Kendrick Lamar delivers a classic album with good kid, m.A.A.d city

It has been quite a long time since hip-hop fans have heard anything as exceptionally great as Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar’s debut album good kid, m.A.A.d city. 

From the New Boyz’s “You’re a Jerk,” to Cali Swag District’s “Teach Me How to Dougie,” it was apparent that hip-hop needed a break from the dance-infused club hits. It needed to get back to showcasing the art of rapping, and not just auto-tuned voices over a nice beat. 

The East Coast has their rising star, North Carolinian rapper J. Cole, and now the West has theirs: Kendrick Lamar. 

Lamar first came into the mainstream scene with his feature on rapper/singer Drake’s widely successful Take Care album on the song “Buried Alive Interlude,” which ironically delves into his struggle between wanting to remain true to himself as an underground artist while still being able to enjoy the fruits of fame that the mainstream can offer. 

The first single from good kid, m.A.A.d city, “Swimming Pools (Drank),” dropped this past summer and became an instant classic. 

However, many people still tend to miss the meaning of the song. “Swimming Pools (Drank)” is actually a cautionary tale against excessive drinking, and not a party song. Since the album is a reflection of his old life and growing up in Compton, al., Lamar is speaking from his own experiences about seeing the people around him succumb to the evils of alcoholism.

“Now I done grew up ‘round some people living their lives in bottles. Granddaddy had the golden flask…Some people like the way it feels, some people wanna kill their sorrows, some people wanna fit in with the popular; that was my problem,” Lamar said.

In a music era that is thriving on the success of many party songs, club hits and songs to get “wasted” to, Lamar is not afraid to remain true to himself and make a song of this nature.

Since good kid, m.A.A.d city is a reflection of Lamar’s youth, there are songs on the album that deal with his teenage love affairs, such as the first track off the album, “Sherane.” 

While other rappers would give you simple metaphors of his lust for this woman, Lamar goes further and explains the nature of having a relationship in his hometown of Compton.

“We know a lot ‘bout each other, her mother was a crack addict. She live with her granny and her younger two brothers. Her favorite cousin Demetrius’ reputable, family history of gang banging did make me skeptical,” Lamar said. 

With this insight Lamar tells listeners what kind of place Compton can be. 

This  is why he is being compared to West Coast  hip-hop greats like Tupac, Ice Cube, Eazy-E and Dr. Dre. Lamar does not settle on giving audiences a great instrumental with meaningless lyrics, as is becoming custom in hip-hop, but instead, he gives substance and a message with his raps. 

Lamar has referred to good kid, m.A.A.d city as more of a short film than an album, and this is quite true. The album gives many snippets of conversations with his parents and friends, including one hilarious phone conversation with his parents arguing over Dominoes pizza in “Sherane.” 

Kendrick Lamar has delivered a classic hip-hop album for our generation, his mentor Dr. Dre said. 

He is not glorifying Compton life or a “thug life,” which the late Tupac was often criticized for, but he is simply telling a story about his hometown. 
Rapping and story-telling go hand-in-hand, and I believe that is what makes someone a truly phenomenal rapper. Lamar chooses to give insight into his own life and that is what makes this album great. 

Lamar explains his story-telling technique on his first independently released digital album, Section 80, “I’m not on the outside looking in, I’m not on the inside looking out. I’m in the dead... center, looking around.”