2012 was a great year for hip-hop. While many big names dropped much awaited albums the best surprises for me came from younger, lesser known talent such as Angel Haze, Joey Badass and Earl Sweatshirt. Amongst them, Kendrick Lamar definitely stands apart, and 2012 probably wouldn’t have been as good if it wasn’t for his astonishingly good second album ‘Good Kid, m.A.A.d City‘.
The vintage cover of the album is a polaroid of Lamar as a child, sitting on what is apparently his uncle knees. This image hints at this record’s autobiographical contents, and that he is inviting us to witness his life story.
‘Good Kid, m.A.A.d City‘ begins with the sounds of a young teenage Kendrick borrowing his mother’s van in order to visit a girl named Sherane. From then on, Lamar narrates his evolution, and more specifically growing up with his group of friends and their gang lifestyle.
Compton is a central theme and in general it’s impossible to deny that Lamar‘s style is heavily influenced by West-Coast gangsta rap as the whole album conveys Tupac‘s and N.W.A‘s influence. Released on Dr Dre‘s Aftermath record label’ the veteran’s contribution should not be disregarded as he appears on two tracks “The Recipe”, and “Compton“.
Personally, I feel this is Dre‘s way of passing on his west-coast crown just like he did with Snopp Dogg back in the ‘Doggystyle‘ days. – Olivia
TRACKS:
