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

[idoitforhiphop10]

Well deserved.

 

[Knives Amilli]

SO i was bumping a few songs on the album last night coming home from work and it dawned on me......

Now IMO GKMC had the tangible elements of a great album down pat imo. Great production. Excellent vivid lyrics. Radio cuts. Features that dont feel forced or make the album seem crowded.

But the other traits that pops in the classic discussion is "what has this album done that no album before hasnt....or what style did this album pioneer....or how is this album a landmark testament to hip hop?"

I'll tell you (and correct me if im wrong)......

Prior to GKMC, I have NEVER heard a hip hop album that can be characterized in one word: survival. GKMC is an album about surviving Compton. But not as a direct participant like the many forerunners before Kendrick.

Not once in the album does Kendrck prop himself up as the the man. Or a tough guy. He's literally the average joe. Not even the most interesting character in his own story. In fact, he's the friend you'd laugh at years later for getting his ass beat chasing pus*y.

The true star of the story is Compton itself. Kendrick paints his hood as a complete and utter warzone; divided between rival neighborhoods and sets, and the cops, and destroyed by drug and alcohol use. In fact the tone of the entire album almost sounds like someone with PTSD wrote the album. But thats the beauty of the album to me. Ive long hated the contradictory tone of rapping about the hood ("IT SUCKS BUT I SHO LUV DEM SKREETS).....and while i'm sure Kendrick has love for Compton.....he pulls no punches in describing it as a black hole that he barely escaped from.

And thats where GKMC excels to that no album before has. You could make a case for Illmatic doing the same, but Illmatic is just as wrapped up in the East Coast braggadocio style as it was in its honest assessment of queensbridge...its a product of its time. GKMC is product of what Kanye West set in motion: complete and utter honesty in the art.

GKMC is PTSD in hip hop form.

 

[The Lonious Monk]

SO i was bumping a few songs on the album last night coming home from work and it dawned on me......

Now IMO GKMC had the tangible elements of a great album down pat imo. Great production. Excellent vivid lyrics. Radio cuts. Features that dont feel forced or make the album seem crowded.

But the other traits that pops in the classic discussion is "what has this album done that no album before hasnt....or what style did this album pioneer....or how is this album a landmark testament to hip hop?"

I'll tell you (and correct me if im wrong)......

Prior to GKMC, I have NEVER heard a hip hop album that can be characterized in one word: survival. GKMC is an album about surviving Compton. But not as a direct participant like the many forerunners before Kendrick.

Not once in the album does Kendrck prop himself up as the the man. Or a tough guy. He's literally the average joe. Not even the most interesting character in his own story. In fact, he's the friend you'd laugh at years later for getting his ass beat chasing pus*y.

The true star of the story is Compton itself. Kendrick paints his hood as a complete and utter warzone; divided between rival neighborhoods and sets, and the cops, and destroyed by drug and alcohol use. In fact the tone of the entire album almost sounds like someone with PTSD wrote the album. But thats the beauty of the album to me. Ive long hated the contradictory tone of rapping about the hood ("IT SUCKS BUT I SHO LUV DEM SKREETS).....and while i'm sure Kendrick has love for Compton.....he pulls no punches in describing it as a black hole that he barely escaped from.

And thats where GKMC excels to that no album before has. You could make a case for Illmatic doing the same, but Illmatic is just as wrapped up in the East Coast braggadocio style as it was in its honest assessment of queensbridge...its a product of its time. GKMC is product of what Kanye West set in motion: complete and utter honesty in the art.

GKMC is PTSD in hip hop form.

I'd say OB4CL kinda did that. Contrary to what a lot of people believe, it wasn't a story about some major drug kingpins with the streets on lock. It was about two run of the mill street hustlers trying to make one last big score so they could kiss the drug game goodbye. In the course of that, on their homies (U-God's character) gets killed, Ghost gets shot, and it ends with them managing to take out and enemy, but still be entrenched in the game. So I'd say GKMC is actually a brighter tale because it ends with Kendrick visualizing a way out. Rae seems to be resigned to his fate by the end of OB4CL.

That said, GKMC is a classic to me. I don't think an album has to do something that's never been done before to be a classic. At the end of the day, everything's been done. An classic album just has to do what it does on a very high level with its own identity. GKMC does that.

 

[bindayvez79]

it's been out a year and still no one has topped the album yet. The closest was pusha's album and that wasn't even that close. best album this decade.

 

[Vader_F_Kennedy]

Idk bout decade bruh u reachin..but it is a classic album

 

[StoneColdMikey]

Me and my niggas tryna get it ya bish

 

[just.might.b.ok]

 

[clairvoyance]

Idk bout decade bruh u reachin..but it is a classic album

Yea classic but decade? I think Life Is Good is better(with the exception of summer on smash), its more versatile subject matter wise and erray of different kind of tracks(back when,wouldn't understand,daughters,loco motive, black bond,queens story,wheres the love,bye baby,accidental murders). Kendricks album follows a more monotone sound where lig production has a wider range from boom bap, monotone, to up beat/fast pace songs and imo is lyrically better.

But without question GKMC is one of the few classics that has dropped in a long time, kendrick did alot for hiphop with that album.

 

[StillFaggyAF]

Gkmc was far from monotone bruh wat?

 

[clairvoyance]

Gkmc was far from monotone bruh wat?

Far from? we must of heard two different albums cause GKMC has more laid back sound imo.

 

[StoneColdMikey]

Maad city backseat freestyle , real and Compton ain't laid back

 

[clairvoyance]

Maad city backseat freestyle , real and Compton ain't laid back

I said more laid back as in the majority of the album

 

[StoneColdMikey]

I mean shit t only had 12 tracks and that's 33 percent of the album . You could even add money trees and swimming pools that's half the album that's not laid back

 

[clairvoyance]

I mean shit t only had 12 tracks and that's 33 percent of the album . You could even add money trees and swimming pools that's half the album that's not laid back

Point taken my assessment wasnt accurate, I'll just say I liked lif production more....

 

[drale55]

amazing album

 

[MarcusGarvey]

Best album by new school mainstream artist looking at you Wale, JCole, Drake, Meek Millz.

Made me a believer of dude.

 

[contemplate]

called this a classic the first time i heard it and arguably the best debut album ever

people will prolly say it's 'too soon' but yall will be agreeing years from now

 

[Kalecrunch]

called this a classic the first time i heard it and arguably the best debut album ever

Arguably the best debut of All Time?

You know there is this album callled Illmatic ...check it out its good times.

 

[mdot]

Had this album in the car for a year listen to it every once in a while still great.

I respect opinions. But this is not close to the best debut. Not with albums like Illmatic, Ready To Die, or Doggystyle. I'm sure I could name more too.

 

[nj2089]

When the first time hearing the intro... mannnn