One Year Later: Can We Call Kendrick Lamar's 'good kid, m.A.A.d city' LP A Classic Yet?

Yesterday, Kendrick Lamar's baby turned one.

No, he didn't knock up the brown-skinned dime from his "Poetic Justice" video or procreate with Sherane. His masterpiece—VIBE's 2012 album of the year—good kid, m.A.A.d. city, hit its first anniversary yesterday (Oct. 22). Wow. Time flies. Yet while the universally loved LP racked up critical cheers upon its release, many seated in the peanut gallery were hesitant to give K Dot full props for creating a generation-defining hip-hop work. "It's too soon!" they whined. We were on board early, yet now that a full calendar has passed, VIBE revisits Kendrick Lamar's major label debut track by track to see how the good kid is maturing. —John Kennedy