good kid, m.A.A.d city
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.
Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city is fearless and brilliant, an unvarnished and nuanced peek into the rapper's inner life that ties straightforward rap thrills directly to its narrative.
Some rappers just have more to say than others. A chronicle of his adolescence in Compton, Kendrick Lamar’s debut album for Dr. Dre’s Aftermath imprint, Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City, is less concerned with the rapper’s formal schooling than his street education, but it’s not a stretch to assume that Lamar was the student…
Kendrick Lamar’s album is a powerful, potent look inside the troubled mind of a genius. Read NME's verdict on 'DAMN.'
Check out our album review of Artist's good kid, m.A.A.d city on Rolling Stone.com.
In delivering one of the most striking hip-hop major label debuts in recent memory, Kendrick Lamar has not only put himself at the forefront of the West coast revival, but in position to be a highly influential player in the music's future.
Dr Dre protege Kendrick Lamar's eagerly awaited major-label debut delivers on the promise of his online output, says <strong>Hermione Hoby</strong>
With Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, Lamar has crafted an intelligent and mature album on the theme of transformation.
It's not quite a classic, but Kendrick Lamar's major label debut is the work of a meticulous craftsman, writes <strong>Alex Macpherson</strong>