Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City [LP] [Bonus Tracks]

by Kendrick Lamar

Overview

Hip-hop debuts don't come much more "highly anticipated" than Kendrick Lamar's. A series of killer mixtapes displayed his talent for thought-provoking street lyrics delivered with an attention-grabbing flow, and then there was his membership in the Black Hippy crew with his brethren Ab-Soul, Schoolboy Q, and Jay Rock all issuing solo releases that pleased the "true hip-hop" set, setting the stage for a massive fourth and final. Top it off with a pre-release XXL Magazine cover that he shared with his label boss and all-around legend Dr. Dre, and the "biggest debut since Illmatic" stuff starts to flow, but Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City would be a milestone even without the back-story, offering cool and compelling lyrics, great guests (Drake, Dr. Dre, and MC Eiht) and attractive production (from Pharrell, Just Blaze, Tabu, and others). Here, Kendrick is living his life like status and cash were extra credit. It is what makes this kid so "good" as he navigates his "mad" city (Compton) with experience and wisdom beyond his years (25). He's shamelessly bold about the allure of the trap, contrasting the sickness of his city with the universal feeling of getting homesick, and carrying a Springsteen-sized love for the home team. Course, in his gang-ruled city, N.W.A. was the home team, but as the truly beautiful, steeped-in-soul, biographic key track "The Art of Peer Pressure" finds a reluctant young Kendrick and his friends feeding off the life-force of Young Jeezy's debut album, it's something Clash, Public Enemy, and all other rebel music fans can relate to. Still, when he realizes that hero Jeezy must have risen above the game -- because the real playas are damned and never show their faces -- it spawns a kind of elevated gangsta rap that's as pimp-connectable as the most vicious Eazy-E, and yet poignant enough to blow the dust off any cracked soul. Equally heavy is the cautionary tale of drank dubbed "Swimming Pools," yet that highlight is as hooky and hallucinatory as most Houston drank anthems, and breaks off into one of the chilling, cassette-quality interludes that connect the album, adding to the documentary or eavesdropping quality of it all. Soul children will experience deja vu when "Poetic Justice" slides by with its Janet Jackson sample -- sounding like it came off his Aunt's VHS copy of the movie it's named after -- while the closing "Compton" is an anthem sure to make the Game jealous, featuring Dre in beast mode, acting pre-Chronic and pre-Death Row. This journey through the concrete jungle of Compton is worth taking because of the artistic richness within, plus the attraction of a whip-smart rapper flying high during his rookie season. Any hesitation about the horror of it all is quickly wiped away by Kendrick's mix of true talk, open heart, open mind, and extended hand. Add it all up and even without the hype, this one is still potent and smart enough to rise to the top of the pile. ~ David Jeffries

Product Details

Release Date:	10/22/2012
Label:	Polydor
UPC:	0602537192267
Rank:	1239

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Sherane aka Master Splinter's Daughter
2. Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe
3. Backseat Freestyle
4. The Art of Peer Pressure
5. Swimming Pools (Drank)
6. Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst
7. Real

Disc 2

8. Money Trees
9. Poetic Justice
10. Good Kid
11. m.A.A.d city
12. Compton
13. The Recipe
14. Black Boy Fly
15. Now or Never

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Kendrick Lamar   Primary Artist,Lead Vocals
MC Eiht   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Jay-Z   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Mary J. Blige   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Dr. Dre   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Jay Rock   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Drake   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Charly   Primary Artist
Margaux   Primary Artist,Strings
Anna Wise   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
Chad Hugo   Vocals
Marlon Williams   Guitar,Guitar (Bass),Guitar,Guitar (Bass)
Eric Hudson   Keyboards
Sly "Pyper" Jordan   Vocals
Andre Brissett   Keyboards
Mary Keating   Violin
J. V. Gonzalez Valle   Guitar
Andrew Clifton   Keyboards
ScHoolboy Q   Handwriting
JMSN   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Camille "Ill Camille" Davis   Vocals
Gabriel Stevenson   Piano
Marcy Keating   Violin
Travor Lawrence   Drums
Gabby Jayne   Vocals
Chalry   Strings
Demonterious Lawrence   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Charly And Margaux   Strings
Josh Valle   Guitar

Technical Credits

Tabu   Producer
Andre Young   Composer
P. Williams   Composer
Justin Smith   Composer,Composer
Terry Lewis   Composer
Charles Richard Cason   Composer
Janet Jackson   Composer
Marilyn Bergman   Composer
Pharrell Williams   Composer,Producer
Just Blaze   Producer
Quincy Jones   Composer
Scoop DeVille   Producer
Jack Splash   Arranger,Composer,Engineer,Producer
Jazmine Sullivan   Composer
Brian "Big Bass" Gardner   Mastering
Alan Bergman   Composer
James Hunt   Engineer
James Harris III   Composer
E. Molina   Composer
G. Stevenson   Composer
Dr. Dre   Mixing,Mixing Engineer,Executive Producer
S. Jordan   Composer
Victoria Legrand   Composer
Jared Scott   Engineer
Aubrey Graham   Composer
Dawaun Parker   Composer,Producer
C. Whitacre   Composer
Bergman   Composer
Mauricio Iragorri   Engineer
Aaron Tyler   Composer
Shawn Carter   Composer
Justin Henderson   Composer,Composer
Dan Monick   Photography
Willie Long   Grooming
Axel Morgan   Composer
Margaux   String Arrangements,String Arrangements
DJ Mormile   A&R
LeGrand   Composer
Tha Bizness   Producer
Manny Smith   A&R
Mike Bozzi   Mastering
Morgan Nicholls   Composer
Charly   String Arrangements
J Smith   Composer
Larry Chatman   Production Coordination
Kirdis Postelle   Associate Producer
Andrew Van Meter   Production Coordination
Anthony "TOPDAWG" Tiffith   Executive Producer
Hit-Boy   Producer
Alex Legrand   Composer
Robin Hannibal   Composer
R. Riera   Composer
Alex Scally   Composer
Like   Producer,Producer
Don Robinson   Marketing
A. Hernandez   Composer
Robert Reyes   Assistant
Mike Larson   Engineer
T-Minus   Producer
Dee Brown   Engineer
Christopher Whitacre   Composer
Terrace Martin   Composer,Producer,Additional Production
Elijah Molina   Composer
Jonas Vestergaard   Composer
Rune Rask   Composer
Sly Jordan   Composer
Rahki   Producer
Chris Whitacre   Composer
Johnny McKenzie   Composer
DJ Dahi   Producer
Ray Alba   Publicity
Archie Davis   Marketing
Tyler Williams   Composer
Quentin Gilkey   Assistant
Drew Adams   Assistant
Skhye Hutch   Producer
Derrick Hutchins Jr.   Composer
Derek "MixedByAli" Ali   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Kendrick Lamar   Composer,Art Direction
Dave Free   Management,Coordination,Associate Producer
Sounwave   Producer,Additional Production
Johnny McKinzie   Composer
Kendrick Duckworth   Composer
Terrence Henderson   Associate Producer
Udbhav Gupta   Composer
Bryan Ujueta   Composer
Eric Cardona   Composer
Gabe D'Amico   Composer
Chauncey Hollis   Composer
Ricci Riera   Composer
Robin Braun   Composer
Dev Gupta   Composer
Nikhil Seetharam   Composer
Ashley Palmer   Coordination
Barry Williams   Marketing
Dwane LaFleur   Photo Courtesy
Gabriel Stevenson   Composer
Kitti Fontaine   Stylist
Lykke Schmift   Composer
Paula Oliver   Photo Courtesy
Vindahl Friis   Composer
Liv Lykke Schmidt   Composer
Victoria Garance   Composer
Chalry   String Arrangements
A. Morgan   Composer
Dacoury Natche   Composer
Mark Spears   Composer
Charly And Margaux   String Arrangements
Q Jones   Composer
Andrea Estella Hernandez   Composer
Columbus Smith   Composer
Charles Smith   Composer
Alixe Legrand   Composer