Max De Leon ’25

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good kid, m.A.A.d city is Kendrick Lamar’s sophomore album, coming a year after his very first album, Section 80, which launched him into the music scene and established an avid audience. What hooked fans onto Kendrick Lamar’s music was the blend of casual production and a layer of storytelling that can be seen throughout this album and many of Kendrick’s future records. The album was met with significant applause and has only grown more in popularity as time passes.

While the previous album, Section.80, had songs that told a single story within one piece, it is clear from the opening track of good kid, m.A.A.d city that Kendrick Lamar’s main goal throughout the album was to tell an overarching story that connected through each song. Many have stated that while listening to the album for the first time, it felt almost as if they were watching a movie about Kendrick’s life growing up in Compton. The album’s story follows a young Kendrick Lamar, who at the time went by K.Dot, as he struggles to deal with the reality of violence and loss during his time in Compton. Songs at the beginning of the album, such as “The Art of Peer Pressure” and “Sherman’s aka Master Splinter’s Daughter,” let the listener realize that Kendrick is a good person. Still, there was an internal conflict within him whether he wanted to continue a life of peer pressure and chasing money, power, and respect, or if he should look towards a higher power and different goals to benefit not only himself but also his family and the rest of the community of Compton. Towards the end of the song Swimming Pools it is revealed to K.Dot that one of his friends has been shot; at first he wants to get revenge on the ones that had shot his friend, but he changes his mind after meeting an elderly lady who learns of the situation and decides to tell him to let go of the hatred within him. This encounter allows K. Dot to reflect on himself and his time in Compton. In the songs “Real” and “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst,” he realizes that the things he was living for before were only temporary and that now he looks towards God, improving himself, making music, and looking for ways to help the rest of Compton leave its violent ways behind. Kendrick Lamar’s primary purpose in making this album was to show how the events of his life in Compton led him from being the reckless K.Dot into the older and wiser Kendrick Lamar.

Despite the album’s carrying a deep tone and consciousness, every single song on the album provides a unique production, flows, and iconic hooks to keep the listener engaged. The album’s production is created by many recognizable names such as Hit-Boy, Pharrell Williams, and D.J. Dahi, and each producer provides a memorable sound to each song that makes each one different from the last while still fitting the overall tone. The album takes inspiration from the 90’s G-funk and West Coast hip-hop tracks that were prevalent during the events of good kid, m.A.A.d city, which can be seen on songs such as the captivating “m.A.A.d City” and the instantly recognizable “Money Trees.” Along with Kendrick Lamar’s providing some of the most appealing and well-known verses and lyrics ever to be heard, there are many guest verses by different artists that all brought their best to each song, such as Drake on “Poetic Justice,” Dr.Dre on “Compton,” and Mary J. Bilge on “Now or Never.” The bouncy West Coast vibe of the songs intertwined with Kendrick Lamar’s flows and masterful lyricism allows every piece on the album to be a masterpiece and instantly appealing.

  In the end, Good Kid m.A.A.d City is the story of Kendrick Lamar’s transition from K.Dot to Kendrick Lamar, with songs that tell a narrative without sacrificing the album’s listenability. Overall, this album will forever remain a classic in the always expansive library of hip-hop and will go down in history as one of the best hip-hop concept albums of all time and one of the best music projects to ever be made. Good Kid m.A.A.d City is my favorite album of all time, and many other people also think it is a masterpiece. And for that reason, I will give Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city a 10/10.