Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City [LP] [Bonus Tracks] (Vinyl/LP)

review from from Sam Jackson @ hilltopviewsonline.com The young rapper's major label debut "good kid, m.A.A.d city" starts out with a group of men reciting a prayer asking the Lord to come into their hearts. Usually in this business it takes a drug/alcohol induced flameout to get artists on a spiritual kick, but Lamar seems to have skipped some levels. Not that his ascent has not been quick either. After putting out his first mixtape at 16, he started rising in the hip-hop world, both by himself and as part of the four-man super group Black Hippy, who have two remixes on deluxe editions of "good kid, m.A.A.d city." His first album, the critically acclaimed "Section.80," caught the attention of legendary producer Dr. Dre, who executive produced this album. So why does someone who has become so successful at 23 need aid from above? Judging from the lyrical themes of "good kid," Lamar's trying to exorcise the ghosts of his past, mostly eschewing typical hip-hop braggadocio for deeper lyrics about things like girl trouble, the death of close friends, and his Compton upbringing. The whole album is cloaked in beats from a variety of producers, ranging from big names such as Just Blaze, Pharrell and Hit-Boy, to past affiliates from "Section.80," with sounds ranging from seductive synths and drums ("Sherane a.k.a. Master Splinter's Daughter," "Swimming Pools (Drank)"), and old school West Coast bombast ("Backseat Freestyle," the "California Love" rip-off "Compton"). The songs often end with little skits, snippets of dialogue that range from "Friday"-esque hilarity to disturbing violence. Lamar seems to prefer rapping on his own most of the time, which is fine since this is his story and he tells it with incredibly deep, meditative lyrics and an expert flow, but he does make room for others to drop verses as well, bringing in Drake, Dr. Dre, and his Black Hippy comrade Jay Rock, along with a few others. All in all, it is a brilliant album that soars above the standard for rap. Kendrick Lamar was running from his past on this album and not only did he manage to leave it behind, he has left his competition in the dust as well

Well what can I say, If I could give 6 stars, I would. The whole album is a masterpiece and the best thing I've heard in 2012, without a doubt. It's set out to be an ALBUM, not just a bunch of tracks on a disc. Kendrick tells a story all the way through, hence the album is appropriately named, 'a short film by Kendrick Lamar'. It's genius, it's almost like a movie experience on an album. There's some skits at the beginning and end of songs as a tactic to get you into the right mood for the following track, and to lay out the topic/issue that Kendrick wants to talk about. I can safely say, from amazing heart felt tracks like 'the art of peer pressure', to the incredible Hit-Boy produced track (N****s in Paris, Goldie), 'Backseat Freestyle', Kendrick kills every track, as you would expect from such a talented lyricist. Best album of 2012, easily.

I didn't know much about Kendrick Lamar before purchasing this album, at first I felt like he sounded like a mix of Kanye and Lil Wayne, though, while listening to the album I soon noticed that he's got his own style... It's always a matter of taste, in my opinion, if you're expecting another "straight outta compton" rapper in the style of N.W.A. or Dre's old days you might get disappointed... though if you're expecting a great rapper of "compton's next generation" with great storytelling and rapping skills you will definitely not be disappointed! I think good kid, m.A.A.d. city is one of the greatest albums of 2012 and we can expect a lot more great albums by kendrick lamar! In conclusion: a must-have for every rap music fan!

Don't get me wrong, this, by the standards of mainstream hip-hop in 2012, is a really good album. Maybe even a great album. So why only 4 stars? Largely because it just doesn't sound as good (to me at least) as Section 80 did after a similar number of listens; it isn't as varied in tone or as different from the majority of contemporary hip-hop releases and I think, ultimately, that was always going to be my problem with this album. This is an album that needs to sell in order to recoup its budget, which is why it sounds just that little bit more commercial than Kendrick's earlier stuff. The kids seem to love him though and he isn't compromising his undeniable talent too much...yet...

First off, Kendrick Lamar is a phenomenal storyteller and this album is more like an autobiography than a simple body of music. If you listen to every track in order a few times first you will begin to get a feel for the story and how each of the tracks link together, but the joy of it is that even after listening to it for many weeks, I am still hearing new bits I missed the first time round and am understanding more and more about the music as time goes on. My only warning would be that this album is as I've described above; it is quite hard work. The singles Swimming Pools and Compton are great 'stand-alone' tracks but the vast majority of the other songs can only be fully appreciated in context of the rest of the album. You do need to listen to the record 'properly' and give it time in order to get the most enjoyment out of it, and for that reason it's probably not for everyone. But if you are patient with this CD you will not regret the time you invest, I've no doubt this will be regarded a modern classic in years to come.

The concept of the album is that as the album progresses Kendrick Lamar gets older, so a song like "backseat freestyle" which on its own sounds like him thumping his chest, turns out to be a pitiful whelp from a younger him trying to rap about popular things instead of anything with substance. Buy this album. It's worth your money. The only problem I had with the deluxe is that it comes with 2 CDs, the first being the main album and then the second only having 3 bonus songs on it. I wish they had just added those to the first CD to be honest.

Kendrick Lamar is a talented artist that could portray a vivid imagery of his stories from his verses. The concepts are also relatable to a variety of people, especially the ones who are experiencing any struggles and are looking for positivity in their lives. There are of course other themes within the album, such as girl trouble, a deprivation of economic opportunity, gang violence, and his relationships with his friends and family. The structure of thehichbum is also cohesive, which is surprising, given the diversification of producers on the album. It is by far the most complete and compelling hip-hop album of the year. A possible classic in the not so distant future.

Good product

2° album dell'anno per MTV, 6° per Rolling Stones. E' già candidato a diventare un classico. Incredibili capacità liriche di KDot, featuring azzeccati e beat ricercati (tra i prod. Pharrell, T-Minus, HitBoy e Just Blaze). Unica pecca della versione deluxe è che le 3 tracce extra sono su un secondo disco rovinando un po' la continuità d'ascolto. In ogni caso un disco consigliatissimo!

Una de mis principales preocupaciones comprando un disco de vinilo por correo era que llegara maltratado. Sin embargo, llego en perfectas condiciones y tal cual lo esperaba.

コンプトン出身の25歳、西海岸のラップシーンを引率する次世代のリーダーとして、現カリスマのドクター・ドレやスヌープ・ドッ グから既にお墨付きをもらった注目株、ケンドリック・ラマーのインディ・レーベルからの処女作「Section 80」に続く2枚目。メジャ ー・レーベルからのリリースは初となる。 本国では発売初週にして20万枚の売上を挙げ、ビルボード・チャートでは第２位の位置づけが確実視される等、本年リリースさ れたブラック・ポップ作品としてはフランク・オーシャンに並ぶ注目作。本国ヒップホップ誌「XXL」のレビューでは、97年の創刊以 降15枚しか与えられていないという最高ランクの評価「XXL」を付与され話題となっている（ちなみに今までこの格付けを与えら れた作品は、ローリン・ヒルの「The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill」から近年ではカニエ・ウエストの「My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy 」まで、何れもクラシック級の名盤揃いだ）。 本作は治安の悪いコンプトンの都市に生を受け、元は純真だった一人の少年が周りの悪環境に抗えずその色に染まりゆく様を、 スキットを曲間に挟み映画風の構成に仕立てた作品。少年とは他でもないラマー自身であり、自叙伝的な色合いの濃い作品だ。 作題が示す意味も興味深い。「Good Kid」は少年期のラマー、「m.A.A.d City」はコンプトンを指すことは上述したコンセプトの通 りだが、「m.A.A.d」はさらに「My Angry Adolescence Divided」「My Angel's on Angel Dust」に含まれる頭文字を指し、思春期 に於ける屈折した感情や、薬物への誘惑等都市に渦巻く陰の部分を二重・三重に包む造語であるという。 彼自身「前作と共通点は何も無い」と明言する通り、本作は従来通り西海岸チームの気心知れた身内で製作されながらも、サウ ンド面で前作とはかなり感触の異なるものとなっている。生楽器やサンプリングを駆使し何処か音に温かみのあった前作とは対 照的に無機質な電子音とビートが多くを占め、全体から受ける感触は不穏かつダークだ。ここが評価の分かれ目だと思う。 淡々とライムを刻むラマーの声の背後に赤子の声かと思われるSE音が不.気味に谺する「Sherane…」、ビートと角材を叩いた様 な金属音、ラマーのユーモラスなライムの３者で構成され異様な空気を感じさせる「Backseat Freestyle」、2トラックの組曲構成を とるタイトル曲等聴き処は多いが、最も惹かれたのが終盤に置かれた12分に及ぶラップ・バラード「Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst」の存在だ。クインシー・ジョーンズ「Maybe Tomorrow」の甘美なサンプルが繰り返される中、他曲より内省的なラマーのラ イムが告白調に続く様は、尖ったトラックの連続に若干乾き気味のリスナーの耳と心に一気に潤いを与えるだろう。 カニエの作品の様にラップ領域以外のリスナーを自ら引き込むアピールは控えめだが、細部迄練られたサウンドはコアなラップ好 きだけの嗜好物にとどめるには惜しいクロスオーバーな魅力があると思う。 ※デラックス盤はドレやメアリーJブライジといったラマー自身のアイドルをFeatした3曲を収録のスペシャルCD付。本編とは毛色が 異なりポップで聴きやすく、こちらの方が本編より好きという方もいるだろう。入手できる内に。

Es ist einfach Wahnsinn, was Kendrick hier auf seinem "ersten" Studio-Album abliefert.. habe die CD schon lange und mit großer Vorfreude vorbestellt und wurde alles andere als enttäuscht. Mr. Lamar bietet auf diesem Album Hip-Hop vom allerfeinsten und stellt den Hip-Hop auf ein ganz neues Level, bin seit Jahren großer Eminem-Fan und bin somit generell offen für alles aus dem Hause Aftermath, Interscope, Shady Records und co. Aber das Album übertrifft jegliche Messlatte, die seine vorherigen Mixtapes OverlyDedicated und Section 80 absolut in den Schatten stellt (beide fand ich sehr gut) Kurz gesagt : Kendrick kann mehr als man ihm eventuell zutraut, unterstützt diesen Artist das Album ist absolut sein Geld wert. Hoffe auf einen Song von Kendrick mit Eminem .. das würde alles zerstören :D

"Good Kid, M.a.a.d City" est l'album de l'année, car il n'y a pas plus original en ce moment sur la scène du mainstream. Kendrick Lamar se démarque de pas mal rappeurs américains qui lyricalement font pas mal de recyclages. Pour ceux qui trouve l'album mou, c'est que vous n'aimez pas Kendrick Lamar, chacun ses goûts, mais on ne peut pas demander à ce qu'un rappeur posé devienne un rappeur agressif. Bref si vous aimez les sons posé avec un peu de vibe, cet album est pour vous, sinon passez votre chemin.