The Official Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City Discussion Thread

[buttuh_b]

Life is Good in the m.A.A.d. City!

 

[Stew]

Some I notice are pushing articles that this is the "ILLmatic, Ready to Die" of this generation. A little extreme but I do see some things in common with "Ready To Die" more so than "ILLmatic" as far as Kendrick changing voices like Biggie did and having skits and it being a storytelling type of album.

I agree it would be more Ready To Die than Illmatic but comparing this to either of them is just stupid and thats not to slight KL not one bit. Let that nigga breath on his own.

 

[JDSTAYWITIT]

Had This Shit Sit With Me For A Week Now .... Time To Drop That Review

Sometimes... in popular culture you have moments that grab the collective interest of the people .. forcing them to pay attention ... for something new has arrived ... and things will undoubtably alter thereafter ... in listening to this record ..I’m reminded of watching a young 17 year Lebron dominate high school gyms across the country ..even tho he hadn’t played one game in the league ..you knew you were watching something special ...from the jazzy opening bass rift ... sonically akin to something birthed out of tribe’s “excursions” sessions ... the vivid tale of a young kid birthed into chaos and schizophrenia has only just begun..

Production: One of the clear standout features this record offers can been seen in the meticulous detail within the sonic presentation and production ... whether its the seamless vocal transitions between female and male voices found on the chorus of “BDKMV” or its accompanying violin solo towards the end .. you can tell a lot of hours were spent on them boards crafting this album to musically take that next step in Kendricks sound ... the interesting part about this record is there are 13 different producers for the 12 tracks constructing the story ... yet ... with all those maestros ... bringing their own exceptional styles to the table ... the albums plays out with not one beat sounding out of place ... not one track downing out the other ... i always talk about sonic cohesion and why thats so important to capturing the listening ear ..and the fact that he was able to get that for this album despite using some many different beat smiths... to me is quite impressive... more impressive however.. is that even with all of the cohesion sonically ..nothing sounds bland or repetitive ... you got your upbeat tempo tracks like “BackSeat Freestyle” and “mAAd city” ... you got your jazz influenced tracks like “Sherane” “Sing About Me” “Good Kid” then you got your experimental spacey sounds found on “Art of Peer Pressure” “Real” “Dying of Thirst” “Money Trees” ... and finally your rhythmic soul records found on “BDKMV” and “Poetic Justice” ... its applaud worthy when your able to get that many distinctly different sounds to flow together so effortlessly .. i tip my cap to the production team ... top notch quality

Lyrics: Kendrick has always been known as technically proficient rapper ... and this record gives no let up to that acclaim ... the key to being a brilliant lyricist is diversity ... can you spit metaphors and similes coupled with rapid double entendres multi syllables and vivid personification all the while keeping your flow digestible to the average listener? .. well ..some can some cant .. in Kendrick’s case he showed multiple times that he’s able to paint those pictures ...extended metaphors like this one from the title track “Good Kid” .. give you a succinct display of pure lyrical prowess .. and everything dope about Kendricks style

"Look inside these walls and you see im having withdrawals

Of a prisoner on his way

Trapped inside your desire

To fire bullets that stray

Track atire just tell you I’m tired and ran away

I should ask a choir what do you require

To sing a song that acquire me to have faith

As the record spin I should pray

For the record I recognize that I’m easily prey

I got ate alive yesterday

I got animosity building

It’s probably big as a building

Me jumping off of the roof

Is just me playing it safe"

From the metaphor in regards to him wearing track suits because he has been trying to run out of his environment which he became a prisoner to ... to the double possible triple entendre with the choir, re(quire) , ac(quire) bars .. to the slick wordplay within the “for the record i (recog)nize ” line to him closing out the extended metaphor with another double entendre in saying “ i got animosity building its probably big as a building me jumping off of the roof(escaping the city) is just me playing it safe" ... the shit is just a joke ..the dudes mastery of literary tools is top notch ..and the fact he can do all of this but still wrap it all up in a melodic flow with gravitating content makes it all the more spectacular

Overall: Its very rare that a album lives up to the hype and delivers on first listen ... but this record does that and does it with ease ... the beauty is the cohesiveness of story and narrative captivates you into wanting to understand it ..which makes you listen again and again ..and in doing that it also forces you to pay attention to the details lyrically and sonically ...something that a lot of rap fans dont want to do in the day in age of instant access and short attention spans ... trully a masterful piece of work .. Kendrick stated he was like Tre from boys in the hood on "Dying of Thirst" and that metaphoric symbology is exactly what i get when i hear this ... if Tre could rap and tell his story this would be the album he'd make... and that's a perspective i haven't heard from many rappers at all... i dont need 5 or 10 years to know that i wll be listenting to this record for many years to come ... which is why im hitting it with the insta classic rating

5 outta 5 Palm

Trees ... Amazing Record

Standout Tracks:

1. m.A.A.d City

2.BDKMV

3.Money Trees

4.SingAboutMe/DyingOfThirst

5.Real

 

[Nah Son]

Man I fuckin love this album.

Only flaw is Aubrey he need to get all the fuck outta here wit his pussy raps, ole Imma let Kendrick spit a whole song on my album so he gon return the favor ass faggot.

This shit feels and sounds like a movie and then Drake pops up wit his Meet me in the bed you left me in content. Shit is like watchin Menace II Society wit a Vanilla Ice cameo smh

But fuck that this album is damn near perfect. And shoutout to the various Section 80 references on there

 

[TheBossman]

thoughts on the two extra bonus tracks, collect calls and county building blues?

 

[KamPushMe]

4 letters

 

[LcnsdbyROYALTY]

4 letters

... What tha fuck are tha letters!?

 

[KamPushMe]

4 letters

... What tha fuck are tha letters!?

dope?

 

[LcnsdbyROYALTY]

4 letters

... What tha fuck are tha letters!?

dope?

Oh I thought u was doin that YMCA-type shyt. My bad lol

 

[Stew]

thoughts on the two extra bonus tracks, collect calls and county building blues?

Dont like "County Building Blues" cause of the voice thing but thats really the only track I dislike.

 

[TheBossman]

thoughts on the two extra bonus tracks, collect calls and county building blues?

Dont like "County Building Blues" cause of the voice thing but thats really the only track I dislike.

i kinda like both, collect calls being the better. as i said after my 2nd/3rd listen the only songs i don't like are the mary j track and money treez (it has grown on me tbh).

 

[LcnsdbyROYALTY]

thoughts on the two extra bonus tracks, collect calls and county building blues?

Dont like "County Building Blues" cause of the voice thing but thats really the only track I dislike.

i kinda like both, collect calls being the better. as i said after my 2nd/3rd listen the only songs i don't like are the mary j track and money treez (it has grown on me tbh).

THA FUCK!? I'm shocked, cuz most have said that was one of their faves (mine included). Wow...

 

[FyHunnit]

I laugh every time dude on Sing About Me gets popped after he say "And if I die before your album drops"

 

[Gen. Stasia]

4 MICS. Very solid mainstream debut. Slightly better than "Section .80" but I'd give both 4 MICS. I enjoyed Kendrick's creativity. I only felt there were about 3 or 4 songs I wasn't feeling. I liked the laid back vibe. I liked the skits cause it make me feel like it was an album. I also liked the fact the album doesn't sound formula driven. Sadly Drake, Sean and J cole were victims to formulas. I think J cole's LP didn't have as many formulas as Sean or Drake's but they were still there. Kendrick though LP doesn't sound like he's trying to appeal to a certain rap fan per se as much as he's just giving you himself. At times it feels like he's channeling 3 Stacks, the album feels like a unreleased Outkast LP at times. I think the production is solid. I like the way they flipped and payed homage to my girl Janet Jackson on that "Poetic Justice" song. Hopefully people are going back and listening to "Anytime, Anyplace" one of the sexiest songs in history (Got plenty to that track in high school) But I could of done without another "Crying about Women" verse from Drake. His voice does take some time to get use to but overall Again the songs have that chill out vibe and I like that. The Production and sequencing was very good by Dre and company.

As for the great reviews it's getting, I don't see nothing wrong with that. But I can't help but feel like Lupe 6 years ago, Kendrick album praise is more a reflection of the state of the rap. Rap just isn't good right now that it's a lot easier for Kendrick to shine through. When I heard, "Doggystyle, Ready To Die, or ILLmatic or even It's dark and hot as hell". There was something about those debut that you just knew something Legendary just happen. I didn't get that from this but what I got was a very talented guy giving us "HIM" and as a rap fan that's all I could ask for. I talked to a friend and he was telling me that Kendrick is being forced on the public by the interscope machine. I told him that was going to happen cause of the Dre association but it's not like they really promoted the LP that well to me. It's not like the 1st single is all over the radio like that. If anything I think this album is being pushed more from Kendrick's underground love he got from "Section .80".

Again I could see some people not buying the hype but the fact is Kendrick is a bright light in the game right now. So it's the best debut rap album since "Food and Liquor" and he's clearly ahead of the class of this generation class to me. Drake has the most success but his albums aren't the best, "Take Care" was a step in the right direction. Cole is very talented but he's kinda low key and doesn't want to take the forfront. Big Sean is OK but I don't feel he can really carry songs. Kendrick proved he can carry an album so I was impressed. Classic? again like Kendrick said and I agree, it takes 5 to 10 years. Let me know if I'm listening to "Good Kid, Maad City" by 2020 and then I'll tell you it's a Classic. But I did enjoy the album. I'm about 7 years older than Kendrick, I'm an 80's baby, he's more of a 90's baby but I could relate to the themes he put forward.

I agree with alot of this but the main difference between Kendrick and Lupe's releases is that Kendrick is more apart of his class than Lupe was. Jeezy, Ross, Lupe etc wasnt as intertwined as Kendrick, Drake, J Cole, Big Sean, Meek etc. So this release will have more effect on his peers because they see the praise that this album was getting and will feel the pressure of the fans to step it up.

 

[StoneColdMikey]

I don't think its a reach to compare this album to the college dropout's, get rich or die trying, ready to die, etc. imo its up there as far as quality

 

[StoneColdMikey]

but to say he not gettin spins on the radio thats a lie! swimming pools stay on the radio

 

[IceBergTaylor]

My new favorite song on the album is Money Trees minus Jay Rock's verse. That chorus is fly as shit

 

[rapmastermind]

but to say he not gettin spins on the radio thats a lie! swimming pools stay on the radio

He's gettin spins but not like that. "Swimming Polls" hasn't even cracked the top 50. Compared to Drake, Sean and J Cole before their debut's, Lamar ain't getting spins like they were. What's crazy is I loved both his singles, "Swimming Pools" and "The Recipe" but I think the songs kinda lost buzz in the mainstream since they were release summer time and the album is dropping now. But I love both tracks.

I don't think its a reach to compare this album to the college dropout's, get rich or die trying, ready to die, etc. imo its up there as far as quality

Debatable but there is no debate that this is a quality record. What's great to me is he followed up "Section .80" and basically made a storytelling album that was very cohesive despite the wide range of different producers. That's why I felt you could say he channeled a little "Ready To Die". "Good Kid Maad City" does play like a short film if you connect each song. Like I said in my review, I think it's the best debut since Lupe's. Lupe's was the best debut since KanYe. I just have to see what happens thought cause "College Dropout" was the last game changing Debut and you could argue KanYe opened the door for even Kendrick to drop an LP like this and be successful. KanYe brought the transition from "Street Hop" to this more "Emotional" Style rap that has been popular since 2007.

I agree with alot of this but the main difference between Kendrick and Lupe's releases is that Kendrick is more apart of his class than Lupe was. Jeezy, Ross, Lupe etc wasnt as intertwined as Kendrick, Drake, J Cole, Big Sean, Meek etc. So this release will have more effect on his peers because they see the praise that this album was getting and will feel the pressure of the fans to step it up.

You make a good point, in 2006 Lupe was kinda on an island while other emcees like Ross and Jezzy had their lane they were still selling way more so Lupe kinda got lost in the crossfire. But Lupe does also represent the Post-College Dropout generation of Rappers. Lupe is like a Senior where as Drake is a sophmore, Cole, Sean and Kendrick are freshmen in the school of KanYe West. We will see what this album does to his peers.

 

[Stew]

but to say he not gettin spins on the radio thats a lie! swimming pools stay on the radio

Yup. I been hearing that shit on the radio in Atlanta for the past 3 months and I rarely ever listen to the radio.

 

[clippyclipp n*gga]

but to say he not gettin spins on the radio thats a lie! swimming pools stay on the radio

He's gettin spins but not like that. "Swimming Polls" hasn't even cracked the top 50. Compared to Drake, Sean and J Cole before their debut's, Lamar ain't getting spins like they were. What's crazy is I loved both his singles, "Swimming Pools" and "The Recipe" but I think the songs kinda lost buzz in the mainstream since they were release summer time and the album is dropping now. But I love both tracks.

I don't think its a reach to compare this album to the college dropout's, get rich or die trying, ready to die, etc. imo its up there as far as quality

Debatable but there is no debate that this is a quality record. What's great to me is he followed up "Section .80" and basically made a storytelling album that was very cohesive despite the wide range of different producers. That's why I felt you could say he channeled a little "Ready To Die". "Good Kid Maad City" does play like a short film if you connect each song. Like I said in my review, I think it's the best debut since Lupe's. Lupe's was the best debut since KanYe. I just have to see what happens thought cause "College Dropout" was the last game changing Debut and you could argue KanYe opened the door for even Kendrick to drop an LP like this and be successful. KanYe brought the transition from "Street Hop" to this more "Emotional" Style rap that has been popular since 2007.

i feel this album will be a cult classic in time i think it will go down as a classic. reasonable doubt wasn't a classic when it first dropped.