get-this-out-of-my-head hook, this feels like a freestyle session than a ordinary track. Hit-Boy's instrumental is catchy, memorable, a little loopy, but acceptable. K-Dot expresses a lot of hunger and a more lyrical side of him that many fans praised him for, which is why this song bangs a lot.
4. The Art of Peer Pressure
Enough with the bangers, it's time to get more deep into it. Kendrick tells a 3-verse tale, which shows a change of his character when with his friends. The song has Kenny tell a story about being with his homies, and what bad things happens when he's around them, such as smoking and drinking, but he's normally "drug-free". During the 3rd verse, the gang had to complete a robbery without getting caught. Luckily, they escaped with Kendrick having "one lucky night with the Homies". The track is appealing to me, especially seeing a dark side of the 'short film'. I really liked the concept of the song, showing what peer pressure can get you into. This is good how I find 3 awesome tracks and we've just started. What's next?
5. Money Trees (feat. Jay Rock)
If anything, a lot of people remember this for creating the meme of "Ya Bish", an ad-lib which is repeated majorly in this track. For me, I remember this for being my favourite track. DJ Dahi's instrumental is something I've never forgotten and is one of the most memorable moments on this album. Kendrick's catchy verses are interesting and easy to get into your head, but if there's anyone that stood out on this track, it's Jay Rock. Other than Kendrick's "Ya Bish" adlibs, Jay Rock's verse was very good and amusing to me. His lyrics are nice and his flow is on point, another reason why I still like this song today.
6. Poetic Justice (feat. Drake)
Named after the Janet Jackson/2Pac film of the same name, Scoop DeVille samples a Janet song (Any Time, Any Place) [which isn't even played in the film, or in the soundtrack] for a smooth modern love song. I always liked this song (and I still do, especially with the Janet sample fitting with the song). When I look at it now, I see it as one of the only 2 collabs that Kendrick had with Drake, thanks to the Control verse he did. Overall, this is a great track.
7. good kid
Pharrell produces a jazzy track for Kendrick. It's weird because normally... well, most of the time, when he produces something, it's normally with his sideman Chad Hugo (producing together as The Neptunes). So to see him produce this is very nice. Anyway, forget that, this song is good. While Pharrell does the hook, K-Dot talks about the life he's living and how he tries to escape from the lifestyles of Compton. I like the jazzy background with the sample of "We Live in Brooklyn, Baby". Kendrick's conscious lyrics are appealing as he has us to see inside his state of mind from Compton to now. Although sounding like something originally from a soundtrack of an indie film, this song is just average, though.
8. m.A.A.d city (feat. MC Eiht)
This song is a double track (both the same song) separated into 2 parts. The first part is the most memorable one out of the two, mainly due to the chorus and the banging beat; while the second part has MC Eiht featured on (and this guy hasn't been heard from since 2006! WOW!). Both Kendrick and Eiht murder the beat and I love it. Yeah... this is all I gotta say!
9. Swimming Pools (Drank [Extended Version]
Swimming Pools (Drank) is up next in its "extended" form. I like this song. The concept of drinking and consciousness is interesting and the extended part of it gets deep into the meaning of the song, which was my favourite part of the song. I love this.
10. Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst
This one is a double track which is 12 minutes. 12 MINUTES. Unless this was the final track on the album, I found this really weird. Sing About Me takes a piano ballad sample type where he tells stories to be realistic, and it's really engaging to me; while I'm Dying of Thirst takes a darker approach, needing more of God in his life. These songs are really amusing and interesting to listen to and Kendrick's concepts on these songs are mindblowing to me, making this song very tolerable.
11. Real (feat. Anna Wise)
One of the realest songs on this album, Kendrick speaks about the realization that he has felt and the importance of loving yourself (he talks about loving yourself again in his new single "I"). I always liked the song and the skits during the song, with the voicemail of his mum and dad telling Kendrick about keeping it real (really). The beat is catchy and Anna Wise's ad-libs being on point. This song is... well, real.
12. Compton (feat. Dr. Dre)
The album ends with the collab with Dr. Dre. And trust me, when I say Just Blaze doesn't disappoints, I mean he DOESN'T. The beat is hot and is a good way to end the album. The song is about him and Dre growing up (obviously, not together) in Compton, so I see why he ends the album with a song named after his hometown. The song is really good and is one of my favourites. It features a very short chorus, which makes the song feel like a "share the mic" freestyle session about Compton. With a skit of Kendrick saying that he's gonna borrow the van and that he'll be back in 15 minutes, this shows the album is possibly a loop (listen to Sherane aka Master Splinter's Daughter). But whatever, what a good way to end the album.
The following are bonus tracks in the deluxe edition:
13. The Recipe (feat. Dr. Dre)
The first single off the album is part of the deluxe edition. Of course, everyone was gonna buy the deluxe edition because of this song. K-Dot's ode to the 3 W's that California has to offer (Women, Weed & Weather) is still a good song today and it bangs. Kendrick & Dre both do good on this and the Twin Sister-sampled beat still rocks today. The chorus is of course, good and with the song not fitting in with the whole album, I understand why it's seen as a bonus track, especially when a lot of people love this track. This song rocks.
14. Black Boy Fly
I like the instrumental and the lyrics to this song, focusing on how certain guys blow up and become successful, with Kendrick being "jealous" of them. The beat is good and I like how the song works out. Rahki on the beat now surprises me, as this guy was the one behind Kendrick's new single, I, and a lot of people didn't feel the song because of how the beat was like. Anyway, forget that, this song is great.
15. Now or Never (feat. Mary J. Blige)
Using Mary J. for the hook, Kendrick talks about achieving everything he has done and how he has come this far with the release of the album. Being one of the cleaner tracks on the album, K-Dot is interesting on the song and Mary's hook is decent. The instrumental, provided by Jack Splash, is very different than everything that's been on this album, mainly for one of the reasons sounding like a track originally for someone else with a rapper feature, not the other way round. But, whatever, this is still decent.
The following are exclusive bonus tracks. I've omitted the single version of "Swimming Pools (Drank)" in the iTunes Deluxe because I already reviewed it in its extended form:
Collect Calls
An iTunes deluxe bonus, this song has a weird backdrop to it and follows the story of him calling his relatives on how he's been getting into trouble. The lyrics are on point and I love it. In this song, he wants to call his mum from jail but the number is blocked. The instrumental sounds like it were meant for an indie pop band, but I can accept. Overall, this song is great.
County Building Blues
A Target bonus, Kendrick speaks to Petey P, his childhood imaginary friend, about all the times he had as a kid, especially seeing Dre & 2Pac in the burgerstand and the LA Riots in '92. The laidback instrumental is interesting and the things he remembered are good to hear from him. The chorus is obviously catchy, as he remembers all the things he wanted, growing up in the ghetto. So this song rocks.
Swimming Pools (Drank) [Black Hippy Remix]
Black Hippy jumps on the well-known "Swimming Pools (Drank)" and they all do a great job. Jay Rock's part is a dark atmosphere verse, Ab-Soul has a "drinking away the pain" verse, with ScHoolBoy Q ending it with his usual party banger self. Luckily, the song is the extended version, without the skit, which creates a dark outro of Kendrick wanting the bartender to fill his cup more (a part which wasn't in the original extended version). So overall, the remix is decent.
The Recipe (Black Hippy Remix)
Alrighty then, another Black Hippy remix, part of the Spotify exclusive (Swimming Pools (Drank) were part of the Target deluxe). Here, the group does it better than the original, and they all have a laidback flow. Soulo starts off with a nice party vibe, being high and getting girls. Q's verse is decent and I like it. I was expecting Kendrick's verse to change, but oh well. And finally, Jay's verse, which is alright and a good way to end it. So, this remix is great.
What remains are the "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" remixes. One with Emeli Sande (The international version) and the one with Jay-Z. I won't say anything about the international version, since it's pretty much the same thing, just with Emeli on the chorus, but there's a lot to say about the Jay-Z remix. Kendrick changes his verses and he kills it better than the original. Jay-Z's verse is smooth and alright. So yeah, that's all I gotta say.
When I look at good kid, m.A.A.d city, I see a modern classic. In this album, Kendrick's story is very appealing and interesting and how he represents his character with freestyling, "hanging out with the homies" and many more. Kendrick's storytelling makes the album very interesting. The production is, of course, excellent as Kendrick gathers many major and minor producers from the likes of Scoop Deville, Just Blaze, Sounwave, T-Minus and more.
Kendrick's lyricism is on point so much it get me wanting a little more than 12 tracks (excluding the bonus tracks). "Backseat Freestyle", "Real", "Swimming Pools (Drank)" and "Money Trees" were some of the tracks that really stood out to me. Their unforgettable hooks, appealing lyrics and banging instrumentals made me love these tracks. These tracks have a leading story with relationships, life and Compton.
As for the features, well... let's say although there's not a lot, it's just alright. Drake does his thing in "Poetic Justice", Jay Rock stands out in "Money Trees", MC Eiht murders the second part of "m.A.A.d city" and Dr. Dre does a decent job in both "Compton" and "The Recipe".
The samples fits in and suits in with the atmosphere of the songs. "Sherane aka Master Splinter's Daughter" has a sample which makes a very dark atmosphere of how being with Sherane led up to some trouble. "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" has a laidback flow. Songs like "Money Trees", the first part of "m.A.A.d city" and "Backseat Freestyle" are bangers while songs like "Real", "The Art of Peer Pressure" and "I'm Dying of Thirst" are more serious tracks which makes the mood really gripping.
Of course, the word "classic" is gonna be used by people in the same sentence as the album title. I mean, heck, I even used it too. But by the end of the album and this review, good kid, m.A.A.d city is a very excellent album, which features the elements of a classic (storytelling, bangers and awesome production) done perfectly. But it is on its own lane, just like I said with Labcabincalifornia. As life goes on, a lot of albums or mixtapes are going to be in the same lane this album is on right now, and see in maybe 10 years, hell, GKMC may be in the lane that major classics like Illmatic or Ready to Die is on right now. I mean a lot of people are too quick to judge it as a big classic at the moment. It's just a modern one. If you're wondering if I'm gonna recommend you to pick this up, you probably didn't read every single thing I said about this album, so I'm gonna leave you with this: Pu siht kcip? KO?
The Spectacular Seven (yes, I've got seven)
Money Trees
Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe
Backseat Freestyle
The Art of Peer Pressure
Real
Compton
The first part of m.A.A.d city
As a matter of fact, the whole album are recommended tracks even the bonuses.
(Note: the following embed Spotify link doesn't have the exclusive bonus tracks, only the original deluxe edition tracks. The only 2 bonuses after the original bonuses are the 2 "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" remixes [well, if you're from any other country apart from the US, then you've got the international remix]. However, you can check the exclusive tracks out by looking them up on YouTube or go on a mp3 website and download it from there. Or... just buy it.)
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