An Album that Shifted My High School Life: Kendrick Lamar — Good Kid, M.A.A.D City
“Sitting in the studio thinking about which mood would go right now, freestyle or write down, whatever.” That was the first bar I heard from Kendrick Lamar from his song “The Heart Pt. 2” on mixtape Overly Dedicated. I had no idea what I was getting into after hearing that line, but my reaction after the song was over is something I’ll never forget. The lyricism, passion in his voice, and the cough at the end. He gave his heart to that song and this was only the first track. From then on, I was instantly a fan. Usually, when it comes to an artist that I like, I want to know everything about them. I did my research and I was ready to watch him progress. I just didn’t know how big he could get.
A year later, Section.80 had been released as a debut studio album. Although it was brought to me as a mixtape, it didn’t take away from the greatness of the project. This is the project where I believe Kendrick caught fire. All eyes were on him and his label Top Dawg Entertainment. From “ADHD” to “Rigamortis”, Kendrick was able to reach new heights to the point where fans and veterans were saying he got next. It seemed as if all the stars were aligned. Drake featured him on Take Care’s interlude “Buried Alive” in which he talks about his ascension to fame and how it could affect him and his music. Also, Kendrick was crowned the “New King of the West Coast” by Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and The Game; three West Coast legends who held it down for twenty plus years passing the torch to the young Compton lyricist. Whether it was what he wanted or not, the pressure and expectations were there for Kendrick to become one of the biggest stars in rap.
The anticipation was building every single week from Top Dawg signing with Interscope and Aftermath, to “Cartoons and Cereal” leaking (which had an amazing verse by Gunplay), to “Westside, Right on Time” dropping (one of my favorite Kendrick songs ever), and eventually, K. Dot releasing “The Recipe” and “Swimming Pools.” The same feeling people had when Nas first came out was the same feeling I had with Kendrick. I wasn’t alive when Nas dropped Illmatic but I understood why that debut album meant so much to people. It shifted the landscape of Hip-Hop as we know it. Regardless of how people feel about it, the album will be talked about even after we’re gone. I remember when I was sixteen at the time talking to my friend Nino about Kendrick every single day. We would always express our excitement for the debut album and how we felt about the singles that had been released. Nino was from Compton so he was able to relate to him more due to being from the same city. The bigger he got, the more anticipation grew which led to more people talking about him at school.
I remember when Kendrick was coming to Houston to do a meet and greet at West Oaks Mall (now called The Outlet) and I begged my mom to take me. She refused because she was tired from her job. I will never forget my mom shouting these words to me over the phone: “Who is Kendrick Lamar?!” I explained to her how he was going to be one of the biggest rappers in the world and all my friends were in line to see him. She didn’t care and she wasn’t trying to hear it. That was probably my only chance to meet him. I remember “Swimming Pools” being played on the radio and coming home to see the video play on 106 & Park. Although the message of the song got overshadowed in the process, it was still a big hit for Kendrick at the time. It was enough to build up the bomb that was dropping on October 22nd. However, the album leaked a week before it dropped.
When I found out about it, I told myself that I wouldn’t listen to it. As much as I wanted to hear it, I kept my composure. It’s funny because if it were any other artist I probably would’ve listened as soon as I saw the leak, but not Kendrick. I knew how special this was going to be so I wanted to wait until the world heard his greatness. The next day at school was hell for me because all my friends heard the leak. I couldn’t even offer my thoughts or opinions on it. However, I did enjoy the fact that people were talking about him in this capacity. It just made my excitement for the album grow each day. I remember where I was the night before it dropped. I was literally in my room trying not to make too much noise because I didn’t want my parents to hear me. The big day was just a few moments away. Everything Kendrick had worked for from 2003 to now was going to pay off. Before the album dropped, he released “The Heart Pt. 3” and when I heard the line “Will you let hip-hop die on October 22nd?” I jumped out of my bed. I knew it was time to press play and then I heard the tape drop in the cassette. We had arrived ladies and gentlemen.
“Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” was amazing to listen to in headphones. “Backseat Freestyle” reminded me of when I was at the lunch table with my friends just freestyling. Jay Rock had one of the best verses on the album with his bars on “Money Trees.” In my opinion, Jay Rock is one of the few rappers that upstages Kendrick on any song. You can look back at the songs they’ve been on together. Rock is usually the star of the show. I can see why TDE wanted to start with Jay Rock first back in 2011 with Follow Me Home. Although the outcome wasn’t what they wanted, it did not stop Rock from rapping his ass off any chance he got. He had something to prove on “Money Trees” and he did exactly that. “Poetic Justice” with Drake was a commercial hit even when I saw the tracklist. It’s crazy how they haven’t made a song together since then because of the “Control” verse. However, I believe people on social media blew it out of proportion and made it something that wasn’t even that deep, to begin with. Honestly, it was probably for the best because they’re in two different lanes right now. They have two completely different sounds and have evolved so much since then. I honestly don’t know what a Kendrick and Drake collab sounds like in 2021. However, if we ever do get one, I wouldn’t mind at all.
Now, let’s talk about “M.A.A.D. City” for a second. When I first heard that song and the beat dropped, my face was scrunched up all the way. The way the intro leads to “YAWK. YAWK. YAWK” still gets me every time. It’s an essential Kendrick song that will always get played no matter what and a turning point for the album. I didn’t appreciate “Sing About Me/Dying of Thirst” until I got older and revisited the album. I understood the message of the song, but I never really went back to it because of the length. Now, it’s probably my favorite song on the album, especially the first half. The way he portrayed Dave’s brother and Keisha’s sister in the song was great. I love how he tells the story of how these people along with himself deal with grief, death, and spirituality. Kendrick talking about his legacy is a recurring theme in his albums and this song is no different.
Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City was more than just an album to me. It was a story about a day in the life of a kid from Compton who went through many experiences while driving his mom’s van. It felt like a motion picture movie in audio form. The album took me to a city I’ve never been to before and gave me the tour through Kendrick’s eyes; the ideal tour guide. It was the perfect way to showcase Kendrick to the world and it turned him into one of the biggest rappers in the last decade. It’s one of my favorite debut albums of all time and it made me excited to see what his career would be after.
