good kid, m.A.A.d city by Kendrick Lamar
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (stylized as good kid, m.A.A.d city) is the second studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. The album was released on October 22, 2012, by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment, and was distributed by Interscope Records. The album serves as Lamar's major label debut, after his signing to Aftermath and Interscope in early 2012. It was preceded by the release of Kendrick's debut studio album Section.80 (2011), released exclusively through the iTunes Store independently. The album was recorded mostly at several studios in California with producers such as Dr. Dre, Just Blaze, Pharrell Williams, Hit-Boy, Scoop DeVille, Jack Splash and T-Minus, among others. Billed as a "short film by Kendrick Lamar" on the album cover, the concept album follows the story of Lamar's teenage experiences in the drug-infested streets and gang lifestyle of his native Compton, California. Upon its release, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City received widespread acclaim from music critics, who praised its thematic scope and Lamar's lyrics. Good Kid M.A.A.D City earned Lamar four Grammy Award nominations at the 56th Grammy Awards including Album of the Year. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 242,000 copies in its first week – earning the highest first-week hip hop album sales of 2012 from a male artist, along with the best-selling debut from a male artist of the year. It became Lamar's first album to enter the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number 16, and entering the UK R&B Albums Chart at number two. The album was also being named to many end-of-the-year lists. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and, by January 2015, the album had sold 1,400,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album's release was supported by five singles – "The Recipe" featuring Dr. Dre, "Swimming Pools (Drank)", "Backseat Freestyle", "Poetic Justice" featuring Drake, and "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe". All five singles received varied chart success. Lamar also went on a world tour between May and August 2013, featuring the other members of the hip hop collective Black Hippy.
A few days after releasing 2012’s <i>good kid, m.A.A.d. city</i>, the then-25-year-old Kendrick Lamar deemed his sophomore album “classic-worthy”. He wasn’t lying: Lamar’s sophomore album is one of the defining hip-hop records of the 21st century. On the surface, <i>good kid, m.A.A.d. city</i> is a hood tragedy, with Lamar painting a vivid picture of Black and brown youths growing up in underserved communities. But the album is also powered by faith and hope, with Lamar chronicling his turbulent coming-of-age through a cast of compelling characters that portray the trauma, familial guidance and relationships that led to his inevitable ascent. After the release of his 2011 studio debut, <i>Section.80</i>, Lamar had landed a splashy deal with Interscope Records and Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment. Despite his newfound access to state-of-the-art recording spaces and high-profile producers, the rapper opted to return to his roots for <i>good kid, m.A.A.d. city</i>, spending time at the Carson home studio of Top Dawg Entertainment, where he wrote and recorded his debut set. Sitting just a few miles from Compton, where much of <i>good kid, m.A.A.d. city</i> takes place, Lamar pieced together tracks alongside collaborators Sounwave and Dave Free, both of whom have known the prolific rapper since high school. Throughout the writing process, Lamar would frequently return to his childhood neighbourhood to relive the “mental space” he was in during the early days of his rap career, unearthing the deeply personal tales that came to shape the monumental artist. From the album’s opening scene—a collective prayer of gratitude—Lamar’s approach is entirely theatric (he even gives <i>good kid, m.A.A.d. city</i> a subtitle: “A Short Film by Kendrick Lamar”). And he never misses an opportunity to hold listeners in his grip, unspooling a series of vulnerable confessions over the album’s 12 tracks. Graphic scenes of violence, addiction and disillusionment are pervasive here. But Lamar makes even the harshest truths easy to swallow. Case in point: “Swimming Pools (Drank)”, a sobering tale of alcoholism that became a radio hit and earned a Grammy nomination. It’s just one of several beloved singles on <i>good kid, m.A.A.d. city</i>, which also includes such hits as “Backseat Freestyle”, “Poetic Justice” and “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”. While <i>good kid, m.A.A.d. city</i> famously lost Best Rap Album to Macklemore at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, its legacy as a crucial example of American storytelling remains intact—and the album established Lamar as perhaps his generation’s most accomplished writer. As he puts it himself on <i>good kid, m.A.A.d. city</i>’s “The Art of Peer Pressure”: “Everybody sit yo’ bitch-ass down and listen to this true motherfuckin’ story told by Kendrick Lamar on Rosecrans, ya bitch.”
