good kid, m.A.A.d city

What could I say that hasn’t been said? A perfect album. Has not gotten old to me in the past 14 years, still full of incredibly catchy great songs that work as just jams but with such clever lyrics and an arc that rewards close listening. I love this album

I'd heard a lot of this album but never listened to it in full. While I'm not the biggest fan of Lamar's rapping style, I do appreciate the skill of his lyrics and the themes the album addresses. I also love the hooks and samples used to construct the songs. Poetic Justice was a personal favorite- brought me right back to early 2000s hip hop.

Not really my cup of tea. There were one or two tracks I enjoyed so I'm giving it an extra star.

I am not well-schooled in post-millennium hip-hop, but this is definitely some of my favourite of what I've heard.

Great album fr fr

This just isn't my vibe. Aside from the language issues (for me), this style of R&B/Rap just doesn't appeal to me. Clearly talented and popular, just not for me. Pitchfork: 9.5 Rolling Stone: Top 500 Albums #115

b**ch don't kill my vibe!!

Detta suger så hårt. Jag vet att detta inte är min genere men seriöst, jag har lyssnat på typ 30-35album nu och detta är ca 8.e hiphop/rapalbumet. Vart fan är all rock, punk, elektronisk, pop, metal osv. Detta är bara weed, bitches, niggas etc. Så jävla ointressant.

unreal!! shocked to see the kendrick and drake collab lol

I would not say this album is necessarily bad, but it sure is monotonous at some point. However, some productions are really nice, making it flow somehow well, if we ignore that some songs become very repetitive. At least, there are little moments that save it from being painfully unpleasant. Because Kendrick may be a great rapper, but he is very bad at singing, sometimes his voice even becomes irritating. Also, another part that takes me off this record is that it sounds very stripped of layers, and sometimes a same chorus is repeated so many times it ends up being very bland and uninteresting. It feels like some songs are just enlarged just for the sake of. Or the album overall, I think it would have benefited from being shorter. And not in the tape-like recordings, which really enrich it, but in songs that are just... well, nothing remarkable. And just because I find it interesting content-wise is not an excuse for ignoring that I have found it terribly insipid. There are no interesting or exciting production tricks, nor songs I would highlight. It is just an album in which Kendrick does his thing over repetitive and predictable instrumentals, which are not even thrilling in the first place, making it tedious to listen to this album in full. I may not get the importance of Kendrick (or I may, but just because of what he transmits and how influential he has been, not because of his music, and I guess I am here judging music, and even trying to expand my musical taste, but Kendrick just does not do it for me, but I can say I have tried it), nor the likeness of hip-hop, which I find purely insipid most of the times. I get the importance, although, and even enjoy certain songs, just it is a genre I find purely influential (even when I listen to it), but at the same time very insipid. And it may be because of the reiterating structures of the songs. It feels like there is no evolution in this album, that it is just a continuous piece of songs correlated in context and content but that do not work quite that well as an overall. Nor alone. But, rather, they all feel plain at some extent. I would like to be more insightful, but it is hard when this album has completely thrown me off. Some songs just sound bad. And it is not a statement. That is a stylistic choice. And it sounds awful. (Sure, I am not speaking about every song, this is a huge collection of them, and some are nice too, but just this album does not work quite well as a whole.)

“Martin had a dream” “Martin had a dream” “Kendrick had a dream” Did Martin dream Of a rap album containing the following…. ‘Arguments about dominoes’ ‘Condom wrappers’ ‘Halle berry hallelujah’ ‘George foreman grill’ ‘Lamborghini vroom vroom’ ‘Raining cats and dogs’ Along with so many references to shooting, guns, drugs, death, sex and then religion too. The beats in my ear were infectious, the sentiments at time seemed to be there and I would choose listening to this over the Kanye West rap album earlier in the process. Unfortunately the offensive lyrics, the fact I’m not a fan of rap and its polarising views counteract the good points I found. Worst track- ‘Compton’ Best track- ‘poetic justice’ the female background vocal made the track for me.. I’m just concerned what she had to do to get that opportunity! ‘Swimming pools’ was also decent but felt like an attempt at copying Eminem and wasn’t as good. 2.5/10

Kendrick Lamar - good kid m.A.A.d city Infinitely better than I had expected. The beats/backing/whatever you call it was so much more restrained and considerate than so much of the rap on this list. It an identity beyond the vocal. Liked it. Best Track - Sing. About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst. Worst Track - Compton But.....imagine having your daughter read these lyrics on your album 😬 5.5/10

Great storytelling and great production. Feels like a whole album rather than just a load of tracks.

goat

muy bueeenno

This is good AF. Maybe even better than to pimp a butterfly

Not my thing

Rap is not for me but of course Kendrick is good

Done

Wish I had paid more attention to new releases when my kids were young. Definitely deserved the grammy over Macklemore.

10/10 no skips beautiful storytelling

Pas mon style mais il y a des musiques que j'ai bien aimé tout de même

Un album qui est tourné vers le présent, ça change et ça fait du bien Vu qu'en plus il est excellent, comment ne pas être satisfait, il contient beaucoup d'aspect qui ont et qui font le succès du hip-hop aujourd'hui sans aucun skip

me intriga a glorificação a ele, mas me limito a, agora com mais propriedade, aceitar que não é uma música pra mim

definitivamente é um disco de rap

I knew some Kendrick Lamar songs, but had never listened to an album from start to finish. I am kicking myself for waiting so long. A fascinating album with an engaging, albeit very sad, story that builds throughout the record. Definitely worth a listen.

kendrick lamar has great flow, the production on the album is amazing too... but the same old tropes, the stereotypes, the misogyny, all that stuff's a bit of a turn off for me.

Bitch killed my vibe.

An album sounds like the harsh, grimy, unforgiving city just the way it's meant to, it's got a strong ambiance to it, the tracks feel diverse yet together, overall it's easy to immerse into The conversation snippets get old, though, I don't think there'll ever be an album where that stuff doesn't get kind of old. For relisten value, if nothing else But that's neither here nor there

te amo kendrickkk no sabia que me sabia tantas canciones de este album

So this was fine, I guess? Starting to think my taste in rap/hip-hop and jazz is about the same - the bold, angrier stuff appeals to me more than the mellow, subtle stuff.

Yeah, I mean...I'll admit upfront that I think this album is a far greater statement than To Pimp A Butterfly and currently I think it's Kendrick's magnum opus. The closest thing to a cinematic hip-hop album I've ever heard, I think. The only album that comes in 2nd is The Infamous, which is horrifyingly not in this book.

I’d put this right alongside 𝘛𝘰 𝘗𝘪𝘮𝘱 𝘢 𝘉𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘭𝘺. The appeal is a little different: here, Kendrick’s storytelling grabs me as much as the production. He can sound full of himself one moment and deeply unsure the next, and those shifts make the story more convincing. There’s a person behind the rapping, not just someone determined to impress me. The songs are catchy enough to enjoy individually, but I get much more out of hearing them together. Even the conversations between tracks add something, letting other people interrupt Kendrick’s version of events and giving the story a life beyond his own voice. Its successor casts a long shadow, but this hardly sounds like a warm-up. I like them equally, for different reasons.

2 days ago I was making fun of British rappers when I rolled my last underwhelming rapper trying to sound hard but just coming off as overtly goofy. Today, I get Kendrick Lamar. This is not a Rap album, this is art. It’s actually kind of insane just how many hits are on this one. I’ve heard of a ton of these songs and had no idea he was the one that made them. My knowledge of Kendrick is very surface level. I knew he had the beef (and convincingly won) with Drake (Who also appears on the worst song on this album, lmao), but didn’t know much else about him. “Not Like Us” has been on repeat for me since it dropped. Obviously I knew how big he is, I’ve just never seeked him out personally. When I saw he had 2 albums on here, I was very excited to roll either of them. This is the first of 2 I’ve rolled for this project, and it’s very good. Surprisingly light, but there are still plenty of heavy hitters along the way. Very light on skits and interruptions, but they are the low point of the album, as is tradition for every Rap album in general. Let’s just say there’s a reason why Kendrick gets 2 albums on here and Drake didn’t get any. Kendrick is obscenely more talented and deserving. The 3 song stretch from “good kid” to “Swimming Pools (Drank)”, featuring “m.A.A.d city” in the middle is one of the most legendary 3 songs in a consecutive order that I’ve ever heard, and picking a favorite was excruciatingly difficult. Ultimately, I eliminated 2 of them for either being too long or for having a skit at the end. My favorite ended up being “good kid”, the only song of the 3 I had not heard previously going in to the album blind. The beat is just incredible, and the rhyme scheme is also really solid. That being said, I have to discuss “m.A.A.d city”. The “YAWK! YAWK! YAWK! YAWK!” lives rent free in my head and likely always will. That is an all time stim that I’ll remember forever. It’s the same for “Swimming Pools (Drank)”, I’ve bee listening to the “drank” portion for a long time, and it’s still catchy. Recency bias may have something to do with my favorite pick, and I haven’t even mentioned the other great songs I loved on the album. “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” has also coincidentally been living in my head rent free since it dropped. And I hadn’t heard “Backseat Freestyle” before but I love that it’s just unapologetically an Eminem song. Pretty funny how just deliberately Eminem the whole thing is. Damn, this is such a good album. Seriously, what a rare W of an inclusion from the author. Excited to check out the other Kendrick album as well. I might even come back and give this one a 5. That is a distinct possibility. For now, I’m giving it a well deserved 4.

love it!

There’s a reason he’s got a Pulitzer.

An artist that requires multiple listens to even begin to evaluate - so my score may be premature. Layered. Story telling. Yes it’s long. More straightforward than To Pimp A Butterfly but still great. He is a phenomenon.

There is a hell of alot to take in on this album if you've not really listened to it before, which i hadn't. Definitely one to revisit and reevaluate over time. For now it's great lyrically but hasn't quite got there musically. 3.5 for a 3 place holding score currently

Incredible sound, cinematic - replacing skits with dialogue a masterstroke here, makes it almost visual, you can pretty much see LA in these songs. Particularly love how ominous Peer Pressure and m.A.A.d (sic) city sound. Lyrically adroit and thought provoking throughout. Great work, ya bish, ya bish.

I struggled with this out of the gate. Didn’t like it. It just wasn’t connecting. The opening tracks failed to drop any outstanding hooks, so the songs largely passed me by, meaning that I wasn’t listening too hard and wasn’t invested in the lyrics.

Then the Art of Peer Pressure kicked in, and boy what a song that is. From there onwards, it clicked. There was narrative, a storyline that I hadn’t picked up on. I became more engaged in the beats and Lamar’s flow. I started liking it.

I started liking it a lot. I went back to that start and listened from an engaged perspective. Damn, this guy is good!

Very good album.

Man, it's albums like this that make me realize how ignorant some of the people doing this project really are. To all of the people who have given this album a 1/5 for being misogynistic or vulgar or whatever, I ask you one question. Did you even read into the lyrics at all, or did you just hear the n-word and get uncomfortable despite being whiter than sour fucking cream? Maybe if you read into the lyrics and themes of Kendrick Lamar's 2012 album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, you'd realize that this album has a point to make about all of those things! If you just dug a little deep into it, you'd find that good kid, m.A.A.d city is one of the most genius albums in the history of hip-hop, if not all of music. GKMC is a concept album, and it might be one of the finest to ever do it. The cover art of the album subtitles it as a "short film," and if any album can lay claims to being akin to a short film, it's this one. The sense of story and progression as we follow Kendrick Lamar's upbringing in the streets of Compton feels so natural. The youthful naivety of a song like "Backseat Freestyle" balanced by the maturity that he's achieved by the final two songs of the album gives Kendrick a sense of character growth that you don't get to hear on many albums, regardless of genre. It helps that the skits on the album actually contribute to the story and aren't just pointless and lame. While I may not relate to the album's story at all, I still feel the emotional turns thanks to the stellar pacing and the complex writing. Speaking of which, Kendrick's writing on here is great! The way that the themes of things like drugs, gang culture, and women are explored thoughtfully and balanced by looks into topics like peer pressure and death give the album an emotional core strong enough to keep me engaged throughout its whole 68-minute runtime. The album's not all gloomy though. The production on this album has plenty of energy to make each song stand out as an important piece of the album. There's not a single bad song on this album! I didn't highlight any specific songs on my To Pimp A Butterfly review, so I want to make up for that by mentioning some interesting songs here. "Sherane a.k.a. Master Splinter's Daughter" is a dark intro with a cool bass part. Somehow it's the least streamed song on the album, which is insane! I know it's not exactly a "hit," but it's still great! If you want hits though, songs like "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe," "Money Trees," "m.A.A.d city," and "Swimming Pools (Drank)" will give you exactly what you're looking for. The first of those might have one of my favorite vocal performances on the album. The second of them is the most popular song on the album, and for good reason. The Beach House sample that forms the base of the beat is really cool and the writing is some of the album's best. "m.A.A.d city" has a ton of energy and a really cool beat switch half-way though. "Swimming Pools (Drank)" might have one of the best choruses of any hip-hop song ever. It's great! "Poetic Justice" is really funny to listen to in a post-"Not Like Us" world given the Drake feature. It's not a bad feature. However, despite all the praise I've given to some of these songs, none of them are the best on the album. The real masterpiece of this album is the 12-minute, two-part tour de force, "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst." I can't think of a single hip-hop song that rivals the emotional power of this song. I'd already heard this song prior to hearing the album, and it already had emotional weight to it. But with the context of the whole album up to that point? It hits even harder. Phenomenal song. Maybe the best in Kendrick's whole career. Okay, have I convinced any of you that this album is good yet? Fortunately, there are plenty of people who don't need convincing, as good kid, m.A.A.d city is one of the most revered albums of the 2010s. Is this deserved? Absolutely. While I do prefer its followup, 2015's To Pimp A Butterfly, good kid, m.A.A.d city is still a crowning achievement for the hip-hop genre. It is astounding that Kendrick made this at only 25 years old. Its reputation is wholeheartedly deserved. For what could be my final time ever knowing the 19 albums I have left after this, I will be giving this album a 5/5.

listened

Still nope. 2 Kendrick Lamar albums out of the first 44 recommends. Come on, man.

this was one of the first hip hop albums i ever listened to, but it's grown off me a good bit, especially without "now or never" on this original version. there are one or two outstanding songs like "sing about me, i'm dying of thirst", but it's mostly just meh for me, other than that. (sonically, of course. never gonna deny the lyricism and structural expertise on this).

Mest intressanta rapparen sen 90-talet

Incredible album, mAAd city is such a good song. There’s some production stuff on this that makes it not my favorite Kendrick album, I’m just personally not into the pitched up vocals as he’s using them here, but that’s the only negative thing I can say and I feel like it’s nitpicky. Amazing.

c'mon. let's be realistic here.

Swimming pool full a lq and we diving in.

I'm surprised by the number of songs I recognized. It's a good album.

Album #153: good kid, m.A.A.d city - Kendrick Lamar Genre (W): West Coast hip-hop, gangsta rap, hardcore hip-hop Singles: The Recipe (Deluxe only), Swimming Pools (Drank), Backseat Freestyle, Poetic Justice, B!tch, Don’t Kill My Vibe I have not listened to this album before. Thoughts?: I love the way Kendrick tells the story in this album and I enjoyed the concept a lot. A few songs dragged it down but overall it’s a solid concept album. Favorite tracks: B!tch, Don’t Kill My Vibe*, Backseat Freestyle*, The Art of Peer Pressure*, Money Trees*, m.A.A.d. city*, Swimming Pools (Drank)*

phenomenal

It’s objectively good but I just don’t have a good read on rap. I like Kendrick tho. 4/5

Easy 5 ⭐️ here. Hot take but i think it’s better than TPaB.

An accomplished album, with a variety of styles, sounds, and bars. But while I can appreciate the scope of this album, it didn’t do much for me listening from front to back. I struggled to get much out of the religious themes, and other lines and bitches, blunts, and banging. I’m not opposed to those ideas as a jumping off point for rap verses, but I’ve heard similar rhymes explored more interestingly, and with better backing tracks alongside.

The best

Интересный рэп альбом. Пишут что Кендрик что-то изменил в современном рэпе. Пока не понял что и чем.

too long

See I’m not a rap guy, but the storytelling and songwriting is so good that even things I normally find musically unexciting I found moving. For example in some spots the music was downtempo and repetitive but I was still on the edge of my seat because I needed to know what happened next. Money Trees and m.A.A.d City were my favorite tracks.

This is, in my humble opinion, the apex of all rap albums. The storytelling, the beats, his flow, the execution of a concept, the interaction with all that had come before, and the sheer weight of what he’s wrestling with. Plus it has the second half of “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst.”

Ridiculously strong album by Kendrick, which rightfully put him on the map. 'Compton' is my fave here

Inte ofta jag delar ut så här låga betyg. Men det här går inte att lyssna på.

Oh yeah.

4.5

Banger classic

Yep, it’s real good

Still incredible

Easiest 5 stars ever.

Couldn't exactly grow up in 2012-13 without hearing songs off this album could ya? Well, i mean you probably could've, but it would've been miserable. However it would be nothing compared to the snapshot that Kendrick paints about his life in Compton. For me, this was Kendrick's most complete take at an album. Section 80 was raw, TPAB is reminiscent of someone who was the best in the world, showing it, and DAMN was good commercially (always felt it was a radio-hit baity album tbh). This Album's replayability, in my opinion is also the ultimate trump card compared to his other works. Money Trees? Maad City? Dont Kill my Vibe? Backseat Freestyle? Still elite to this day. Overall? I mean, i hate giving out 5s like Candy, but hell if the albums keep coming in with this level of work, I Kind of have no choice..... Then again, if Fred Neil's album is any indicator, I guess this is more preferrable. 5/5

I heard this album like 100 times already lol 9.5/10

Imao sam fazu nekad davno kad sam slušao Kendricka i tak hip hop. Tad mi je bilo dobro, i imam par pjesama sa ovog albuma vec na drugim playlistama. Vise ne slusam bas tu vrstu muzike cesto, ali album je svakako kvalitetan.

Very good

Pretty good actually

No time for that

Was alright, better than the other one

Actually fantastic, wow

I liked To Pimp A Butterfly a little bit better, but this album was really good.

💵🚐🤬👟🥊

There's some musical brilliance here but also some stuff that wasn't my thing. Clearly a confident major label debut.

Very good album. A bit long at some points but solid bangers throughout.

Absolute filth. I know people exist who enjoy this crap, but I just can’t understand how they came to that way of being. Who in their right mind can take a garbage song like Money Trees seriously? It made me want to throw my earphones in the gutter, defecate on them and stamp on them. This is despicable music. Just as awful as the butterfly album.

(7/7) some awesome stuff; very distinctive

OK. Don't like rap. He made wroom wroom sounds, when he rapped about cars. Cringe

This album was ok. Just a lot of crudeness and nothing really jumped out at me.

I’ve enjoyed Kendrick for a while but never a full album. This was an amazing experience. Highly recommended!

Friday, 28 August, 2026 Killer album. Kendrick at the beginning. Great beats and the current master on the mic.

I believe this is the most recent album I got so far. It’s a classic album already. Though I enjoy his following two albums more (especially TPAB which I do find more diverse in sound than this one), this starts his streak of amazing records.

Crazy. I never listened to this before. I’m glad I had the chance to because WOW… though I feel like I don’t click with the album much, Kendrick is a storyteller. The way he raps while telling his story of life where he grew up is just fantastic. Also, I didn’t know I knew so many songs on the album

Prve dve pesme su baš bile dosadne i onda je polako išlo sve bolje i bolje i onda pri kraju palo, ali generalno bih slušao opet.

oh man, i love kendrick lamar! im so excited to listen to this. this album has been so good i havent even made any notes. cant believe drake was here hahaha! songs made the playlist and i even cried. sooooo yeah. this was great.

Never thought I would not hate it. It's suprising, most songs were good.

5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/kendrick-lamar/good-kid-m_a_a_d-city/ Come oooonnnnn of course this is 5 stars. Are you kidding me? Swimming Pools? Backseat Freestyle?? The Beach House sample on Money Trees??? Drake not even being awful???? Masterpiece, and for me maybe even preferred over TPAB.

Bästa aktiva rapparen?

Lever upp till sitt rykte och fick mig faktiskt att lyssna på texterna.

Rätt intressant men långt.

Kendrick Lamar é um artista que me sinto muito honrada de ter conhecido há um bom tempo. Infelizmente sou presa no ciclo de ouvir algo e imediatamente ficar obcecada, ouvir em loop até enjoar, ou total oposto, precisar ruminar um bom tempo pra ter certeza que digeri e entendi. Esse álbum se encaixa na segunda categoria para mim, ao contrário do DAMN., a obra de arte do qual escutei, fiquei obcecada, e ainda volto de tempos em tempos. good kid, m.A.A.d city é uma obra da qual pouco consigo me identificar, mas mesmo assim sinto o peso, provavelmente por abrir com a oração de arrependimento e aceitação de Jesus Cristo, ou pela capa do Kendrick criança, em contraste com toda história que se desenrola pelo álbum. É um ótimo álbum, talvez eu precise de ruminar mais e ler os comentários do Genius pra compreendê-lo mais profundamente, mas é inegável o quão artista o Kendrick é, o que me deixa mais animada para ouvir To Pimp a Butterfly e revisitar DAMN.

Everyone knows I love repetitive music. But it needs to grow, and in unexpected ways. This is in the spectrum of street rap that I'm just not interested in. Sort of the same issues I have R&B: it's just not interesting. Listening to the lyrics, I can applaud his going outside cultural comfort zones to tell unflattering stories of the life, and criticisms of things others hold up as virtue. But ultimately, it's just not interesting enough, doesn't break enough out of the mold. 6/10

I love Kendrick! Not my favourite album of his.

Morceau préféré : 5 : Money Trees (merci le sample de Beach House) Morceaux bien kiffés : 7 : good kid 8 : m.A.A.d city 9 : Swimming Pools

Absolute classic. Always gives me a big nostalgia hit as I got into it when I first started working at ZOO - probs 2013ish.

Was not my thing. Did not finish

love this one but not my fav kendrick record

5 sterren, chille beats. Goede teksten. Het hele weekend heb ik geluisterd naar deze plaat en wat spotify daarna voor mij genereert aan muziek, genieton

Het album wat de doorbraak is van Kendrick. In dit album laat kendrick horen dat hij technisch de beste rapper is met de beste pen. Hij laat in verschillende nummers horen dat hij goed kan met een snelle of een slowflow. Met zijn stemgeluid kan hij verschillende stemmetjes doen en altijd met veel swag. De rijmschema’s kunnen nerds op youtube overanalyseren net zoals 5dubbele betekenissen van bepaalde woordspelingen. Het belangrijkste vind ik dat het gewoon heel vet klinkt. Ook zijn de boodschappen en verhalen die hij vertelt heel sterk. Het is heel politiek beladen, maar helemaal niet recht toe recht aan maar verstopt in echte verhalen en ervaringen. Ik vind het bij dit album ook leuk dat de beats echte hip-hop beats zijn. Dat verandert bij to pimp a butterfly wat ook een meesterwerk is, maar ik hou toch ook wel van klassieke hip-hop beats met 808’s.

Het gebeurt niet vaak dat je een album luistert dat alles overstijgt. Dit album gaat wat mij betreft verder dan een goed album. Het was daarom fijn dat dit een weekendalbum was, omdat het wel de aandacht nodig heeft die het verdient. De eerste keer luisteren was ik vooral gefocust op de nummers, de beats, de flow en de energie die het geeft. De tweede keer luisterde ik het vooral omdat ik het gewoon lekker vond klinken. Het riep ook wat vragen op, want als je casual luistert, gaan er ontzettend veel details aan je voorbij. Het album heeft me dusdanig gepakt dat ik video-essays ben gaan opzoeken op YouTube. Daarin wordt de hele verhaallijn van het album doorgenomen en uitgelicht. Dat heeft me geholpen het album beter te begrijpen en laat mooi zien hoe Kendrick als tiener te maken krijgt met constante gewetenskwesties. Kendrick is een good kid, maar door de m.A.A.d city, de homies, groepsdruk en de drang naar rijkdom komt hij steeds weer in de problemen. Daarna nog maar eens een derde keer luisteren. Het album is niet zomaar een aantal liedjes bij elkaar. Kendrick vertelt het verhaal van zijn jeugd, en het raakt diep. Het is authentiek, grappig, ontroerend en vooral een album dat je keer op keer opnieuw wilt luisteren om het steeds beter te vatten. Ik denk daarom dat dit een geweldige introductie is in zijn muziek. 6 sterren.

Kevin: Love it but can't help but feel it was buoyed by the cultural atmosphere of the early 2010s, not sure if this would make the same splash today Jamie: Loves "Money Trees", overall not her favorite Kendrick

Rapcito obviamente

25. avgust 2026. 15.27h -||- za moje rep misljenje ali ovo je bio p good album! best: sherane, the art of peer pressure, money trees, real

9/10 Easily one of the best modern day rappers and this isn't even his best album

Cool stuff, wasn’t able to get into it as much as I did with “to pimp a butterfly”, but it’s a solid album

Du rap

Oui c’était chouette

Sympa, ça fait partie du genre que j'ai aimé découvrir avec ces albums mais peut être pas mon préféré

Stark 4:a, inte lika stark som DAMN som är ett av mina favoritalbum. Har aldrig lyssnat på denna från början till slut men otrolig skiva. Kendrick är verkligen ett geni, sättet han lyckas dra en röd tråd och så otroliga samplingar med lite humor. Hans musik får mig alltid att önska att jag kunde förstå varenda line, varenda referens. Är alltid lite avis på Eira och min lillebror som lär sig hela låtar och verkar förstå mycket mer än vad jag någonsin kommer göra! Med det sagt, mycket känslomässiga band till detta album men jag personligen älskar DAMN mest.

Det här albumet är helt otroligt. Mitt femte mest lyssnade album någonsin och det är också ett av mina topp fem favoritalbum någonsin. För den som inte vet bygger hela albumet på Kendricks uppväxt i Compton, LA och varje låt visar en sida av den uppväxten. Det kombinerar otrolig storytelling, med sjuka instrumentaler och enligt mig bär albumet på en helt unik stämning som jag inte ens kan finna spår av i andra album. Nu tänker jag gå igenom låt för låt och berätta om låtarnas syfte och mina tankar kring dem. Varje låt skulle kunna få en lång analys i sig, men jag ska försöka hålla mig kort. Först och främst inleds albumet med ”Sherane a.k.a Master Splinter’s Daughter”. Denna låt är absolut inte den bästa på albumet och är inte särskilt catchy, men den sätter direkt den mörka stämningen med rå storytelling där man verkligen sätts in i perspektivet av tonåriga Kendricks upplevelser när han blir kär i en tjej från sitt gängs rivaler. Bara låtnamnet har massor betydelser så jag rekommenderar att ni läser lite om det. Låten avslutas av ett telefonsamtal från modern och fadern, vilket snyggt leder in i nästa låt. ”Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” är en riktig hitlåt som onekligen är en riktig banger. Enligt mig är det fortfarande inte en av de bättre låtarna, utan den är mer en skön lyssning på albumet. Låten handlar i grunden om begränsningar av konstnärlig frihet och kreativitet. Det är lite ironiskt då att Lady Gaga först skulle vara med på låten, men inte kunde vara med pga tidspress från skivbolaget. Låten avslutas av ett kort inslag av lite snack mellan kendrick och hans polare: ”Get your freestyle ready”. Nästa låt är som väntat ”Backseat Freestyle”. Det är, som namnet antyder, en lekfull låt som ska efterlikna den typen av freestyles som kendrick och hans polare ska ha gjort i baksätet på bilen medan de åkte runt i compton. Låten är inte nödvändigtvis den bästa, men har ändå sitt värde i albumets sammanhang. Nästa låt är en otroooooligt bra låt. ”The art of peer pressure” är återigen en storytellinglåt som, precis som namnet antyder, handlar om grupptryck och de effekter det har på ungdomar i grupp. Låtens beatswitch är helt otroligt bra, och den rapp som följer är bland den bästa jag känner till. Den gör något med mig som jag inte förstår. Mörk vibe, flowig rap och samtidigt så otroliga texter. Den förmedlar verkligen funktionen av gruppen, hur den skapar sin identitet, hur den skapar fientlighet samt hur den får kendrick att göra saker han inte hade annars. Det är verkligen en av mina favoritlåtar någonsin. Den avslutas återigen av snack mellan polarna där man hör skitsnack, hård jargong osv. MONEY TREEEES!!! Ett mästerverk till, som har fått klart mer uppmärksamhet streamingmässigt. Jag får alltid rysningar så fort låten börjar och man hör det otroliga samplet av beach house. Låten i sig handlar om målet att bli rik och framgångsrik och hur det drev kendrick och hans vänner som ungdomar. Jay rock-versen är otrolig och allt bara är magiskt. Älskart!! Sen har vi en relativt mid låt i ”poetic justice” med drake. Låten är liiite för lång och för tråkig, men samtidigt catchy och trevligt. Låten visar en ny aspekt av livet som ungdom i Compton. Den spelar på sårbarhet, känslor, lust och hur poesi kan vara en form av flykt från de tuffa förhållandena i Compton. Slutet på poetic justice tar oss tillbaka till början på albumet, vilket signaleras med samma ljud i bakgrunden. Den tar oss alltså till konfrontationen då han ska träffa Sherane och blir utfrågad om sin bakgrund. ”Good Kid” är ännu en bra låt, producerad av Pharell Williams (som man hör i introt). Låten pekar på de problem som uppstår när en bra unge möts av ett tufft klimat med systematiska fallgropar och kriminella gäng. Han är just a ”good kid” som möts av ett ”maad city”. ”Maad city” är nästa låt på albumet och den hör till stor del ihop med den föregående. Det är albumets kanske tyngsta låt men också en av de absolut bästa. Den skildrar hemska händelser under Kendricks uppväxt, som att se döda människor och sin kusin du 1994. Låten är full av historier och förklaring av hur svår uppväxten var som alla värda att analysera djupare. Beatswitchen är så jääääkla fet!!! Låten har för många referenser för att skriva här men snälla läs på mer!!! Efter förra låtens avslut med klirrande flaskor och snack om att dämpa känslorna med alkohol kommer låten ”Swimming Pools (Drank)” som ganska självklart handlar om alkoholproblem till följd av den hemska omgivningen. Låten är inte den bästa men ändå braaaa. Sista orden i låten är ”and just when i thought i had enough”. Därefter spelas en till snitt från hans kompisgäng där en kille blir ihjälskjuten i bilen. Nästa låt är ”Sing About Me, I’m dying of Thirst”. Helt ärligt är det här en av de mest invecklade låtarna som finns och jag tänker inte sitta och beskriva allt här. Men låten är vad många anser bästa raplåten genom tiderna där varje vers har olika perspektiv. Första versen berättas från perspektivet av han vars brorsa blev skjuten, andra berättas från en prostituerads perspektiv (vars syster kendrick har skrivit om tidigare) och den tredje versen är kendrick själv som tvivlar på sig själv och sin omgivning. Efter beatswitchet kommer hans insikt där religion blir en väg ut ur gängkriminaliteten. Låten avslutas av att kendrick och vännerna får hjälp av en äldre dam att acceptera religionen i livet, och samma bön upprepas som i absoluta början på albumet (ALLTING KNYTS IHOP). Låten slutar när hon säger att deras Real life kan börja. Då startar nästa låt ”real” som är en av de, enligt mig, svagare låtarna på albumet. Den handlar om att stöta bort de dåliga sakerna i livet och omsluta sig av positivitet och hälsosamma vanor. Låten slutar med ett röstmeddelande igen av Kendricks föräldrar. Pappan beklagar Kendricks förlust och förklarar att gänglivet inte är något att sträva efter. Mamman pratar istället om hur han bör komma tillbaka hem eftersom Top dawg (en producent) vill ha honom i studion. Hon uppmuntrar honom till att satsa på musiken och hjälpa andra genom att berätta om de upplevelser han har haft. Sist men inte minst har vi ”Compton” med ingen annan än Dr.Dre. Detta anthem har ett maffigt beat och är tillägnat staden där bland annat Kendrick och Dr.Dre växte upp. Låten är ett perfekt avslut på albumet för att runda av allting (jag räknar inte någon jäkla remix som en del av albumet). Jag älskar detta album mer än jag kan beskriva och jag rekommenderar starkt att läsa på om alla referenser och förklaringar till allt. Det finns alltid mer att lära sig. Dessutom rekommenderar jag deluxen eftersom extralåtarna också är otroliga. ”Black boy fly” och ”Now or never” är grymma. Jag älskar albumet och det är bland de mest självklara tiorna jag kan dela ut. Mitt slutgiltiga betyg: 10/10!!!

Aldrig varit så nervös att skriva något om ett album när jag vet att Simon, Hugo o Emil läser detta, (jag förutspår 3 st 5/5). Men detta är ett bra album, lyssnat mycket på det under gymnasiet. Det är fredag morgon o jag orkar inte skriva långt. Jag kan bara tillägga att jag älskar ”Bitch don’t kill my vibe” (obs den med Jay-z). Möjligen att jag tycker albumet är lite lite långt. Nu ska jag upp från sängen

10/10, inga skips, kendrick i hans bästa element, otroliga beats och storytelling.

First time listening to Kendrick Lamar and I enjoyed it much more than what I was expecting. I tend to dislike any/all of the new rappers, but this was really, really good!

I think this album is great for people who are more into this genre of music, but it's personally not my style. My favorite song was Bitch, don't kill my vibe... this is probbaly because I've heard it before. To be quite honest, this is my first album of the journey, and I came for music discovery and to find Kendrick Lamar on there was quite... unexpected. I still enjoyed listening, even though I can't see myself listening to these songs again.

i liked it was the type of rap i like but i wouldnt listen to it normally decent experience

Not my style but swimming pools and don't kill my vibe were very good.

just fun listening to a rap album all the way through and Kendrick is the goat

Classic

album #121 well writtenn and well constructed!! ꩜ average track rating: 3.1/5 ꩜ favourite track(s): backseat freestyle, money trees ꩜ least favourite track(s): swimming pools ꩜ album rating: ★★★☆☆ ꩜ number of albums left to review: 968 ꩜ number of albums from the list that i agree with being on the list: 54 (+1 good kid, m.A.A.d city) ꩜ albums from the list that I would consider on my list: 24 ꩜ albums from the list I won't include on my list: 97

2.5

It’s no Untitled Unmastered (“Kunte Kinte”). But the increasing realism and melancholy of the album is a thing (plus a final shout out from Dr. Dre!)

solid 7

Yak yak yak yak

Flink han Lamar Går ikke lei Hørt desidert mest på money trees så d er nok favoritten men du det er mye bra her. Mmmmm Nammenam i øret

Heilt gull Lyden av VG1, e fortsatt ikkje lei... Bitch, dont kill my vibe... eie Money trees, kanskje ein av de beste sangene ever? POETIC JUSTICE, hellyess Vettkje ka som var i luftå i 2012 som gjorde at all musikken produsert då blei totalt banger. Maad city og swimmingpools e legendarisk åg sing about me, im dying of thirst... fortellerkunst as Beste sang: vettkje, heile albumet bortsett fra backseet freestyle og real

yawn

RATING: 9/10 HIGHLIGHT: Sing About Me I’m Dying of Thirst LOWLIGHT: The Art of Peer Pressure

I greatly enjoyed listening to Kendrick's first of many masterpieces today. What I love so much about the delivery of this album is it feels like I'm watching a movie in my mind while I listen to it. It's easy to follow if you pay attention but it's not so straightforward that it feels dumbed down. It's immersive. Good Kid Maad City is Kendrick's coming of age story. It's so personal that as the listener you feel like you are getting a first person perspective of this man's life. His thoughts, his vices, his innocence, and the influence of the world around him. I can't stop saying enough good things about this album. Kendrick deserves all of his flowers for this one.

Don't understand why it got soo many streams, cool production and tight muscianship yes but otherwise it feels boring

I am not a fan of modern rap. I thoug I didnt like rap at all but doing rhis challenge I can tell 90's rap has much more soul and vibe. I don't get what is good in Lamar lyricism, I know this is a concept album but it's hard to identify the timeline. With this album all I could tell is the misoginistic lines and the various ways he says the word bitch.I can tell some innovation on the production but, man, I hate this gangta rap and I can't see the hype. 2/5

Really really enjoyed this one. Kendrick has great flow. The beats were nice. Music popped. Definitely in my top 2-3 so far. Only album 20 though.

Money trees ARE the perfect place for shade. Such a brilliant track. He's made up for having Drake on a track by making 'Not Like Us'. Not that I hate the track, but I just get a horrible shiver when I hear him now. This album started a journey to the throne of hip hop, and it was a hugely significant and superior piece to what else was about in 2012.

Not a fan.

It’s a good Kendrick slbum

Cheers to one year of album reviews! (even though I'm a few albums behind). I was surprised but also not surprised by how many of these songs were already familiar to me. This might be my first time listening to a full Kendrick album, although it's possible I've listened through Damn at some point. Either way, this was a cool album. Not fully my cup of tea, but I can tell he's talented and creative.

Ah yeah! I’ve been looking forward to this one. I’ve likely listened to this album at least 500 times and possibly in the thousands. I’m a bit surprised the album Damn didn’t make the list though. Since Damn is the album Kendrick won the Pulitzer Prize with. Which he is the first non-classical or jazz artist to ever receive this award for their music. Good kid, m.A.A.d city is an absolutely incredible album still. It also holds a record for remaining on the billboard top 200 charts since its release in 2012 That’s over 700 weeks without dropping off! The only rap album to ever do this. Yesterday I had to drive to portage early in the am to deal with the shitshow that is my dads property. I wasn’t looking forward to the day or the drive and was cueing up some music. So I was debating playing something familiar or the album of the day. Turns out I could get two birds stoned at once. GKMC tells the story of a kid who grew up in Compton and was influenced by the streets. Who later ends up accepting responsibility for his actions. Kendrick Lamar since growing in fame has spent lot of money and time in Compton to enrich the community. By supporting various events, his childhood school, and programs to benefit the neighbourhood overall. Including an annual Christmas party where he provides food and gifts for family and kids. It shows through Kendrick’s music catalogue his personal learning and growth. While recognizing his past and what that has taught him too.

Bangers, so creative, the sampling, the architecture of the album. Bangers. So much thought put into everything here with so much behind it. Almost feels weird man to bop my head to some of these songs knowing what he's actually singing about. Real shit. Its Kendrick, you know I'm already gonna give both of his albums a top score. Although my favorite of his isn't on this list... Damn...

Thought it'd be a slog due to the length but it was definitely worth the hype people give it.

Great rap record

Heard before. This is the Kendrick project that slowly seems to lose a bit of luster over time for me, but the peaks of this project are still some of the best of any rap record from the 2010s.

Still a masterpiece

I love I am supposed to love this..oh, the genius!

Incredible

Amazing

Not my cup of tea. Rap music is just not for me.

What is there to say about Mr Lamar that hasn't been said a million times before. A modern rap and lyrical master, there's a reason he has a Pulitzer Prize (though not for this record). This is definitely not my first listen to "good kid, m.A.A.d city" and it definitely won't be my last. While it took a few listens to click when I first listened to it, once it clicked, oh it clicked! A brilliant album with such a profound story to tell. Full of bangers and no skips. Fav Songs Sing About Me, I'm Dying Of Thirst m.A.A.d city Money Trees Is it Top 1001 Worthy (is it essential)? 100% Yes. One of the greatest rap albums made, a masterpiece of the modern era (and it's not Kendrick's only one). Would absolutely recommend to listen to it NOW if you haven't, it's that good.

“I pray my dick get big as the Eiffel Tower So I can fuck the world for seventy-two hours” 🗣️

There's some R&B artists, songs, and albums out there that I absolutely love and adore. This album is not among them. In fact, this was a prime example of what, in my opinion, tends to give the genre a bad rap overall. Objectifying women and fantasizing about being violent towards them, unserious lyrics with strong language just for the show of it, just to be explicit, egotistical lyrics that glorify superficial ambitions like egregious wealth, expensive bullshit, and having the most bitches, are among the most stereotypical subjects of this genre, and this album showcases all of that shit. There's so much more to rap, but albums like this make it hard to find.

All the people calling this offensive and misogynistic are misreading the whole album, or they only listened to one song and decided the whole album was like that. This is Kendrick rapping about his teenage self and his thoughts and experiences and depiction does not equal endorsement. Ignorant motherfuckers TPaB is probably his best album but Sing About Me is his best song

Blind album, probably the most tolerable of Kendrick. Kind of shocked im giving this a 3 when his other albums got a 1.

Kendrick had a great run of albums in the 2010’s. Not every song is good, in fact I would argue he’s pretty hit or miss. But this album is full of great songs, and even the misses have some listenability. Fave tracks: Bitch dont kill my vibe, backseat freestyle, money trees, maad city, swimming pools

I get why people hold it so highly but it's always been "just" very very good to me. Crazy high highs

It's rare that I listen to an album I enjoy so thoroughly from start to finish. Kendrick really cooked here. Spectacular production, technically strong rapping and just the overall of an instant classic. I've listened to this dozens of times as of writing this review and I plan to continue having this album on rotation.

Gar nicht das meine

Very good production, nice lyrics and cool concept

This was enjoyable. Knew a good number of songs.

I once saw K-Dot perform live in person, so I was always going to be in the bag for him. I’m a huge fan, and this was my introduction. Plenty of top tier singles keep me coming back, and the latter discography aint bad either.

nb

chills. literal chills.

Good album. I haven't listened to much of Kendrick's music. I need to incorporate it more into my music rotations.

easy 5 stars. whole album's a vibe, the storytelling's incredible, and i even found a fun youtube video afterwards talking more about it. bitch don't kill my vibe!

such a layered project, classic

Not my cup of tea. I understand the bravado and language and style, but it's not for me.

7.8/10 fav tracks: now or never sherane a.k.a master splinter’s daughter money trees bitch don't kill my vibe

mit jochen, kleinste Lautstärke ein stern. was soll das? mein r&b problem? lisa konnte Lamar stunden lang hören...c

This was peak

Such a brilliant work. The music itself is so interesting with many different instruments. It feels very versatile and relates to common sense. I like it so much, and it's a shame that I hadn't listened to this album before yesterday.

This album is 10/10

C: alr a fav

One of the finest albums of any genre and this generations ‘What’s Going On’. Kendrick’s best in my opinion. Easy 5 stars Also, if you are offended by the language and content you are missing the point of this album. You’re not supposed to okay with the life that Kendrick experienced. This is not glorification, he is just telling you the too common story of being born into a world shaped by decades of systemic racism. That should make you upset, not how the participant is describing it.

3 for moneys trees and swimming pools

Not my type of music didn't add any but some of them could be in the background and I wouldn't mind

firee i already had most songs from a long time ago

This is not a good album. This is not a b.A.A.d album. This is a one hell of an album! So: 5/5

Garbage x 2,000,000

This album will live in infamy. "m.A.A.d city" is one of the songs that introduced me to hip-hop and rap when I was younger. No notes.

Took me a couple of full listens to start appreciating the genre and the album. Not gonna lie, I love the record.

Best Track - "Swimming Pools (Drank)

I don't get the hype, and the lyrics and themes are certainly a choice.

Hood rap opera. Kendrick just seems to be able to articulate the problems of the hood in a very straight foward way. I appreciate it on To Pimp A Butterfly & here. I don't think I like it near as much as Butterfly but its close. 4.5

Kendrick is the greatest rapper of this generation and it's not particularly close. No I will not concede to anyone else.

I find hip-hop really interesting (as a genre) even though there isn't a lot of it that I really enjoy, musically. This album is a good one. It is a true album (with a theme) and I've done some background reading - it's authentic and I relate it to "Straight outta Compton" by NWA which I rate highly. The lyrics are good except I'm so boooored of hearing all that bitch and pussy talk. Not just because it is offensive, but even more so because it's just lazy and been done a million times before. In the 80's OK, but 30 years later? Can we move on please? Otherwise, a really interesting album - I will revisit, and I do understand why Kendrick Lamar one of the best hip-hoppers. But sometimes I feel the bar is pretty low in the genre and on many albums (not this one) the best bits are the samples.

Ahora entiendo el hype por Kendrick. Gran storytelling, buenos beats. Se me hizo un poco largo.

Well, I like sound bites on albums. Is that how you say it? Is that what they are? Like a skit instead of a song? Better? Even if I’m not a huge fan of this album, Kendrick is so much more talented than Drake. Yes the same bad hairline, goofy ass looking, wheelchair fake riding poor actor Drake. So, it’s rare that a single song can make an album good. I found one. Maad City is the sound I like, I dig, I listen for, I need That’s all I need to say about that Jenny Choice cut: Maad City

8.5/10

What a fucking masterpiece, the storytelling, the production, its so emotional and so so well written The only reason this doesnt have an average of 4/5stars here is racism and because boomers hate rap

Favorite songs: Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe, Backseat Freestyle, The Art of Peer Pressure, good kid, m.A.A.d city, Swimming Pools (Drank), Compton Hard for me to reconcile some really great music with some really offensive lyrics. 3.5

Fantastic through and through

My fav kendrick, it's peak

I rate this as awesome man

If you give me a kendrick album it's an automatic S-tier album. Holy shit listening to this whole album is such a vibe. Loved every second of it. Songs I liked Bitch don't kill my vibe Backstreet freestyle Money trees Poetic justice Good kid Swimming pools Sing about me I'm dying from thirst So many bangers it's a first 10 Review - 10/10

cool classic rap album

Beautiful 🔥

5/5. There is a reason why this is the longest charting rap album, and it’s because it is just that great. It perfectly strikes the balance between extremely engaging storytelling and high quality songwriting with hooks that will always remain in your brain after you’ve heard them. In terms of the narrative of the album it follows Kendrick’s teenage years navigating growing up in Compton and his interactions with the areas gang culture and drug trade. There really isn’t a weak track on this album whether we’re talking the massive hooks of “Swimming Pools” and “Money Trees” or the amazing storytelling of “Sing About me in dying of thirst.” If you put a gun to my head, I’d maybe say the weakest song is “Poetic Justice” just cause it isn’t as interesting as the rest of the album, but even then I love the beat on it and even as a long-time Drake hater he gives a solid verse. But yeah, Good Kid Maad City is an all-timer album, and it’s only Kendrick’s second-best album.

Mycket bra! Gillar Kendricks texter och hans rap som funkar så bra och har sådant flow. Älskar Bitch, don't kill my vibe, Backseat freestyle, Money Trees, m.A.A.d city och Swimming pools (drank). Jag hst egentligen inget annat att säga än att det är bra och svänger. Albumet är bra och jag kommer förstås lyssna fler gånger.

3.5

Didn’t like this as much as the other one

This album has some good qualities, at times being quite listenable and certainly less abrasive than Lamar’s other album on this list, To Pimp a Butterfly. The story of the album is largely the challenges of trying to grow up in Compton, one that is told in places with impactful emotion and sometimes more from a female perspective than other rap by a man (‘Sing About Me…). However, in that process it does continue with some typical problems of the genre in its violent misogyny in places (that may be a reflection of its subject matter for social and historical reasons, but it does impede my enjoyment of an album), and being much too long. And although this is a better listen overall than To Pimp a Butterfly, it probably lacks a single or two that sticks in your mind.

I thoroughly enjoyed this record. We’re taken on a lyrical journey through the trials and tribulations of a young man’s life growing up in Compton, and along the way are treated to impeccably produced and memorable tracks that I shall be coming back to many times.

I think I like this one slightly more than ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’, but not enough for me to give it a different score. The same comments apply, really; I respect this album as a piece of artistic work more than I actually enjoy listening to it. Again similarly, I generally enjoyed the music while finding it lyrically and vocally dense and a bit grating after a while, although I have to say not quite as much as ‘TPAB’. I can see why many people regard this album so highly, but in terms of my own enjoyment it’s a 3.

Really really great, catchy, amazing flow by kendrick, great features, love the mix of mellow atmospheres and powerful drums. Becomes boring only seldom times.

Wow

quite enjoyed that, even without too much lyrical deepness, has a nice rhythm to it

Swimming Pools is a highlight for sure. Its definitely one that you need to study the lyrics.

No disrespect to him or his fans, but I’d rather have a root canal than listen to this. Zero stars… UPDATE: Just had a root canal… it reminded me of this album: torture.

Haven't really listened to any Kendrick Lamar for some reason, don't know why. Quite enjoyed this, I think I would need to listen a few times and dig into the lyrics deeper to get the most out of it though I didn't expect to see "why can black people say the n word but I'm racist if I do" on here, the generator brings new surprises everyday Highlights: The Art of Peer Pressure, Real

I liked this but apparently not as much as I was supposed to. So many people regard it as an all time great. Maybe it will grow on me.

Not quite Kanye or Jay Z. Pretty dull.

Not my genre but it’s a good listen. I can’t process much of the lyrics though. Maybe I would have like it less if I had.

I didn't really vibe with To Pimp A Butterfly as much as most hip hop heads seem to, so this probably won't be my jam. That said, it is interesting to see how Kendrick polarizes the site's user base like few others do. Many seem to either love him or hate him, yet I felt neither about TPAB. And I don't feel either about this, but simply see a passable rap album. Sometimes it has great storytelling, sometimes it leans into gangster cliches, sometimes it's interesting, sometimes it's boring. I just don't click with Kendrick like many people do, but I don't think it's bad music like many others do. His music, on both this and TPAB, just falls into that space of utter mediocrity for some reason. He's a good lyricist with occasionally good sample choices, but his music just doesn't inspire any feeling in me. I want to like him, but I just can't get into his stuff. This album is the top ranked album of 2012 globally. Other 2012 albums rated by me: Blunderbuss(2/5)-4 Django Django(4/5)-3

I’m not a rap fan (not for racist Ben Shapiro reasons I’m just not cool), but the lyrics were good and the sound was cool.

The chokehold this album had on my collective university experience… being at a house party and yelling the the lyrics to Backseat Freestyle at the top of our lungs. WIFEY GIRLFRIEND AND MISTRESS

Good album. About as good as the similarly lauded To Pimp A Butterfly. A tentative, mysterious, sort of ethereal feel in the opening song, Sherane / Master Splinter's Daughter. The instrumentation is used pretty sparingly, but when it hits, it hits hard (see, for example, the brief descending bass lick that repeats throughout the track). Cool lyrical transition into Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe, though the end of Sherane teeters dangerously close to interlude territory, which obviously accounts for some of the absolute worst of what hip-hop has to offer. You have valuable space on your album. Make good use of it. Don't offer up over a minute of some woman speaking to her son on the phone. The transition to Backseat Freestyle is much more forgiving, only boasting a few seconds of musically inert content instead of minutes. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe is an excellent track. Very memorable and catchy, which is of course the most important aspect of any music intended for mainstream airplay. Backseat Freestyle, though... just nothing to latch onto. The first of a few genuinely bad songs. The Art of Peer Pressure is an immediate improvement with the smooth piano and percussion. That synth at the back of the mix is just loud enough to be piercing and annoying, but the rest of the musicianship makes up for it. To see what I mean, listen from about 1:00 onward to hear the exact moment (~1:06) where the song suddenly sounds orders of magnitude better. Another interlude, though. Bitch, you killed my vibe. (Even when I specifically told you not to?) Money Trees, though decently groovy, absolutely does not deserve its 2.2 billion Spotify streams while tracks like Mystery (Indigo Girls) scrape by with around 2 million despite being near-objectively more enjoyable and musically interesting. Ah, well. C'est la hip-hop. Next, Poetic Justice does pretty decently. Of course, the main event is that backing vocalist, who has a gorgeous voice that completely overshadows Lamar's own. good kid, the first of two title tracks, returns to the minor-key mystifying feel of Sherane. Otherwise, good but pretty unmemorable. m.A.A.d city is a little better, incorporating some pretty sweet guitar and bass parts that remind me of REM and similar bands from the 80s/90s. Cool horns and strings(?) as well. Throughout the song we hear a few rapidly ascending/descending guitar pluckage, plus plenty of other DJ-mixer SFX to give the listener plenty to latch onto. Another decent song with generally unmemorable hooks: Swimming Pools (Drank). This appears to be a theme. We then get two lengthy songs, including the monstrous 12-minute Sing About Me, I'm Dying Of Thirst. At least the soft guitar and drums, reminiscent of Identikit or other Radiohead songs from that period, completely carry the song to success. The final two songs, Real and Compton, are both debatable in terms of being actually "catchy" or "enjoyable listens". They also sound a bit like SITKOL-era Stevie Wonder, especially the latter, so I kind of file them in that category. Nifty processed vocals at the end. And of course, just blaze. 3/5 Key tracks: Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe, Poetic Justice, m.A.A.d city

Fire.

Pasados los 2000 no escuché mucho rap ni hip-hop, conforme se convirtieron en estrellas mediáticas deje de interesarme por su música. Confundo a todos: Kendrick, Kanye, Jazzy, ... no me gusta cuando cantan con voz de pito como Eminen o como los Insane Clown Pose (pero al menos ellos eran honrados y vestían de payasos). Escuchando esta lista he recuperado algo de la música que me perdí. Hay grandes cosas y otras que siguen pareciendo una broma. Al menos si hay algo evidente que es una evolución: las bases sonoras y rítmicas. Casi siempre son más ricas, con profundidad, no cuatro samples en loop y una caja de ritmos.

No denying this is an amazing record—Vine and Freestyle are stone cold classics and the scope/storytelling are impressive and compelling. But every time I hear this album, I think it’s way too long. Every song eventually brings me back, but I zone out frequently during the second half. 4.5

10/10

Best thing I’ve listened to too this whole journey.

So much raw emotion + Back when Kendrick f'd with Drake. 😹

music is love

Feels great to finally have the time to dig into an album by Kendrick Lamar. I've listened to "To Pimp a Butterfly" and "GNX" before but I've never given them a proper active listen. I even went to see him live! But if there is something that feels greater than having the opportunity, is listening to this album. I absolutely love its superb-quality production. The vast majority of the beats sound really subtle, nice to the ears and even immersive, thanks to their atmospheric aspect. There are also some examples of more hard hitting and even aggressive beats, such as the ones in "Backseat Freestyle", "m.A.A.d city" and "Compton", yet these ones also have a smooth edge, making the album very cohesive in terms of sound. On top of the great beats, the rappers flow is also absolutely magnificent, skillful and showing a lot of emotion, from very angry (like in "Backseat Freestyle") to sentimental (like in "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst"). The only thing that I don't really like are the occasional nasally voices he does, most notable in the beginning of "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" and choruses in "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst". I find them to be a bit grating, but not enough to actually ruin the songs. When it comes to the lyrics, the record is very strong as well. It is considered to be a conceptual album about his live in Compton through some interesting chronicles. In my first deep listen, I didn't really get it, but after reading in WIkipedia that is actually a non-linear narrative, the stories actually made more sense to me. There are probably way more fascinating things to talk about from the album that I'm missing, but what truly appeals me is the absolutely astonishing quality.

Not my favorite Kendrick Lamar album (Damn.), but it’s fine. Except that song with Drake, that song is ass.

Maybe a bit too long and had too many skits but every time I really focused on the lyrics I really enjoyed it. No doubt Kendrick Lamar is one of the great lyricists in hip hop.

3.25 - It's been a while since I've listened to this. I thought I liked it a little more than I actually I did, but maybe I'm thinking of To Pimp a Butterfly.

I can see how he made the impact he did, but it’s just not for me. It’s an awkward mix made by a bit of a dork who doesn’t know if he wants to sound like a gangbanger, or near-gangbanger, or an underground Doom type or the new Kanye. It’s just very muddled. I’m also not a fan of Kendrick’s voice in general. That’s just personal taste. But he clearly is very talented and I enjoyed a lot of the instrumentals

No longer in the most recent edition of the book, but worth revisiting anyways. Lamar is an artist that I've wanted to explore for years but never got around to it. Reminds me of a lot of the more downbeat, atmospheric, dark indie hip-hop I was discovering back in 2012-2014 but stopped for some reason. Shabazz Palaces, No Bird Sing, dälek, Cannibal Ox, etc. Like other contemporary Frank Ocean, Lamar has a thing that made him destined for greatness. This was only his second album? Only 25 at the time? What's so crazy about the mix is how fresh it is, yet how grounded in the roots that made hip-hop timeless. Very back-to-basics with the sound but the songs are experimental and fascinating. I enjoy his delivery and very observational lyrics about growing up in Compton and as a black man in American society. He also portrays many different characters, using many different vocal deliveries that make this as compelling as Wu-Tang Clan's first album. I made the first mistake to listen to this on my stereo, but with headphones it's a marvel. There's so many little details here that merit revisiting. Like Prince or D'Angelo or even Madlib, this is worth the effort to relisten to. Beats me why it was removed from the book. Plenty of Bowie albums to cut out instead!

very good, heard a few of these songs before. not exactly my style but okay

I am not shocking the world here with a 5 star rating. When I moved to LA in 2013, you would hear this record everywhere; spilling out of car windows, booming from house parties and ringing from phones. It was a true soundtrack of the city moment and revisiting this 'short film' as its described, proves we were seeing a master getting to their peak. 'Real' hits the themes too on the nose, which was the only track that felt a miss to me. For all of this album's specificity, the struggle of a young man attempting to become something more, avoiding the temping vices of his world, is relatable.

2010s hip hop. About his teenage years.

I listened to part of each track but couldn't get through any number from beginning to end. Absolutely hate the horrible lyrics.

sly, bouncing, relentless

Pretty poor

As much as I try, I just can't get into Kendrick

Are all Kendrick Lamar albums as good as good kid, m.A.A.d city and To Pimp A Butterfly (which I liked even more)? I'm not even a big Hip Hop fan, but these albums were amazing.

A modern classic. I remember listening to this album in high school after it came out. Kendrick’s storytelling is so vivid and powerful. Sing about me is in the pantheon of great hip hop songs.

Immersive af. Kendrick is a master lyricist and flavour seller. Starts weak to me and ends well. Just like my trips It gets repetitive and there's about 3 themes and one of them hates women - a mirror to the repetitive and misogynistic violence that permeates unsupported and marginalised America It is mad how many rappers have SA's tho whats that about

Not quite HUMBLE but cool to hear some earlier Kendrick l. Surprisingly good music for working. 4/5

Not bad

The second Kendrick album I've listened to now. Similar vibes to the other one, great production values, some skilled lyrical content and some funky base. It doesn't feel like new boundaries are being pushed, it just feels like highly polished pop music to me. Where's the range in vocal skills, it's rhyming and poetry, but once you've done one they sound similar and begin to blend into incredibly similar songs as there's no real challenge or scale or scope.

^______^

“To Pimp A Butterfly", is an instant classic so the previous album "good kid, m.A.A.d city" has a lot to live up to warrant being on this list . “Good kid” is a tighter, leaner piece that is looking inward focused and social commentary. While not as musically deep as the sequel this still needs to be on this list

Can't believe I'm giving this album the same rating I gave to Digital Underground's Sex Packets, which is in almost all ways an inferior work, but there's something about this album that's not connecting. Kendrick's a great storyteller with variegated flow and fluctuating energy and a variety of beats, all things which I love (and do love about his later stuff) but this album just seems half formed. I know it's a literary trick (metonymic? whatever) to make an album about a kid feel immature, but that actually makes it feel immature, not fully formed. Sure this album has a couple of hits but they're not enough to carry the sagging parts, given how long it is (a Kendrick special). Sure, an expansive album about a kid who's not able to make the right choices being reflected in an expansive album that could've made better choices is poetic, but also means it doesn't stick the landing for me, a white suburban dad

Sounds so good. Lyrics rarely stick out to me but this one’s full of great lines. Really like this one. Missing that last star bc of Backseat Freestlye, otherwise it’s perfect.

A straight up masterpiece. Sincerely one of the best albums of the past 20 years.

Kendrick spitting rhymes so good, they could make a mama's boy like me consider a life of crime. But lord almighty, some of these beats are about as exciting as watching paint dry on a rainy day. Still, you gotta give him props for weaving a tale that keeps ya listening. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions - Money Trees - Poetic Justice - M.A.A.D City - Swimming Pools (Drank)

- Um well it’s gkmc what can I say

was there even a question? cmon. money trees is the perfect place for shade and…

man, fuck them damn dominoes Always forget drake is on this for a lowlight but legendary album that holds up

I preferred this to To Pimp A Butterfly in terms of lyrics and storytelling, and being a leaner album overall. There are some long tracks but they earn their length and kept me engaged. The sequence of Good Kid to Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst is particularly good.

The new Rolling Stones album “Foreign Tongues” was released yesterday so I have been able to listen to that today for the umpteenth time already. If I make it to be an octogenarian with half as much energy and enthusiasm for this sort of music as Jagger, I will be SO grateful. This is another great album (4 stars) although not sure if it’s quite as good as Hackney Diamonds which was almost 3 years ago now. Some of the tracks were ones which didn’t make it onto that release but good to hear them now. Too long to wait for another album anyway but oh so worth it. Not sure about the cover of Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good” however. It was included as their tribute to her and although a good song I think I prefer the original. They could also lose Keith Richard’s lead vocals on “Some of Us” though his singing with Mick on “Covered in You” (with McCartney also guesting on bass) is a good one… Oh sorry, were you expecting a review of another Kendrick Lamar album? Seriously!?

I preferred ‘Butterfly’ but still an enjoyable listen. I liked the humour, social commentary and he really is a great storyteller. I am not so much of a fan of how he refers to women and I did feel this seemed particularly heightened in this album. Tricky as I appreciate he is reflecting on the toxic masculinity from his youth but also maybe dont refer to women as bitches all the time.

Could've done with a few hundred albums between this and the last Kendrick Lamar, not the week we got! This is less musically interesting than TPaB, but also a bit less intense, I think I actually preferred the 'mood' overall, even though it has less tracks like King Kunta that grab you and make you sit up. Also, it's still too long. 'The Art of Peer Pressure' was my favourite ('we made a left, we made a right, we made another right' bit is great lol)

Had a lot of songs I’ve heard before but didn’t know they were on this album. A good bop if I’m feeling this vibe specifically, but rap has never been my first choice. I feel like it has some good artistic qualities.

This is a great album and I know it's a bit sacrilegious but I would rank this as one of my lesser favs from Kendrick. For context, I was absolutely PUMPED when this album came out and bought it on CD at Amoeba Records the day it dropped. I liked it, but for whatever reason I continued listening to Section.80. I probably had a hard time adjusting to the big changes in the production style -- the two big singles are probably my least favorite tracks on the album. But overall there's so much heat on this album you gotta respect it.

Way better than To Pimp a Butterfly. This actually sounds like a true hip hop album. Too many “skits” for me tho

I know I'm supposed to love this album but, honestly, just kinda meh for me. Love hip hop but Kendrick just doesn't really do it for me

songs i like: 1 - like the baseline 2 - absolute banger, love the guitar in the beat 3 - not bad, some corny lyrics but good flow 4 - great, good storytelling 5 - solid track, good hook too. 6 - solid track, drake verse was the highlight by far tho wth. 7 - highlight so far. amazing flows, cool beat. 8 - goes incredibly hard, great hype song. Great beat switch / 2nd half too. 9 - absolute banger - already know and love this song. 10 - great storytelling and lyrics. not for easy listening! 11 - decent - not fave. Hook a wee bit annoying. Grew on me though. 12 - strong ending, grand beat. feels like victory lap. Never listened to a full Kendrick album but i do get it, although rap isnt always my favourite. Good variety of beats but its the flows and storytelling that gets me. Felt like I was there myself growing up in compton with him. Few songs I'll defo come back to as well. 9/10

This one was tricky. First, a thought on why this is so divisive: Not all of the albums on this list are "music" to be casually enjoyed. Some albums (especially the concept ones) are "auditory artforms" that require one's full (and often repeated) attention and engagement to fully appreciate or even understand. Ultimately, how successfully this formula lands depends on not only the effort and openness of the listener, but also the medium/genre used by the artist. Rap, honkytonk, prog, and whatever the hell it is Bjork does (I like Bjork, by the way) are all valid but very, very different mediums/genres. Each can be very effective for reaching its target audience, but not all of these are going to resonate with the same audiences. Zoom in on this album. It uses ugly and vulgar as brushstrokes to paint its story. It has to. That's the backdrop of the story. If it weren't ugly and vulgar, it wouldn't be authentic. Kendrick's not glorifying this ugly and vulgar. He's putting a spotlight on it. Examining it. And inviting the listener to consider choosing an alternative reality. For some listeners, however, there's a very real, visceral reaction to such ugly and vulgar. For these listeners, this is not an effective medium/genre for conveying the story. Perhaps they would respond to the story using a different approach. Perhaps not. The point is this can feel very right for some people and very wrong for others. Hence, the divisiveness. As for my personal preference and rating: I gave it two playthroughs, and I do appreciate the flow, the production, the story telling, the message, and the intent. However, this story isn't my story (nor even close to adjacent), so it's hard to relate. In addition, I feel it's a bit too long for the weight of its material, but that might be because, again, it wasn't the easiest album for me to digest. I was also somewhat disappointed with the lack of catchy hooks (for me, personally, that's an important ingredient for replayability). To its credit, however, this is probably the only album I've heard that properly uses skits as a narrative technique and not just as a disruptive, intermittent gimmick. All-in-all, this is only a 2 for me, but I can understand why others would grade up and/or down.

I liked this quite a bit. I’m impressed Robert actually can recognize a good rap album.

Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe Backseat Freestyle Money Trees m.A.A.d City Swimming Pools (Drank) Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst

I’m deeply nostalgic for this album, it came out when I was in middle school and developing my own music taste for the first time, so honestly, this is the blueprint for me. Bias will never be higher than right now. All that being said, I think this album would find its way to 5/5 even if I hadn’t been etched into slabs of my lore. Tpab is the album people point towards when they want to explain the acclaim that Kendrick deserves. I love that album, everybody does, deservedly, but this one should be everyone’s first introduction, even if tpab is a better album. This shit is a literal bildungsroman in album form, it’s so fucking sick. Kendrick flaunts his penmanship while articulating the feeling of being young and being introduced to sex, drugs, the pressures of masculinity, and the traumas and joys that all three lead him to. There is a constant contrast between youthful swagger and grim fates as the climax of this album comes as Kendrick’s friend dies in front of him. Every song is a piece of him that informed the artist he would eventually become. It is THE foundational album. And, I mean fuck, Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst is one of the greatest songs of all time. To turn one of your worst moments into a song where you spend the runtime empathetic to the people you’ve wronged and those who have wronged you is so powerful. It is a deceleration to try everything he can to do to be a voice for Black Americans so another generation won’t have to go through the same shit. It is beautifully followed by Real, a song all about self love and self respect. The way it his parents console him during the song works so well after hearing them be funny as fuck in every other call. I could wax poetic about this album for hours on end, it is a masterpiece. 6/5 stars

The man’s a c**t and his musics shite.

Prefiero no decir nada

pura mierda xd, si toda su música fuera así yo creo q se hubiese quedado en la calle ctm

та не люблю я кегдріка капіц

Nunca lo había escuchado completo y me sorprendió la verdad

i had a very long review typed out and it all got deleted. what i really like about this album is the way that the themes of this album; race, poverty, gang violence, etc, are all presented in such a raw and real way that you have to face it head on. i think maybe this is what makes a lot of the reviewers here dislike it - these themes are very tied to a black perspective and it's easier to say that this "isn't music" rather than deal with the subjects at hand. all of this aside this album is brilliant and i definitely appreciate it a lot more now than i do when i last listened to it at 13 or so.

This album was massively important to me when it came out as it was the first "event" hip hop album I was aware of after finally starting to like the genre and then it came out and it was this good. I listened to it so many times and still know a lot of it by heart. It still holds up and it's weird to think now that the production sounds so distinctly 2012; it gives me a weird sense of time passing.

È un album molto figo e lui ovviamente bravo in quello che fa.

Good to hear what all the hype is about

its kendrick

Not big into this genre. Some interesting observations here though.

Amazing beats and great production. My favourite album by the best storyteller and lyricist of all time

A lot better than I feared. Suffers from the usual rap issues of being overly long and relying on skits/interludes/samples/random shit between tracks. But some of the actual tracks are pretty good and he is far less abrasive than I expected.

The other Kendrick albums are good and all, but this one has always been my favorite. It's hilarious that some people are talking about it like it's Thong Song or something.

The storytelling is flawless, the picture he paints is so vivid and coherent, and the beats are great. I’ll be honest, I’ve always found Kendrick’s voice off putting, but especially on this album, that’s truly the only thing I can fault him for. It comes off as so authentic in areas where other artists come off more corny.

Es bastante impresionante el talento de kendrick para contar historias, lo incómodo y pegajoso que es, me costó bastante darle el mérito que merece

In addition to the vile lyrics, it isn't even musically interesting. I've heard dogs produce better vocals than what's going on here.

Not his best work but better than average

banger

#019 This is not for me, it sucks and don’t listen to this type of hiphop or gangsta rap or however you call this. Cannot listen to this, just scanned the tracks but stopped quickly. ⭐️

I get why people rate him - but it just doesn't float my boat.

This isn’t really my type of music. I didn’t follow the lyrics closely, and I’m not familiar with how to listen to hip-hop, so my judgment may not be fully fair.

Not quite my sort of thing, though the music is quite good now and then. Two stars...

A first time listen for me (although I love DAMN. and To Pimp A Butterfly), and it’s absolutely cracking. Favourite track: Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst

Why should I care?

Couple good tracks.

Ну ок, из его песен мне только humble нравится, но она не в этом альбоме

Всё еще реп, но лучше, чем я ожидал

Eh… killed my vibe…

ooof The Art of Peer Pressure what a BANGER

Bangers

One of those albums that perfectly fit in the category "I get this is important and appreciate it, but it just won't be on my shelf". The performance is stellar, the beats innovative and cool. No denying it's a rap classic. But I am not going to listen to it again just because everyone else says I should.

Listened to the whole thing and now I can honestly say, this album is complete ass and Kendrick Lamar deserves zero praise for this lazy edgelord garbage.

Favorite song: Good Kid