Released: 2012

Genres: West Coast Hip-Hop, Conscious Hip-Hop, Hardcore Hip-Hop, Gangsta Rap

The Musiquarium’s good kid m.A.A.d. city Review Score: 10 out of 10

Kendrick Lamar’s debut album, Section.80, was an accomplished album, though it wasn’t game-changing by any means, but that’s what makes it so hard to believe that only one year later, Kendrick Lamar could release something as amazing and game-changing as good kid, m.A.A.a city.

As the cover suggests, good kid m.A.A.d. city is a short film by Kendrick Lamar. While there are no visuals (outside of music videos, of course), this is a cinematic and conceptual album about growing up in Compton and the pressures on black men to conform to a life of crime. Is it all just a self-fulfilling prophecy, or were these boys always destined to such a fate?

Sherane a.k.a. Master Splinter’s Daughter starts the album with a sinner’s prayer, before leading into Kendrick’s lust for the titular Sherane (who screwed him over), ending with a voicemail message from his parents, who are concerned with his whereabouts and direction in life. Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe has a soulful groove. Backseat Freestyle is a backseat banger, with driving percussion, deep bass, and lyrics about Kendrick comparing the Eiffel tower to a certain appendage of his.

The Art of Peer Pressure starts out somewhat innocuously, before a complete beat switch which results in a dark instrumental with Kendrick retelling stories of the titular peer pressure from his friends, which resulted in criminal activity, like stealing from cars. Money Trees is backed by an interesting ambient sample. Poetic Justice features ex-Degrassi actor Drake, but even the shitty Canadian rapper’s presence doesn’t ruin the song.

good kid is a funky track and is every bit as good as anything from Dr. Dre’s The Chronic or Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle. m.A.A.d city paints the scene of life in Compton, and features one of the best beat changes in hip-hop history — one of the defining g-funk songs, up there with Nuthin’ But a G Thang and Gin & Juice. Swimming Pools (Drank) is a ballad about the pressures and dangers of adolescent binge-drinking. The album ends with Compton, which suitably features Dr. Dre.

good kid m.A.A.d. city sounds both vintage and modern, taking elements of older genres of hip-hop, like west coast hip-hop, gangsta rap and g-funk, but with modern production techniques, making it hard to pin down exactly when this album could have released. This is an absolute masterpiece and one of the best hip-hop albums of all time.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Kendrick Lamar on Discogs.

Back to the 2012 Album Guide or the Kendrick Lamar Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard