The greatest concept album of all time, Good Kid m.A.A.d City by Kendrick Lamar. The album has continuously gained popularity, steadily rising through the ranks in past years.
Let’s start off with the first question, who is Kendrick Lamar? Kendrick Lamar is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Some know him as one of the most influential rappers of this generation, these claims are made due to Kendrick’s rap style being influenced by social, political, religious, and philosophical views. Kendrick Lamar began writing music as a teenager, taking the stage name “K.Dot”. He signed an independent record label for Top Dawg Entertainment in 2005.
Kendrick Lamar was born June 17, 1987 making him 36 years old. He was born in Compton, California. In all of Kendrick’s rapping career he has over 191 wins and 238 nominations. Kendrick Lamar has 5 studio albums, these include Section 80, Good Kid m.A.A.d City, To Pimp a Butterfly, Damn, and Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.
Good Kid m.A.A.d City was released October 22, 2012. The album features popular rap artists including Drake, Dr. Dre, Jay Rock, Anna Wise, MC Eiht, and Mary J. Blige. The album has an overall rating of 4.9/5 stars. This album is popular because Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar both have Compton experience and therefore making the music more realistic and all the “skits’ are serious making an excellent storyline.
Kendrick Lamar’s Good kid m.A.A.d city introduces brilliant storytelling, revealing the compelling background of Kendrick’s life and gives his listeners insight on gang culture, police brutality, and drug abuse. Kendrick Lamar reveals in an interview that Good Kid m.A.A.d City is “a dark movie album. I wanted to tap into that space where I was in my teenage years. Everybody knows Kendrick Lamar, but he had to come from a certain place, a certain time, and certain experiences.”
The album Good Kid m.A.A.d City has a total of 18 tracks and a total run time of 1 hour and 36 minutes. At the end of every song there is a skit putting us in the point of view of Kendrick’s childhood and how it shows “the chronicles of a young black man organized by fear and motivated to survive. Feelings of powerlessness lead to ambitious and aggressive decisions. Both fought to gain control over situations that threatened their sense of self and their lives.”
Good Kid m.A.A.d City is one of the most well written and produced rap albums of all time. The album is realistic, heartfelt, catchy, and well produced from other famous rappers.
