Is Kendrick Lamar's 'Good Kid, M.A.A.d City' The Most Important Debut Since 'Illmatic'?
As album debuts go, Nas’ landmark 1994 Illmatic has taken to otherworldly status even within the pantheon of towering hip-hop statements. For many rap fans and music critics, the vivid set has taken on Citizen Kane like status—a work so vast, inventive and powerful that it is viewed as the cultural and artistic game changer of its time. So without further ado, here’s some red meat for the music blogging contingent: Kendrick Lamar’s stunning debut, good kid, M.A.A.d City, is the most important freshman release since the Queensbridge, New York legend proclaimed to the world that life’s a bitch.
Sounds sacrilegious? Stay with us. While the much talked about 25-year-old Compton, California MC will find it nearly impossible to live up to Nas’ glorious masterpiece (it’s hard to beat nostalgia), he is doing something else that is just as impressive. Dr. Dre’s newest co-sign is living up to the hype. Lamar, who lit up the underground rap scene with such noise-making mixtapes as Youngest Head Nigga in Charge (2003) and Overly Dedicated (2010) and his acclaimed indie release Section.80 (2011), is not at all running away from the buzz of him being the West Coast’s hip-hop savior.
In fact, Kendrick Lamar seems to be on everyone’s mind these days. Jay-Z lauds him. The aforementioned Nas has called him the future. Even Lady Gaga has sung the kid’s praises. “Everything he’s doing is done with integrity,” MTV personality and Sirius Satellite radio host Sway Calloway tells VIBE. The West Coast hip-hop authority believes Lamar has purity about him. “His music is done with passion and thought,” he adds. “Kendrick spent time and energy on these songs, man.”
As thirsty fans feverishly hunt down leaks of the October 22 release, VIBE breaks down why good kid, m.A.A.d city conjures up memories of a young Nasir Jones and what the upcoming album means for the future of California rap and beyond.—Keith Murphy (@murphdogg29)
Sounds sacrilegious? Stay with us. While the much talked about 25-year-old Compton, California MC will find it nearly impossible to live up to Nas’ glorious masterpiece (it’s hard to beat nostalgia), he is doing something else that is just as impressive. Dr. Dre’s newest co-sign is living up to the hype. Lamar, who lit up the underground rap scene with such noise-making mixtapes as Youngest Head Nigga in Charge (2003) and Overly Dedicated (2010) and his acclaimed indie release Section.80 (2011), is not at all running away from the buzz of him being the West Coast’s hip-hop savior.
In fact, Kendrick Lamar seems to be on everyone’s mind these days. Jay-Z lauds him. The aforementioned Nas has called him the future. Even Lady Gaga has sung the kid’s praises. “Everything he’s doing is done with integrity,” MTV personality and Sirius Satellite radio host Sway Calloway tells VIBE. The West Coast hip-hop authority believes Lamar has purity about him. “His music is done with passion and thought,” he adds. “Kendrick spent time and energy on these songs, man.”
As thirsty fans feverishly hunt down leaks of the October 22 release, VIBE breaks down why good kid, m.A.A.d city conjures up memories of a young Nasir Jones and what the upcoming album means for the future of California rap and beyond.—Keith Murphy (@murphdogg29)
5. Good Kid Delivers In More Ways Than One
By now tracks from good kid, m.A.A.d city have been premiered at listening events. And the reception from critics has mostly been two lanes of unmitigated praise and hyperbole. But in between measured applauds and over-the-top proclamations for Kendrick Lamar’s confident debut and (there are Kendrick STANS claming that it’s the greatest album of the decade…true story), there is some middle ground. What Lamar has achieved so far in his young career is indeed impressive and warrants talk of the West Coaster having the best hip-hop album of the year on his hands.
Good Kid is original, without trying too hard; Sublimely lyrical without any of the look-ma-no-hands verbal gymnastics that at times disconnects gifted MC’s from the general public and (gasp!) thoughtful in the way Lamar approaches rhyming. He’s not just trying to be clever or latch on to a radio smash or strip club anthem. But yet you can envision him throwing racks in the air amid a bevy of dancing girls. He’s ridiculously real.
By now tracks from good kid, m.A.A.d city have been premiered at listening events. And the reception from critics has mostly been two lanes of unmitigated praise and hyperbole. But in between measured applauds and over-the-top proclamations for Kendrick Lamar’s confident debut and (there are Kendrick STANS claming that it’s the greatest album of the decade…true story), there is some middle ground. What Lamar has achieved so far in his young career is indeed impressive and warrants talk of the West Coaster having the best hip-hop album of the year on his hands.
Good Kid is original, without trying too hard; Sublimely lyrical without any of the look-ma-no-hands verbal gymnastics that at times disconnects gifted MC’s from the general public and (gasp!) thoughtful in the way Lamar approaches rhyming. He’s not just trying to be clever or latch on to a radio smash or strip club anthem. But yet you can envision him throwing racks in the air amid a bevy of dancing girls. He’s ridiculously real.
4. Check The Rhyme
As hit singles go, “Swimming Pools (Drank)” sounds like the type of creeping, synthy, 808 romp that, say, 2 Chainz could rock over with ease. But let’s dig deeper inside the content: “Okay, now open your mind up and listen to me, Kendrick,” his inner voice implores. “I know that you're nauseous right now/And I'm hopin' to lead you to victory, Kendrick/If I take another one down I'mma drown in some poison abusin' my limit…”
The victory? A female conquest. But Kendrick Lamar is not a player. “The freedom is granted as soon as the damage of vodka arrive,” his inner conscious continues. A line that implies liquid courage in a hip-hop song in 2012? How earth shattering. If Lamar is trying to score a mammoth Billboard radio anthem, he sure has an off-centered, non-conformist way of going for the win. And there are more unpredictable displays of songwriting and wordplay on good kid, m.A.A.d city. More on that later.
As hit singles go, “Swimming Pools (Drank)” sounds like the type of creeping, synthy, 808 romp that, say, 2 Chainz could rock over with ease. But let’s dig deeper inside the content: “Okay, now open your mind up and listen to me, Kendrick,” his inner voice implores. “I know that you're nauseous right now/And I'm hopin' to lead you to victory, Kendrick/If I take another one down I'mma drown in some poison abusin' my limit…”
The victory? A female conquest. But Kendrick Lamar is not a player. “The freedom is granted as soon as the damage of vodka arrive,” his inner conscious continues. A line that implies liquid courage in a hip-hop song in 2012? How earth shattering. If Lamar is trying to score a mammoth Billboard radio anthem, he sure has an off-centered, non-conformist way of going for the win. And there are more unpredictable displays of songwriting and wordplay on good kid, m.A.A.d city. More on that later.
3. Kendrick Just May Save Dr. Dre’s Detox
According to reports, Kendrick Lamar has been in the studio with Andre Young finishing up his now mythical, is-this-shit-ever-coming-out album Detox. Detox in 2001. Yet hearing some of the tracks on good kid should make any deflated Dr. Dre fan smile (The Just Blaze produced “Compton,” which features Mr. NWA himself on the mic, offers an optimistic template). No, the Good Doctor didn’t produce any cuts on Lamar’s release, but the newcomer’s infectious energy sounds like it’s already serving as inspiration.
It’s no secret that on the two Dr. Dre masterpieces (1992’s The Chronic and 1999’s 2001), the iconic producer was fueled by two great, genre-expanding MC’s: Snoop Dogg and Eminem, respectively. [*Speaking of Slim Shady…doesn’t Lamar’s fluid lyrical dexterity and conceptual boldness reminds you of the Detroit spitter circa late 90’s? Just saying…] Perhaps Dre’s ridiculously slow pace in the studio stems from the fact that he hasn’t had the sort of MC that can truly take command on record beyond hit-making. 50 Cent didn’t seem to play well with others outside his G-Unit set. And the Game? He’s never had the diverse rhyme palette to be an exceptional ghostwriter or fluid partner for Dre. Kendrick Lamar seems to have both attributes, and much more. Get it done, guys.
According to reports, Kendrick Lamar has been in the studio with Andre Young finishing up his now mythical, is-this-shit-ever-coming-out album Detox. Detox in 2001. Yet hearing some of the tracks on good kid should make any deflated Dr. Dre fan smile (The Just Blaze produced “Compton,” which features Mr. NWA himself on the mic, offers an optimistic template). No, the Good Doctor didn’t produce any cuts on Lamar’s release, but the newcomer’s infectious energy sounds like it’s already serving as inspiration.
It’s no secret that on the two Dr. Dre masterpieces (1992’s The Chronic and 1999’s 2001), the iconic producer was fueled by two great, genre-expanding MC’s: Snoop Dogg and Eminem, respectively. [*Speaking of Slim Shady…doesn’t Lamar’s fluid lyrical dexterity and conceptual boldness reminds you of the Detroit spitter circa late 90’s? Just saying…] Perhaps Dre’s ridiculously slow pace in the studio stems from the fact that he hasn’t had the sort of MC that can truly take command on record beyond hit-making. 50 Cent didn’t seem to play well with others outside his G-Unit set. And the Game? He’s never had the diverse rhyme palette to be an exceptional ghostwriter or fluid partner for Dre. Kendrick Lamar seems to have both attributes, and much more. Get it done, guys.
2. Like Nasty Nas, He’s Carrying An Entire Coast On His Back
Pressure has a funny way of dictating the truth. You either sink or swim. In the case of Nas, the pressure was mountainous before the release of Illmatic. Sure, the East Coast hip-hop scene was already catching fire with the likes of the Native Tongues crew, Wu-Tang Clan and Redman. But the West Coast’s Death Row Records was seemingly ruling the rap landscape culturally and commercially. Dr. Dre, Snoop, Tha Dogg Pound, Lady of Rage, RBX, Nate Dogg and crew were popular music’s new bullies on the block.
So who would lead the charge for the East Coast? Who would anchor New York’s next wave of MC’s in the face of the Cali’s bruising takeover? Nasir Jones. But truthfully, Nas didn’t achieve it with gaudy record sales. Illmatic barely went gold its first go-around. It was its towering artistic impact on lyricists everywhere. Almost overnight, Nas made practically every MC go back to lab and curse the rap God’s. He ushered in the next generation of great East Coast MC’s that saw the Notorious BIG and Jay-Z become stars in their own right.
Lamar finds himself in an even more precarious position. The West Coast rap scene is all but dormant. Between respected O.G.’s (Snoop, E-40, and Dre) and rising underground scrappers (Nipsey Hussle, Dom Kennedy, Fashawn, and members of Kendrick’s Black Hippy clique), the West Coast has lacked a new across-the-board force. Enter Kendrick Lamar. Sway takes the newcomer’s impact on the West Coast rap scene even further. “To me Kendrick is having the same impact as Snoop did early on,” he boldly claims. “Like Snoop, he’s helping to redefine how people [react] to West Coast music. Snoop transcended geographical boundaries. Everybody liked him.”
“Flash forward 20 years later, Kendrick is surrounded by hot spitters from Schoolboy Q to Jay Rock and all his boys,” Sway continues. “But Kendrick is now what Snoop was: somebody from the West Coast that everybody liked. And he’s coming under the direction of Dr. Dre. But forget about him being from Los Angeles. He’s winning people over with his skill level. Kendrick is killing people with just his lyrics, no gimmicks.”
Pressure has a funny way of dictating the truth. You either sink or swim. In the case of Nas, the pressure was mountainous before the release of Illmatic. Sure, the East Coast hip-hop scene was already catching fire with the likes of the Native Tongues crew, Wu-Tang Clan and Redman. But the West Coast’s Death Row Records was seemingly ruling the rap landscape culturally and commercially. Dr. Dre, Snoop, Tha Dogg Pound, Lady of Rage, RBX, Nate Dogg and crew were popular music’s new bullies on the block.
So who would lead the charge for the East Coast? Who would anchor New York’s next wave of MC’s in the face of the Cali’s bruising takeover? Nasir Jones. But truthfully, Nas didn’t achieve it with gaudy record sales. Illmatic barely went gold its first go-around. It was its towering artistic impact on lyricists everywhere. Almost overnight, Nas made practically every MC go back to lab and curse the rap God’s. He ushered in the next generation of great East Coast MC’s that saw the Notorious BIG and Jay-Z become stars in their own right.
Lamar finds himself in an even more precarious position. The West Coast rap scene is all but dormant. Between respected O.G.’s (Snoop, E-40, and Dre) and rising underground scrappers (Nipsey Hussle, Dom Kennedy, Fashawn, and members of Kendrick’s Black Hippy clique), the West Coast has lacked a new across-the-board force. Enter Kendrick Lamar. Sway takes the newcomer’s impact on the West Coast rap scene even further. “To me Kendrick is having the same impact as Snoop did early on,” he boldly claims. “Like Snoop, he’s helping to redefine how people [react] to West Coast music. Snoop transcended geographical boundaries. Everybody liked him.”
“Flash forward 20 years later, Kendrick is surrounded by hot spitters from Schoolboy Q to Jay Rock and all his boys,” Sway continues. “But Kendrick is now what Snoop was: somebody from the West Coast that everybody liked. And he’s coming under the direction of Dr. Dre. But forget about him being from Los Angeles. He’s winning people over with his skill level. Kendrick is killing people with just his lyrics, no gimmicks.”
1. Kendrick Could Be The Most Gifted Of Hip-Hop’s New School
There are several moments on good kid, m.A.A.d city in which Kendrick Lamar sounds like he’s rapping for himself. And that’s the beauty of the bantam MC. He doesn’t sound like he’s constructing hits. His music is strikingly organic. So what about the competition? In terms of stardom (two platinum albums will do that for you), Drake is leading the way for hip-hop’s next wave. But Kendrick represents the raising of the artistic bar beyond formulas and SoundScan accolades. Yes, YMCMB’s crooning/rapping Canadian is featured on the slow jam-inspired good kid track “Poetic Justice.” But even as the smoldering Janet Jackson sampled cut aims for the ladies, Lamar does so on his own terms (“Nigga don’t approach her with that Atari, nigga that ain’t good game, sorry…”).
Indeed, Kendrick Lamar stands out amongst his 80’s babies peers by his sheer diversity. Could a thoroughly self-aware Drake pull off the desperate, out-of-character theatrics of “Collect Calls?” Could ASAP Rocky approach the accomplished story-telling prowess of “Black Boy Fly?” J. Cole? Yep, he has all-around-game. But could Jigga’s protégé come off as, well, so weirdly ethereal as “Sherane a.k.a. Master Splinter’s Daughter?” And could Big Sean raise the lyrical stakes of “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe?”
As of right now, Lamar has the edge. Will good kid, m.A.A.d city become a double platinum behemoth? Who knows? But check out these illuminating words from the title track on which he dissects his life growing up in Compton with heartfelt results. “But what am I supposed to do when the topic is red or blue and you understand that I ain’t, but know that I’m accustomed to…No better picture to paint than walking from Bible study…”
There are several moments on good kid, m.A.A.d city in which Kendrick Lamar sounds like he’s rapping for himself. And that’s the beauty of the bantam MC. He doesn’t sound like he’s constructing hits. His music is strikingly organic. So what about the competition? In terms of stardom (two platinum albums will do that for you), Drake is leading the way for hip-hop’s next wave. But Kendrick represents the raising of the artistic bar beyond formulas and SoundScan accolades. Yes, YMCMB’s crooning/rapping Canadian is featured on the slow jam-inspired good kid track “Poetic Justice.” But even as the smoldering Janet Jackson sampled cut aims for the ladies, Lamar does so on his own terms (“Nigga don’t approach her with that Atari, nigga that ain’t good game, sorry…”).
Indeed, Kendrick Lamar stands out amongst his 80’s babies peers by his sheer diversity. Could a thoroughly self-aware Drake pull off the desperate, out-of-character theatrics of “Collect Calls?” Could ASAP Rocky approach the accomplished story-telling prowess of “Black Boy Fly?” J. Cole? Yep, he has all-around-game. But could Jigga’s protégé come off as, well, so weirdly ethereal as “Sherane a.k.a. Master Splinter’s Daughter?” And could Big Sean raise the lyrical stakes of “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe?”
As of right now, Lamar has the edge. Will good kid, m.A.A.d city become a double platinum behemoth? Who knows? But check out these illuminating words from the title track on which he dissects his life growing up in Compton with heartfelt results. “But what am I supposed to do when the topic is red or blue and you understand that I ain’t, but know that I’m accustomed to…No better picture to paint than walking from Bible study…”
