good kid, m.A.A.d city

For this review, I am looking to the original track listing, and not factoring the "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" remix with Jay-Z that is included on streaming services.

Alright, it's time for K-Dot and his major label debut, executively produced by Dr. Dre. Billed as a "short film," good kid is a concept album about Kendrick's upbringing in Compton, with the prevalence of drugs and street gangs. Yet, such a summary doesn't do much justice, as there's a lot of introspection done on this album, exploring the expectations and transgression faced in a cruel, uncaring world. It's revealing the kind of storyteller and MC Kendrick could be in how he can twist and warp his delivery to fit a dark, swampy West Coast vibe that's well done in the atmosphere. Kendrick gets away with the 12-minute-long track "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst" on those principles from the perspective of different characters. Hell, this album interweaves audio recordings so well that the tracks feel incomplete without them, and every featured artist brings their best contribution including Drake which is a rarity for him.

I know we still got To Pimp a Butterfly coming up next, but good kid is such a prime setup that it can't be ignored.

I still don't like hip hop.
1/5

I can understand that, if you are into Hip Hop and rap, this album might be pleasing to you.

What I am trying to understand is why I should find it pleasing to listen to?
Though, to be fare, if the choice would be between listening to this or EDM, then give me this any day...

Sing about me is a MUST for anyone who loves rap, or music in general. Lots of good songs, but the 2000s hiphop sound that appears on many songs just reassures me that TPAB is THE k dot album and not this one.

reading the lyrics helped me appreciate this album

an undisputed classic in my eyes. brilliantly executed concept album about kendrick’s life up until that point in time, i’ll never get tired of this album.

Originalmente le puse 4 estrellas, pero tras salirme posteriormente "To Pimp a Butterfly" y descubrir del todo el genio creativo y musical que es Kendrick Lamar, decidí volver a darle otra vuelta a este álbum.

Efectivamente, este es uno de los mejores de la lista y lo llegaría a poner al nivel de To Pimp a Butterfly. Muchas gracias al señor de esta lista por hacerme oír hiphop, algo que la verdad que nunca había hecho antes.

I really did not enjoy the first 4 or 5 tracks. The second half of the album was a lot better, enough that I kind of forgot about the start. Unfortunately once I got to the end of the album it started again and brought that bad taste right back. Not for me.

Modern hip hop. Not terrible, I just don't like the modern stuff as much as the old school hip hop, and Kendrick is a big fan of putting dumb fuckin skits in the middle of songs. Also, his rhymes are juvinile as fuck.
For example...

"I pray my dick get as big as the Eiffel Tower so I can fuck the world for 72 hours...."

Wtf...

Favourite songs: m.A.A.d. city, Money Tree, Backseat Freestyle

Least favourite songs: "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe", "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst"

2/5

Es gelingt dem Interpreten auf interessante Weise o-Töne von Anrufbeantwortern, Funksprüchen und anderen Aufnahmen in die Rap Stücke einzubringen. Darüberhinaus ist der Sänger verständlich und kombiniert Musik mit seinem Sprechgesang. Warum in Gottes Namer er ständig den Alltagsrassismus im kalifornischen Ghetto anprangert aber selber gefühlt über 100 x Bitch ruft wird wohl nur der Künstler selber wissen. Interessant ist das Stück „Bitch don‘t kill my vibes“.

I knew coming in that I would give this one a 5 unless something shifted my opinion of it, and honestly, if I could give this shit a 6 or higher, I would.

TPaB is still the masterpiece, the gold standard, the highest of high bars for me in terms of Kendrick’s albums, but I don’t think I’ve ever properly appreciated the narrative arc of this album until this listen; doing this whole 1,001 albums experience has made me feel more attentive to music than I have in a long time, and this album has, by far, had the biggest boost for me because of that. There is seriously not a missed beat or lyric or breath on almost every track here – the only one I’m still iffy on is Real, but I just don’t think that song will ever click with my sensibilities.

I’ve also never really paid attention to the bonus tracks that are on the deluxe version, but Now or Never just feels like it should be the album closer, to just end the album on an incredibly bright note. I don’t wanna gush too much about this album, but it really is a piece of art, and it’s incredibly deserving of a 5.

Probably my favorite rap album of all time. Such an amazing track list that tells a pretty incredible story. 5/5

This album is a masterpiece, and I feel sorry for the people who mentioned that they gave up after 2 or 3 songs. The lyrics of Backstreet Freestyle are not meant to be taken seriously, they are there to set up the main character arc of the immature teenager who grows by the end of the album. I don't understand how some people will happily delve into complex layers of lyrics written by rock and folk musicians, but then they completely shut off that part of their brain when they hear a rap. The storytelling and flows on this album are some of the best I've heard from a hip hop artist. The run from Good Kid to Sing About Me is flawless. It improves on everything that the original gangsta rappers like NWA, Snoop, etc failed with, by offering a critique of the gangsta lifestyle, and describing the context behind it. Don't get me wrong, there are still some sexist lyrics here. But the difference is the narrative around them, IMO anyway. The only songs I ever skip are Poetic Justice and Real, apart from those I think this is close to a perfect album.

Flawless, probably the greatest of the new generation in terms of storytelling and building a narrative over a whole album. Lyrically dense, with catchy beats and atmospheric production, and pretty much perfect.
Anyone who hasn't seen it (or who has!) should definitely seek out his wonderful Glastonbury headline set!

4.08 per track. *clutches pearls*

This album defined the early 2010s, and has stood the test of time. Sing about me, Real and Compton are not the strongest end to the album.

A modern classic in the truest definition. Great for both listening all the way through to experience the story and listening to individual songs. Accessible with enough to dig your teeth into. Reading hip hop reviews is one of my favorite activities on here because you can tell who didn’t actually listen to the album and decided to give it a poor review anyway.

This wasn't good, but it was marginally better than the other rap albums on this list. I appreciated that it didn't have and moans and sex sounds. Still never want to hear this again. 1/5

Fantastic singles and production, but a little long. And not as jazzy as TPAB

De enige artiest in de 1001 die inspiratie van de Mighty Dub Katz vandaan haalt. (Mag ik hopen).

Lamar houdt vooral van schelden. Mag hoor. Hij lijkt er populair mee te worden. Maar heel vernieuwend is het allemaal niet. Muzikaal klinkt het heel gemaakt. Tot we het halverwege (veel te laat) plotseling meer volwassen gaat klinken. Poëtisch naar zijn zeggen. Poëtisch is een ruim begrip. Maar het lijkt mij zelfoverschatting. Of is het compensatiegedrag? Wellicht is compensatiedrang het thema ? En bestaat dit album alleen maar om zichzelf groter voor te doen dan hij zichzelf voelt?