good kid, m.A.A.d city

This was not something I enjoyed. Maybe I’m getting too old to listen to someone telling me his dick is massive or something? Who cares dude, I’ve got a tiny Willy but I’m not making rhymes about it

2012 -- 2nd studio album (25 yo) but 1st major label debut (Interscope/Aftermath) -- West coast hip hop / gangsta rap / hardcore hip hop -- producers include Dre and Pharrell -- widespread acclaim, debuted #2 on billboard, 7 grammy noms including Best Album; singles "The Recipe", "Swimming Pools (Drank)", "Backseat Freestyle", "Poetic Justice", and "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe"; the concept album tells a coming-of-age story about Lamar's adolescence surrounded by the drug-infested streets and gang lifestyle of his native Compton; "thematic scope"; "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'"; "low-key, downbeat production, with atmospheric beats and subtle, indistinct hooks"; "eschews contemporary hip-hop tastes and generally features tight bass measures, subtle background vocals, and light piano"; references Roots, Aquemini or ATLiens Outkast; "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." "The accuracy of its intimate autobiographical details is irrelevant—what matters is that this album helps you feel the internal struggles of a good kid who may not be good enough as he risks derailing his life by succumbing to the kneejerk loyalty, petty criminality, and gang warfare of the hood he calls home. Nobody is heroic here, including Lamar—from Christian strivers to default sociopaths, all the players are confused, weary, bored, ill-informed." finally having a kendrick moment -- i was listening to arcade fire and old 97's while he was cooking, but now is a better time. this is so good. i'm a a fan of the funk, and the groovetrains, and his tone is so grounding.

The one and only time youll see Kendrick and Drake getting along This is such a great album; Backseat Freestyle’s got some great, aggressive delivery that only a few artists would be capable of making sound good. m.A.A.d city has one of the most iconic intros out of any song in the 2010s and is just great song to jam out to. Swimming Pools is one of my favorite hip hop songs of all time; I love the chorus and that chiller, more dreamy vibe is just unmatchable. Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst caps off a legendary run, with some of the best lyrics and storytelling you’ll see in the genre. Kendrick’s delivery as always is great, the beats are amazing, and the messages and meanings are impeccably conveyed I have very few complaints about this one; I think you could get away with cutting a few tracks on here, which is to be expected out of most double albums. I like this one more than TPAB, and really out of all the hip-hop/rap albums we’ve had the only one that I’d say I liked more was 36 Chambers. The high end tracks are just so goddamn good. Just an essential listen speaking as someone who grew up in the 2010s, which I think this list needs more of

4.5

Great Songs: Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe, Backseat Freestyle, Money Trees, Good Kid, m.A.A.d city. Swimming Pools (Drank), Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst, Compton Good Songs: Sherane A.K.A Master Splinter's Daughter, The Art of Peer Pressure, Poetic Justice, Real Mid Songs: Bad Songs:

If Alvin and the chipmunks were from Compton. Musically I thought this was good, just can't see myself relistening

All these 1 star reviews must be mad about their Domino's

New to me. On first listen I prefer To Pimp A Butterfly but still a solid album

I’ve been trying to decide if I should try to be diplomatic about this review, but I’m not going to be. Regardless of what anyone tries to convince me, I just really do not like this album, artist or style at all. Rap and hip-hop can be done well, and when that’s the case it can be magical. But this ain’t it. This is narcissistic garbage with a frilly bow. Lipstick on a pig and all that. The high praise for this nonsense has to be at least in part disingenuous because I simply don’t believe it.

I really struggled with this album. there's so much to like, and of course Kendrick is the beloved rapper of the moment. but why is there so much misogyny. I've never understood and I don't hear answers that satisfy me. because it's part of the culture. yeah that's the problem isn't it? because it's expected from rap/hip hop music and would sound weird without it. yeah that's the problem isn't it? because it's art and they're saying what they feel. yeah that the problem isn't it? I want to like this because I think it has some really strong points but I can't get passed the misogyny. it makes it hard to listen to rap

Dylan Thomas might have thought about poetic justice. But Kendrick Lamar? Never? He spent his time getting rich with terrible songs - I hope he is happy with that.

My favorite Kendrick album

Its good kid, maad city. What do you Want me to say?

no notes

Didn't like

Haven't had a real visibility of or interest in Kendrick, but there's some heat on this album.

listening to this album as a 12 yr old made me fall in love with rap as poetry... standout on re-listen: sing about me

aged like fine wine

Really good album. Not as good as To Pimp A Butterfly, but an excellent debut, to be sure.

This is not my type of music at all, I'm not into rap. Great variety of rhythm though, and lyrics. But not my cup of tea, or bottle of beer, at all.

אלבום מדהים ובסיסי מאוד בהיפ הופ קנדריק הוא פשוט הכי טוב

Drake could never.

I don’t get the hype around this album

I'm partial to To Pimp a Butterfly, with DAMN. as my second favorite Kendrick release, but good kid, m.A.A.d city undoubtedly rounds out the top three for me.

Impresionante, bitch dont kill my vibe 9/10

I would like this album more if it weren't for the lyrics.

This is a rare album where i was 3* through a lot of it, then got to 4* by the end. Backseat Freestyle felt immature and ridiculous. But the singles that I recognized were enjoyable, and The Art of Peer Pressure I think told a compelling story.

"Compton" was OK. Pretty rough lyrics through most (all) the album.

Don't like this as much as his newer albums (or at least, select newer songs). But Kendrick is unique and his floor for me is high. (E.g. listened in background for all 1.5 hrs and never craved changing the album.)

I've never seriously listened to Kendrick before. That was a mistake. He's a great rapper. I'm looking forward to his later albums that must be on this list.

i get to do a bias vote

nonie dureglost! kenn halt so d hits. aber freu mi. er het e krassi stimm. er cha uuuuhuere reime bruudi. erdte track insano horny hahahah. ok doch storytelling s hört afoch uuf. bitch dint kill my vibe kenni, krasse übergang i de ine. irgendwie machts im refrain vom takt her öpis lustigs. es isch for real guet so hä wer hets denkt de most acclaimed rapper ever vilicht? de beat vo backseat freestyle isch saaaugeil die snare tönt meeega nass irgendwie. the art of peer pressure verzellt uhuere guet wiener fast verhaftet wird und afoch dur sis umfeld i das inezoge wird. money trees söappt hert ich han s gfühl yabishh isch überall gsi e ziit lang. ah what the fuck dasch de drake?? uf poetic justice? nüm ufem schirm gha dass die gefeatured hend so früe maad city isch sooo krass es hittet wie blöd. ich weiss nöd ob ich das dörf so fühle wienis fühl aber s isch huuuere guet. stimmt swimming pools. riese hit. sehr sehr sehr guet sehr catchy. das album isch laaang. so isch hip hop i guess. es isch lang aber fuck it i am entertained. 5. DR DREEEEE

Great album. Pacing was excellent and the sketches serving as interludes were so smoothly done.

Not yet at Kendricks best but we're getting there. Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst is astonishing

I am a sinner. Who's im probably gonna sin again. Lord forgive me. Lord forgive me. Things I don't understand

I’ve already been listening to him quite a bit lately, so I was glad to listen again. This is good, but he definitely went on to great.

Yes!

Kendrick is king.

Fuck he elevated hip hip story telling to the masses. I know he wasn’t the first, he’ll il sure he wasn’t the best at the time. But as far as the underground as I could go - it’s unlike anything a lot of ppl have ever heard. It just doesn't stick with me the same way "TPAB" does. Some of the tracks are just tooooo long.

A great hip hop album that tells a story of ghetto life and the pitfalls that keep people in the vicious cycle. Plenty of bangers here, Bitch Don't Kill, Money Trees, and Swimming Pools are the highlights, but this is a seminal record of it's genre and for the artist himself. Pretty funny to hear a Drake feature on this post the Not Like Us era though! 9/10

quite liked it but Kendrick never really been an artist I come back to. solid and enjoyable but not enough to grab me here for it to be full five stars. very funny dimwit comments from the "everything but rap and country" crowd on here.

I remember buying this album on release. The storytelling is top notch. Even the interludes and transitions are integral to the album. Still manages to have some absolute bangers too. To think this was only the start.

I Know the album. It’s good, but TPAB is a better album.

I've got this in my library, and I don't listen to it often enough. I will say, I enjoy "To Pimp A Butterfly" more than this, but this album is no slouch.

Intriguing.

hippity-hop, Kendrick is top

Peerless

Given the philosophical hip-hop Kendrick Lamar creates today, it’s hard to believe that back in the early 2010s, gangsta-rap legends Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg tapped him to be the torchbearer for the genre. Yet, that is exactly what happened — it’s no coincidence that the album cover bears the label "A Short Film." This, the artist’s second record, is a semi-autobiographical tale of growing up in an impoverished, predominantly black neighborhood — a place where the local youth have only two primary pastimes: drugs and robbery. Through a mix of dark, aggressive beats and a lush, almost orchestral G-funk sound, Kendrick explores whether a young delinquent can break out of a vicious cycle to become someone like him — and what it actually takes to make that happen. But the true power of this album lies neither in its lyrics nor its production. It lies in its ability to draw the listener in; if you pay close attention, the hour-long experience leaves an impression much like that of a compelling dramatic film.

No es lo mío

This album benefits from mostly pretending you can't understand English

Mer 3.5. Gillar Kendrick Lamar överlag, men detta var inte det bästa albumet jag hört av honom.

Kendrickin läpimurtoalbumi kuulostaa modernilta vielä 15v julkaisun jälkeenkin, vaikka ei ylläkään aivan TPAB:n tasolle.

4,5

One of the greatest of all time.

I really, really wish I could actually enjoy rap albums. I know why this one was a big deal, but I can't lie to myself.

..

Literally the moment the first song started, I became mesmerized by the beats and Kendrick’s raw rap talent. Admittedly, some of the lyrics early on about women were not my favorite and almost put me off listening to the rest, but then I looked this up and learned that Kendrick is purposely telling a narrative about his complex life as a teenager and is open about the perspectives he held at the time (which he then challenges in a self-reflective way later on). It softened me and helped me experience the album as essentially a movie of his relationship with his life and how he is challenging his own narrative that wasn’t even his, but that he was influenced to have. Honestly…I’m kind of in awe of his storytelling and vulnerability after listening to the whole thing. What an artist. There is no doubt that Kendrick is one of a kind and is one of the best out there.

正直あんまりわからなかった。 まず声がそもそもそんな好きじゃなかったかも。僕が英語話者なら感動できたのかも知れない、そう考えると不利やわ日本人。まあ僕は、アウトキャストとかの方が好きかなぁ、わかりやすいグルーブがあるし。集中してしっかり聴かなあかんのにめっちゃ長いから疲れるかなー

9/10

I had this on whilst doing some odd jobs around the house and it didn't annoy me, so a good start. But it didn't enthrall me, just rated as okay background music whilst doing odd jobs around the house.

Really good, can understand the appeal and great intro into rap 4.5/5

how was drake vs kendrick ever a question ?

Might b my fave kendrick

i need to listen to more rap albums, its been a long time since I've heard a good concept album like this. Its coherent, flows well. Has a good amount of stand alone tracks.

Not really for my taste.

8/10 Having been a big fan of To Pimp A Butterfly, it’s nice to dip back three years to his previous effort, his first on a major label. In my experience Kendrick Lamar approaches albums as an art form in a way that is relatively rare in mainstream hip-hop, with a considered and rounded thematic approach and a sense of each track contributing more to the artistic whole than prioritising hits and singles. Of course, he still smashes out some bangers, but within the context of their respective records, they almost speak more strongly than they do alone. This record is no different in that regard, really, with an incredibly strong sonic fingerprint and an interesting narrative concerning adolescence in a drug addled, gang heavy Compton. There’s a great deal of musical range across the record, with tracks offering impressive dynamic range and considered development within the instrumental work that eschews the more traditional loop based hip-hop approach for a more compositionally complex and robustly orchestrated approach. Rarely did I find myself getting tired of any specific sonic element, which is something that I’m always on the hunt for in lyrically focused music of the genre. It’s pretty cinematic too, with a broad sonic palette including synthesis, sweeping string arrangements and well selected samples (the Janet Jackson based track is superb). I do feel like there is the odd moment when this does slide a touch back into more classic hip-hop techniques, but those are fairly fleeting and do act as a bridge between that more traditional approach and the next step that he would take on TPAB. Kendrick is a superb rapper and lyricist when he puts his mind to it, and the way he flips in and out of different rhythmic patterns and uses space to emphasise his lyrics and allow the music to breathe is fantastic. I do feel like this album suffers a little bit lyrically in the odd place though, as Kendrick is still a little too steeped in the misogyny that is all too commonplace in hip-hop. He would begin to step a bit further away from that type of thing on future releases, but I do feel that tracks like Backseat Freestyle really don’t help to endear the listener to the strengths of his more carefully constructed work. To be honest, the fact that this album clocks in at 68 minutes really is its weakest point, because those bits and pieces that drag the album back could easily have been given the chop in favour of a more concise and forward thinking collection that would be well worth a top rating. As it is, this is a really great piece of work that acts as an enjoyable and impressive document of Lamar’s journey towards a place among hip-hop royalty, while still having slightly rough edges here and there. Sherane A.K.A Master Splinter's Daughter - The atmosphere of this is great. There’s so much space and ambience built into the production, and there’s a care and nuance to the sound design that makes the musical elements particularly strong. The melodic work is subtle but enhances the vibe well without distracting from the vocal work. Lamar’s delivery is quite laid back, but there’s a sharpness to it that ensures that the rhythm still has punch. I’m not so keen on the skit section at the end, but it’s a strong start other than that. Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe - Interestingly, the musical content of this track are pretty slow paced and chilled out, while Lamar pulls and pushes the pace backward and forward with his delivery, with the best sort of floating between the two. I’m not entirely sold on the sung vocal style. It’s a bit too heady and nasally, while the melodies are a bit on the limited side, but it feels like the kind of thing that might grow on me. Outside of that, it continues on the theme of having strong and deep production, with an evolving, layered approach to composition that shows plenty of growth and development. Backseat Freestyle - I’m fairly sure that this isn’t the kind of thing that Martin Luther King was thinking of with his dream, Kendrick. The rapping here is rhythmically fantastic, but the lyrics are pretty embarrassing. It’s just a load of bragging and misogyny that has an edge of humour to it, but feels particularly tone deaf when bookended with references to the most famous speech about equal rights. Musically, the vibe is strong, and there’s some cool sound design, but it does get quite repetitive, and there’s not the care or development there to match with the previous tracks. The Art Of Peer Pressure - The thickness of the layering and production here is quite cool, with some nice soulful elements and some cool sample choices. But then it drops completely and changes so much that it’s essentially a different track about a minute in. The second part drops back into a similar vibe to the opener. The lofi beat with the top end rolled off gives a great shuffling base to the track and, while musically, it’s a little repetitive, there’s enough bits of production work, drop-outs and breaks, that it manages to stay fresh, especially with Lamar’s rhythmically precise vocal delivery. Pretty good stuff. Money Trees - This starts to move into a more neo-soul direction and the sung vocal works really well. Kendrick’s vocal work has a melodic edge that matches really well with the instrumental and give this a different textural flavour to what’s come before, while retaining that floating ambience within the production to keep it tonally consistent. The beat is fairly considered and subtle, but has great punch and gives the track a solid bounce. This is probably the highlight of the record for me so far, and the addition of some rapping from Jay Rock and some backing vocals give it more sonic interest. Excellent. Poetic Justice - That Janet Jackson sample slaps. I love the space and ambience that Lamar generates in his beats with well balanced use of reverb and delay. The groove here is fantastic and blends superbly with the vocal samples. Vocally, Lamar uses space really well and little switch-ups of timing and emphasis to push and pull the groove of his delivery. I can’t say I’m a Drake fan, but his verse here works pretty well, although it does feel like he’s trying to do a Kendrick Lamar style delivery, rather than his own thing. There’s a lot of harmonic depth and melodic richness to this track too, and we’re really cooking now. Good Kid - Again, the neo-soul edge to this is cool, and reminds me a little of the stylings of Raphael Saadiq. The bass line is cool, and this continues on the theme of having a lot of interesting musical content and developments throughout the song that make it feel like a considered whole, rather than the simple “rapping over a sample” that hip-hop can often be. The vibe is soulful and jazzy, but with an interesting tension running through it. M.A.A.D City - As if to respond to my last comments, this has a very repetitive sample that dominates, and a much more typical beat. There’s still some cool ambience and production elements, but even the rapping here feels much more by-the-book. And then it flips half way through again. The second half is much stronger, with much more nuance and quality to the musical content. There’s still repetition, but the there’s a lot more variation and instrumental development to work with, and the production work follows suit to give things more sonic interest. Tonally, it feels a bit more akin to more traditional gangsta rap, but it’s still well executed. Swimming Pools (Drank) - The production and ambience is so strong again here. Some of the synth work that builds that ambience is pretty subtle, but does an awful lot to make the texture feel rich and deep. The string stabs into the chorus and soaring synth accents are excellent. The range of vocal delivery across the track works really well with that vers/chorus dynamic change brilliantly. There’s a little too much repetition in some of the vocal motif here for me, but I think I can overlook that because the musical content and vive are so well handled. The final verse is superbly constructed too. Sing About Me, I'm Dying Of Thirst - The light jazzy soul of the instrumental set against the more punchy drums and rapping is a cool blend. The rhythmic delivery of the chorus is off in an interesting, wonky-beat way that I quite like, like it’s been chopped up by Dilla or Flying Lotus. The orchestration in the choruses is incredibly lush and well produced too. The way each verse is truncated, by being cut off by gunshots or faded to nothing is a really effective narrative device. I was just getting to the point where this track was starting to get a bit repetitive and he chopped it out and pushed it in a different direction. The second half has a different rhythmic emphasis and more punch, though it probably doesn’t have quite the musical range and depth that the first half does, though the backing vocals are great. It’s a shame really, because a bit more development of the themes in the second half and this could have been exceptional. It’s still great though. Real - Another track with a decent vibe, and the flow of the rapping in the verses is really strong. The chorus is a bit weaker though, particularly the repetition of real, real, really really real, which is fairly uninspired. There’s quality in the production, but as a whole, especially for a 7+ minute song, it doesn’t really do enough for me. Compton - It’s a solid ending though, with a dive back into some heavyweight soulful hip-hop and a nice appearance from Dr Dre. There’s some solid rhythmic delivery of the rapping, interspersed with some quality sung vocal for the choruses. The beats are lovely, and the thickness and weight of the production has great presence and thrust. They use synths well to add extra ear candy and nuance to the production, which get a bit more focus during the outro. A nice way to round out a pretty damn solid record.

Muy bueno. Un par de canciones son icónicas. Lo bancamos al king

Whilst I can appreciate this is an artwork and a type of concept album of the boy becoming a man and all that, it doesn't take away from the fact that I find modern hiphop production to just not be interesting to listen to. Too much focus on deep basslines and stuttering drumbeats at the expense of anything resembling a melody or something that you can actually groove to. Kendrick's voice is a little annoying after a whole album, too, and this didn't really have to be over an hour long to get his point across. Great if you like that sort of thing, but just not my cup of tea.

Iconic and one of the greatest rap albums of the modern era. Samidot is the goat

Good beats, nice variety. Lyrically hit and miss. Got bored with it towards the end. Really liked the Janet Jackson Anytime Anyplace sample on Poetic Justice. (3)

8+ / 10

This was pretty good even for someone like me who doesn't know shit about hip-hop...

Just some generational songs is all. Really enjoyed the project in full, although this music was not made for my demographic at all.

One of my favorite albums.

Best album

Good album, just not specifically my thing. I liked the beats and Kendrick is a great lyricist but just not something I would revisit a lot. 3,75/5

Heard some very select/hit tracks but hadn't heard the project in full up until this point. A very evocative reflection on growing up in black urban underdeveloped areas whilst trying to keep in mind your ambitions and axioms. Later in the record he covers his young adulthood wherein he struggles with drinking, his friend's brother's memory, discarding the weight of feeling he has to sing the story of all those he comes across as well as his self and his future. Of all that comes ahead on the track Real, between weighing what he should value and how he is to love himself and "making a track his parents can step to," he also comes to love his city of Compton, California - which he dedicates the last track to. Remarkable that he graduated with a 4.0 gpa and at the same time all he said here is applicable.

Something about Kendrick Lamar is that even though he’s not my favorite rapper of all time, he’s probably the best rapper of the last 15 years. He’s human, but talented beyond what most humans are capable of making. He’s kind of like Kanye West in the way he makes music that defines generations and “the times,” while also being pivotal and earth-shaking, in a way that is felt by everyone who interacts with music. This has been a double-edged sword for some of my enjoyment of Lamar’s work; it’s caught up in the interest of so many other people that it can’t stay personal really. Also, it’s west coast. I respect the west coast, but music that centers California like that can’t ever really penetrate deeper than a basic appreciation for the music. That being said, when the album gets more universal it hits me hard. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The album’s wonderfully sequenced; “Sherane” is a great song because it’s obviously juvenile, but it’s a menacing song. You’re unsettled by it, even as he’s talking about being a kid who wants to be fucking this girl he met. And then it pivots to these two incredibly fun songs that I adore to this day. “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” is still a strange juxtaposition between beautiful and pretty funny, and “Backseat Freestyle,” though a bit too long, is awesome and so entertaining. Then there’s a pivot that shows the audience who Kendrick Lamar really is. He’s a kid we’ve all met. All kids are good, but many do bad actions; some mean to do it, but some, like the speaker, just do it with their friends. I mean, the song is called “The Art Of Peer Pressure.” “Money Trees,” the next song, is one of the best songs ever made. It’s probably my favorite hip-hop song ever. The line “Everybody gon’ respect the shooter- but the one in front of the gun lives for ever” is some Wu-Tang shit. Tell that shit to your kids, play that shit for your friends, put it on your playlists. And then the song’s larger themes of poverty are communicated so interestingly; the dollar as an entity that upends someone’s life, the deeply visceral imagery that resonates deeper than any other song here. Every verse is perfect, Jay Rock’s feature is crazy good. “Poetic Justice” is another one of my favorites off the album, a poppier number with a CRAZY Drake feature that still blows me away, especially after how far Drake’s fallen. “Good kid” and “m.A.A.d. City” are the next two, and they work together to create this pretty devastating breakdown of someone’s life as they turn from innocence to lack thereof, even unwillingly. Then the final stretch starts, starting with “Swimming Pools,” a song that’s not only great, detailing the dysfunction that alcohol brings to the lives of those who use it, but also the fact that it became such a huge hit even through that, often times AT PARTIES. Damn, that shit still blows me the fuck away. Then you have “Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst,” handily one of the most crushing songs in Kendrick’s discography, and a 12-minute long masterclass in music. The first half has one of the saddest choruses in modern music, and the second half is driving, desperate, despairing. And then the last leg of the album, isn’t the best. “Real” is annoying and way too long, and “Compton” is fine but not much more. It’s a great album. Incredibly pivotal. I love it. Could it be better? Yes. But not that much. Pretty much every song, save for a couple, is mind-blowing one way or another, and it has maybe the best hip hop song ever. Definitely needs to be listened by anyone and everyone. 8.9/10 DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES REASON: pivotal, impactful, incredible

I really enjoyed the production and the beats and samples used on this album. I’m not massively familiar with Kendrick Lamar and I’m beginning to understand the hype. I’m not sure if this is his debut, but there was some very strong thought that I might revisit in the future.

It was a bit long for me but I still really enjoyed this one.

Not as frozen in amber as To Pimp a Butterfly and that's to its benefit

First the positives: appreciate that this is a fairly major piece of work- there’s plenty going on and a decent variety between the tracks. My favourites were the bonus tracks, don’t know if they’re part of the original record and they’re maybe more mainstream. However, not my bag overall. Don’t like the style, the lyrics or the vibe. Sorry- white, middle-aged and middle-class(ish) so hopefully it’s okay to really dislike. 0.6/5

I like this album. My main criticism is that some of the songs blend together. 3.6/5

Possible I’d warm to this more after a few more listens. Thought it was fine but I didn’t find any of the songs particularly memorable. Rating: 2.5

Fantastic piece of work from Kendrick here and we would come to find out it was only the tip of the iceberg. Kendrick would (and does) continue to grow, expand, and improve. Bravo!

Some great moments but I just felt bored by the time they arrived; rap producers really need to learn to edit.

2nd listen to this and didn’t quite enjoy it as much but still very good

Rare for a 1h20m album to hold my attention for the whole time. New to me but this is excellent. Lots of highlights but Swimming Pools (Drank) stood out.

Fantastic album, thanks for sharing RGP. “The Art of Peer Pressure”, “good kid” and “Swimming Pools (Drank)” are my favourite songs. 4 stars ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Tom.

Am I finally warming up to Kendrick?

Quality

As time goes on keep concluding that this is my favoritr hip hop album of all time. This record transports you into Kendrick’s adolescence. It lets a middle class white guy from South Carolina step into the shoes of a teenager in Compton for an hour. It’s like watching a critically acclaimed drama film with your ears. I know To Pimp A Butterfly is typically considered Kendrick’s top masterpiece, and its certainly a masterpiece, but I consider GKMC to be the single best work of art hip hop has produced. I think the genre itself peaked with this record and To Pimp A Butterfly and has struggled at an aggregate level to move the needle since (there have been great hip hop records since these… but what has had a seismic shift like these?). This is The Dark Side Of The Moon. This is Kind Of Blue. This is Highway 61 Revisited. This is Pet Sounds. This is Thriller. This is a record very much on the level of these timeless works of art that will outlive all of us.

Not for me. 1/5

Really a solid album as a whole, good and honest story-telling. Not really my normal cup of tea but kinda enjoyed this album

not only one of the greatest rap albums, one of the greatest albums of all time.

Finest storytelling, vocal modulations and immersive soundscapes. Beautifully rendered nightmare. Favorite track - Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe; Money Trees and Compton

I’m too old to appreciate his talent and this music. Heard it before? ❌ Listen again? ❌ Rating out of ten? 3️⃣

Second Kendrick Lamar album I’ve had on the list. I lasted longer than the first one, and I really tried (because I do like rap music) but I just can’t get this. It’s just not music I’d choose to listen to. And you know what kind of music I dislike? Music with lots of pointless swearing and cliches like phone calls in the songs. If I wanted to hear your conversation, I’d listen to a podcast. Some parts were good, there’s some songs and good rhythms here, but I found it hard work to listen to as a whole album. I’m really struggling how to rate this though. It’s well produced and great in parts, but I really didn’t enjoy it.

One of the better rap artists around today. Restrained and thick with atmospheric grooves and beats. Lamar's lyrics are also not full of the usual braggadocio and his flow is effortless like he's comfortable with who his surroundings have formed, even if it repels. It's more human than most of the dross in this genre. He's 'Real'.

I thought I wasn't in the mood today, but it won me over.