Kendrick Lamar - it feels good just to say his name. Good kid, m.A.A.d city is Lamar's second studio album after last year’s Section.80 caused a rumble within the hip-hop community. It’s the same community that gave
us Frank Ocean's Channel ORANGE and Death Grips' The Money Store.
You wouldn't be wrong in saying it's been a great year for hip-hop. With these
albums already well-established as frontrunners for hip-hop album of the year,
Kendrick Lamar emerges late on to contest it. He establishes himself on the
opening track "Sherane a.k.a Master Splinter's Daughter". Lamar raps
about young teenage lust and sex, without caring about other aspects of a
'relationship'. Lamar is a 17
year old enthused by sex, ending in a tricky situation where two gang members
are waiting for him. It cuts to a phone call of Kendrick's parents leaving a
message on his phone. It leaves the listener on the edge, an instant cliff-hanger
- good kid, m.A.A.d city.
"You're killing my mother fucking vibe," ends the
phone call, linking perfectly into the second track "Bitch Don't Kill MyVibe". Lamar's furious lyricism works in a fun-filled five minute track
with one of the catchiest hooks of 2012. The repeat of the line:
"Bitch don't kill my vibe," with a raised pitch on the third
line of the hook is fantastic. It's a track that you just want to learn all the
words too and sing out loud, especially on the heavily effected hook: "I
am a sinner who's probably gonna sin again. Lord forgive me, Lord forgive me,
things I don't understand. Sometimes I need to be alone." Single
material is spread out on good kid, m.A.A.d city, but the early few
tracks are just phenomenally superb, whilst keeping in with the concept of the
album and ultimately, the flow.
The intense "Backseat Freestyle" is among my favourite tracks of
the year. It was produced by the up and coming producer Hit-Boy, and features the
best instrumental on good kid, m.A.A.d city. Backseat Freestyle opens
with a sample of The Chakachas - "Yo Soy Cubano", with the same effect of Nas'
recent "The Don", which samples Super Cat's "Dance in New
York". The bass hits hard with a percussion based instrumental which sits
nicely above Lamar's youth lyricism: "I pray my dick get big as the
Eiffel Tower, so I can fuck the world for 72 hours." This lyric
pays homage to Tupac's staple mark statement of 'fuck the world'. Being from
Compton, Tupac is a major influence on both Lamar's lyrics and
instrumentals. Lamar raps in his optimistic and desirable style; with the
young rappers theme of women, money and cars. The outro repeats the intro -
Lamar mentions Martin Luther King having a dream, then ends the outro with: "Kendrick
have a dream," a slick and relevant lyric to the storytelling flow
of good kid, m.A.A.d city.
Unlike many popular hip-hop artists, Lamar specialises in story-telling. His
main influences have all been star story-tellers, from Tupac to the early and prestigious
flow of Eminem. "The Art of Peer Pressure" asks for the listener’s attention
with a gritty bass riff and atmospheric percussion. Lamar reads his story of
crime, nightlife and peer pressure. The act of indulging in activities for
'cred / respect' is a reoccurring theme in hip-hop and especially this album. The track
reveals a story where Kendrick and his 'homies' break into a house, steal
expensive commodities and leave the scene, after the sound of police cars
occur. This track takes place before Kendrick pulls in to where two gang
members are waiting for him.
"Money Trees" opens with a sample of Beach House's sultry
"Silver Soul". It's a very sweet and melancholic loop that works
with Lamar's slow, mellow feel. This track features some of Lamar's greatest
lyricism and flow so far. It's a re-cap of the previous four tracks, with an
emphasis on gaining money, having sex and living the 'thug' life: "Dreams
of living life like rappers do." Lamar's moment of clarity comes
with the hook: "Everybody gon' respect the shooter, but the one in
front of the gun lives forever." Jay Rock delivers a fast paced,
reference heavy verse on the back end of this track before one last Lamar hook.
In good kid, m.A.A.d city fashion, "Money Trees" ends with
another skit / phone call from Lamar's mother, where his father is obviously
drunk. Comically, the track ends with Lamar's father saying: "Did
somebody say Domino's?" Referring to the first track where Lamar
is supposed to be bringing back Domino’s pizza.
Lamar re-cap's on the day's events as the album progresses. "Poetic Justice"
features a touchy verse by Canadian rapper Drake about his ex-girlfriend. Lamar
raps about his relationship with Sherane and what his perception of what love is.
The track is a reference to both a twist, and the film of the same
name starring Tupac and Janet Jackson. Jackson's "Any Time, Any Place" is also sampled in this track. Like many of the previous tracks,
the event takes place before Lamar pulls into where Sherane is staying, where two gang
members are outside. This time however, the skit is the confrontation between
both gang members questioning why Lamar is on their turf; Lamar stays silent in
his van and "good kid" kicks in. This track describes the life as a
17 year old living in Compton. He raps about not being "red or
blue," a reference two the
two biggest gangs in LA, the Bloods and the Crips. He then goes on to
mention the troubles he has for not joining either gang, for which he explained was
to 'play it safe'. During the first verse, Lamar mentions that he "got
ate alive yesterday," referring to the previous skit with the two
gang members, to which he was beaten up. The second verse describes the prejudicial effect of the police, referring
to 'red and blue' as police sirens this time. He raps: "Lift up your
shirt, cause you wonder if a tattoo of affiliation can make it a pleasure to
put me through. Gang files, but that don't matter because the matter is racial
profile. I heard them chatter: 'He's probably young but I know that he's down'.
Step on his neck as hard as your bullet proof vest. He don't mind, he know
he'll never respect. The good kid, m.A.A.d. city." This lyrical
segment has excellent flow and a separate meaning of the album's title with
Lamar himself being, a good kid in a mad city.
"m.A.A.d city" features a powerful opening with Lamar delivering a
harsh story of life in Compton. He refers to a murder outside a burger van,
possibly the same place where his uncle was shot, which is mentioned earlier in
the album and on Section.80. It's all about ignoring the commodities
that might come with a thug life, and realising all that's wrong in the place
you live. The second verse is a change in direction and style. Lamar tells the
listener a deeper story of why he doesn’t smoke weed, why he's a good kid and
why he's trying to do his best in "the belly of the rough,"
referring to Compton. In a contrasting style, MC Eiht delivers a pro-gang life
verse.
Lamar's lyricism is at the heart of this album. The instrumentals are also
top notch, including the magnificently produced "Swimming Pools (Drank)" by T-Minus. It opens with a gritty bass riff, on its own with a
simple bridge, highlighting the party life, but more specifically alcohol. The
track is about the excess drinking of alcohol as a means of both peer pressure
and reasoning. Lamar’s rap differs from quiet and loud, to melodic and
discordant. It features one of the best hooks of the year: "Nigga
why you babysitting only two or three shots, i'mma show you how to turn it up a
notch. First you get a swimming pool full of liquor then you dive in it. Pool
full of liquor then you dive in it. I wave a few bottles then I watch em all
flock. All the girls wanna play Baywatch. I got a swimming pool full of liquor
and they dive in it. Pool full of liquor I'mma dive in it." The
instrumental certainly turns it up a notch as reverberated strings hit hard.
The relationship with alcohol is too much for Lamar as he goes beyond his limit
- where the listener hears the whisper of "Sherane,"
lightly, in a closed off and effective dreary, drunken section. It ends with
Lamar being sick, with his friends unable to notice his 'sin'. Then comes a skit
involving a 'revenge' attack on the gang that attacked Lamar outside of Sherane's. Needless to say, one of Lamar's close companions, Dave, is shot and
killed.
"Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst" is split into two sections,
the first being a compassionate six and a half minute track, with Lamar rapping
from two people's perspectives, both affected by Lamar. He then delivers his
own perspective. The second half is a realisation of the previous nine tracks
and wanting a 'get out' situation, heavily influenced by religion. With Sing
About Me, Lamar raps from Dave's brothers perspective. It ends with Dave's brother
being shot, as he delivers the line: "And if I die before your album
drop I hope..." Followed by the hook: "Promise that you
will sing about me. Promise that you will sing about me." The
second perspective is delivered in the voice of Keisha's sister - Lamar
included a very delicate track about Keisha on his debut album titled
"Keisha's Song". Keisha's sister is upset over Lamar's representation
of her sister and her death. Lamar's vocal fades out as the lyrics read: "Don't
ignore me," referring to Lamar walking away and ignoring Keisha's
sister. The third perspective is Lamar's own, addressing both situations with
reality and self-confession. The second part, I'm Dying of Thirst, is a track
in itself. There's a gospel feel with the hazy melancholy female vocals. The
feeling of drowning in this life is getting too much for Lamar and his friends,
as he reads, "I'm dying of thirst." It's a look back at
his sins, and his need to get away from his sins. This track ends with Lamar
and co reciting The Sinner's Prayer, after bumping into an elderly lady who notices one of them has a gun.
The penultimate track "Real”, is also the most important track on the
album. After reciting The Sinner's Prayer, Lamar revels in understanding
the true meaning of commodities, desires and life. Love makes an appearance in
a sophisticated nature, with Lamar using the word love as a throw-around
adjective. It's about Lamar realising the peer pressure, moving beyond it and
seeing what is real, himself. The skits at the end reflect the first few phone
calls from his parents. His father gives up on his Domino’s pizza and his
mother offers Lamar a word of support. This track finishes on a bang with Lamar’s
mother saying: "Let 'em know you was just like them, but you still
rose from that dark place of violence, becoming a positive person. But when you
do make it, give back, with your words of encouragement, and that's the best
way to give back. To your city... And I love you Kendrick." A tape
recorder can be heard fast forwarding, indicating that the story of 17 year old
Kendrick Lamar is now complete.
Finalising the album is a present day theme with Lamar rapping alongside one
of his idols and an important figure of both gangsta rap and West coast rap.
"Compton" is a fast paced track with reflective lyrics by both Lamar
and Dr. Dre, the latter raps about his millions after a very successful year
with his business ventures. This track pays homage to Compton, the home of West coast hip-hop and the home of Lamar and Dre. Listeners can make the connection
between Dre's success stories to Lamar's very own success story as an emerging
artist.
At 72 minutes, good kid, m.A.A.d city is a hard album to digest. The concept of the album starts to reveal itself as the listener
pays more attention to individual tracks. Lamar's lyrical flow is outstanding
from start to finish, as is the flow of the album. Imagine a hip-hop version of
Pulp Fiction, this is that. The mixed order only enhances the quality of the
album. Singles present themselves in "Swimming Pools (Drank)",
"Compton", "Backseat Freestyle" and "Bitch Don't Kill
My Vibe". Good kid, m.A.A.d city is remarkable in the fact it's incredibly
individualistic, however the concept sticks throughout. The 17 year old
Kendrick Lamar is represented by the 25 year old established rapper, in
a way that some hip-hop artists could only ever dream of doing. Lamar has released his
masterpiece early on, but it won't be his last. The lyrical content on this
album is unique to Lamar, Compton and everyone who can relate to any of the
expressed themes, and there's plenty of that. This isn't a regular hip-hop album;
instead it's one in a million - a modern hip-hop classic. Concepts are hard to
pull off'. Lamar put's 'enough work in' and delivers the goods from the opening
to the ending. It's doubtful that Lamar's dick will grow as big as the Eiffel Tower so he can fuck the world for 72 hours, however on good kid, m.A.A.d city; Lamar fucks the world for 72 minutes.
~Eddie
9.3
