Kendrick Lamar - ‘Good Kid, M.A.A.D City’ Album Review

1. Album Overview

Aspect	Detail
Release Date	October 22, 2012
Duration	68 minutes
Number of Songs	12 (Standard Edition)
Album Sales	3.7 million

2. Top 5 Bars from the Album

1. “Swimming Pools (Drank)”: “Nigga, why you babysittin’ only two or three shots? / I’ma show you how to turn it up a notch”
2. “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”: “I am a sinner who’s probably gonna sin again / Lord, forgive me, Lord, forgive me”
3. “Backseat Freestyle”: “Martin had a dream / Kendrick have a dream”
4. “The Art of Peer Pressure”: “Everybody’s a victim in my eyes / When I ride it’s a murderous rhythm”
5. “Money Trees”: “It go Halle Berry or hallelujah / Pick your poison, tell me what you do”

3. Top 5 Songs by Production

1. “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” - Produced by Sounwave
2. “Swimming Pools (Drank)” - Produced by T-Minus
3. “Backseat Freestyle” - Produced by Hit-Boy
4. “Poetic Justice” - Produced by Scoop DeVille
5. “Money Trees” - Produced by DJ Dahi

4. Review

Whether it’s “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City”, “Good Kid, My Angry Adolescence Divided”, or “Good Kid, My Angels on Angel Dust”, this multi-layered masterpiece feels far more like a culture-defining movie rather than just another album.

I think the reason why it’s one of the most loved hip-hop albums of all time is because it’s the best album you can go to where you’ll love the sound of every song as a casual listener who puts it on in the background, on aux, or at any point in your day. But you’ll also appreciate it 10x more if you decide to actually pay attention, listen to the stories being told, the messages being said, and the overall imagery in these songs that would have the most innocent listeners, from the best neighborhoods, begin to understand and feel the pain of that violent and gang-affiliated lifestyle as if they’ve lived it themselves.

That balance of replayability, storytelling, and subject-matter is the reason why it’s the longest-charting rap album ever, and is always present in every “best rap albums of all time” list.

This album is a classic.

5. Best Feature Artist in the Album

The best feature artist on ‘Good Kid, M.A.A.D City’ is Drake, especially for his contribution to “Poetic Justice.”

6. Rating

10/10