It’s still an impressive debut, and very much of its time.
Kendrick's homie, Q is not fucking around – he's chucked a straight-up gangsta rap record together, and if his lyrics are a little undercooked at points, he's compensated for this with some very tight production and more guest spots than I can rattle off in this word count. It's actually some of these moments, like on Kendrick's guest spot on Collared Greens, that really show him up. Likewise on Blind Threats, featuring Raekwon, you don't wanna go up against The Chef like that. It's still an impressive debut, and very much of its time.