8 Things You Need To Know About Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city Album - Page 2

Last night at Chung King studios in New York City, Kendrick Lamar invited a select amount of media, celebrities, and tastemakers to get a first listen to his album, good kid, m.A.A.d. city. His major label debut on Interscope Records is one of the most highly anticipated albums in a long time.

Kendrick prefaced the listening saying that he wasn’t going to play the album in its entirety but he was going to just go with the vibe of the night. Artists like Ab-Soul, Pusha T, Bun B, Elle Varner, Nitty Scott and more were all invited guests of the TDE family to give it one of those old school album listening feels. The event was more of a party than a listening session, but the seven songs that were played were enough to wet the appetite of those anticipating K.Dot’s debut.

Hit the jump to get a preview of good kid, m.A.A.d. city,  which hits stores October 22nd. 
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Photo: Kazeem Famuyide

The Lady Gaga/Kendrick Lamar Collaboration

The highly anticipated collaboration from Kendrick Lamar and mega pop star, Lady Gaga, is far from her last collaboration with another Interscope rookie, Wale. This song is more of a Kendrick song than a Lady Gaga song, which should serve as a relief to those expecting another rendition of “Chillin.”

The song has a bluesy/jazz feel with some strong instrumentation from the unnamed producer on the record. The same voice altering feel that you get from the hook on “Cartoons and Cereal” is on this record with Gaga and K.Dot trading voices throughout the bridge and the hook. “I’m a sinner, I’m a sinner, please don’t kill my vibe” the two chant throughout the record.

Gaga also offers some mini-bars on the record but nothing to overtake the real star of the show, K. Dot. She is in more of a supporting role than a big feature and if you didn’t know better, you would barely notice her on the track.

Kendrick Lamar, Produced By Hit-Boy

Hit-Boy continues his incredible run of crafting smashed and landing on any anticipated record of 2012. K.Dot insisted on playing this record right after the highly touted record with Gaga, which is high praise. This is one of those records that speaks to Kendrick’s speech on the Ab-Soul outro on Section. 80, about speaking about money, hoes, clothes, God and history all in the same sentence.

This has that undeniable Hit-Boy bounce that is starting to be his calling card, while Kendrick weaves in religious references and unforgiving s**t talk in between each bar. “”Dear Lord, I wish my d**k could be as long as the Earth, so I can f**k the world for 72 hours,” Kendrick raps.

This is one of those records that will absolutely land Kendrick in the clubs.

The album is almost uncomfortably personal

As K.Dot explained in his latest interview with FUSE, this album is more than music to him. From the album cover to the lyrics, this album is so personal it is almost uncomfortable at times. From speaking on his uncle, who appears on the album’s cover, getting shot in the head; to Kendrick speaking about hypothetically murdering someone at the age of 16 years old. Kendrick speaks with such conviction and honesty throughout the record, it’s hard not to believe his horror stories of growing up in the place he loves, Compton.

The Kendrick Lamar/Drake/Janet Jackson Sampled record is a smash. 

Kendrick Lamar appeared on Drake’s Take Care, last year on the “Buried Alive” interlude, and Drake returns the favor on good kid, m.A.A.d. city. The Club Paradise tour mates trade bars on this record that features a sample from Janet Jackson. This song is allegedly called “Poetic Justice,” and sounds like it was produced by Noah “40” Shebib. Drake offers another solid verse and continues on his incredible run of features since he dropped Take Care. The song is a soulful smooth listen mixed in with some heavy drum bass throughout the song. This was a crowd favorite and was the last song played at the listening session.

The running theme of death

Kendrick Lamar almost has a Tupac-like obsession with death on some records on good kid, m.A.A.d. city. On one hook on an unnamed record, Kendrick spits “If Pirus and Crips ever got along, I probably would be dead by the end of this song.” Although that particular record is another upbeat record, it doesn’t take away from Kendrick’s lyrical ability.

Kendrick’s vocal ability makes him sound like three people on one record

There are many records on this album in which Kendrick changes voices seamlessly with a Busta Rhymes-like ability. Especially on the sixth record he played, in which he says “Either Halle Berry or Hallelujah” on the hook. That particular record is a bit more slowed down with a hint of screwed up inspiration on the song. Kendrick’s ability to change pitches might confuse the average listener on this record, but fans of K.Dot’s unique rhyming ability will be able to enjoy it.

Amazing Production

The takeaway from the single listening of this album is that the production is astounding on this album. The live instrumentation that made Section .80 such a favorite doesn’t go anywhere on good kid, m.A.A.d. city. One can only assume that Dr. Dre’s hands on approach to the album contributed heavily to the grand sound of the records Kendrick played. Aside from the songs aimed at the club, you can probably play these album instrumentals at a symphony hall, a hip symphony hall for young people, but a symphony hall nonetheless. Q-Tip, Dr. Dre, Just Blaze, Hit-Boy, and Soundwave were some of the confirmed producers from the tracks played last night.

Kendrick being driven by Jealousy

On one record, Kendrick speaks about being jealous of a kid named “Justin Young” out of his neighborhood of Compton. Young is a basketball player who makes it out of the hood and is afraid that he’ll be the last one to make it out of the hood before he does. “What up, What up, N***a you made it,” Kendrick raps on the hook. This song takes the classic Notorious B.I.G. lyric “either you slinging crack rock or got a wicked jumpshot” to the next level and applies it to this own personal experiences. The general message in this song is that making out of Compton was the goal by any means necessary.

In conclusion, fans of Section. 80 will be glad to know that the records that were played at this particular listening session were all personal. It didn’t matter if they had bounce to it, were smoothed out headphone friendly joints, or just an exercise in lyrical ability. Kendrick explained that this album haunted him and that he had to get out these demons for him to even continue with life.

Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d. city hits stores October 22nd.