The praise for GKMC was unanimous, with many hailing it as the finest Rap album in a generation. Instead, it was addended as a bonus track. city‘s only true radio single, did not make the final cut for the album. Notably, “The Recipe,” the good kid, m.A.A.d. Rather than the customary 3 minutes allotted for radio songs, the records on the album averaged well over 5 minutes, with “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst” clocking in at a whopping 12 minutes, with its accompanying skit. The songs on GKMC were sonically and thematically complex, and sprawling. The narrative was inter-dependent on both the music and the numerous skits in between songs, as its subject matter ranged from the typical cravings of an adolescent boy to the types of traumatic events typically reserved for war torn soldiers (and many inner city youths). Part Boyz N The Hood and part Menace II Society, the album was Kendrick’s coming of age story and invited the world in to see how he survived the mean streets of Compton. city defied all convention and demanded to be heard in its entirety, from beginning to end. The focus, for most artists, was on making huge hit songs, instead of cohesive bodies of work. Even before streaming had revolutionized the music industry–literally redefining how “album” consumption was calculated–iTunes had already made it a singles business.
When the album officially arrived, after a leak days earlier, it didn’t just exceed expectations, it obliterated them. The song received airplay, but was built to move minds, not bodies. As has become the case in much of Kendrick’s catalog over the years, with its dark chords and even darker themes, “Swimming Pools” was about art, not commerce. While the single was received well enough, it was with the release of “Swimming Pools (Drank)” at the end of July that the fervor for the album shifted into overdrive. “The Recipe,” felt very much like the Cali connection it represented, but, with its polish and Dre’s presence, it was not what longtime Kendrick fans anticipated. With that pairing, the stage was set and the anticipation was high for the release of GKMC.ĭespite the high expectations, or perhaps because of them, when the first taste of Kendrick and Dre’s union surfaced in April of 2012, it was a slow burn. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment, joining one of the most promising voices to ever come out of that oasis of Hip-Hop with its most decorated veteran ever. city, Kendrick had signed a deal with fellow Compton native Dr. Still, in the year between the release of Section.80 and good kid, m.A.A.d. Even before that, Kendrick had shown he was a force with which to be reckoned on projects like the Kendrick Lamar EP and Overly Dedicated mixtape, as well as on standout guest verses on songs by TDE flagship artist, Jay Rock, and others. That distinction belonged to Section.80, the 2011 masterpiece released independently through Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), Kendrick’s label home since the beginning.
For those who were already familiar with Kendrick Lamar in 2012, good kid, m.A.A.d.
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