Kendrick LamarYou've only got to flick through the inner sleeve of good kid, m.A.A.d city to realise that Kendrick Lamar has a story to tell. Hell, the spine of the record even says “a short film by”. But it's a CD – whaaaaat?!
Anyway... the young Californian isn't spruiking shit. As with a lot of great hip hop albums, good kid, m.A.A.d city plays out like a motion picture. It's a snapshot into the life of Lamar and how his Compton home pulls him in directions both positive and negative – the challenges he faces and the decisions he makes. After a grateful prayer opens the record, the 25 year old is soon lamenting, “I am a sinner, whose probably going to sin again,” on Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe, before he indeed does, getting wrapped up in all kinds of gangbanging activities. It's through this middle section that you get an insight into the conflicts of a young man's mind. It's honest and colourful, his verses concise and smart, while the production is spacious, thoughtful and cinematic, flowing smooth like individual scenes in an enthralling movie. There are moments where Lamar is drowning in the good times, like on club jam Swimming Pools (Drank), but it's clear that he's rooted in the real world, the MC verbally painting scenes from the ghetto while simultaneously hinting that, yes, there is a way out.
After listening to this sophomore release, it's clear that Jay-Z and Kanye should be watching their throne, because if the Compton kid continues on this trajectory, it's a mere formality that he'll soon find himself on the top of the food chain.
