Good Kid, M.A.A.D City by Kendrick Lamar
Beats so laid-back, La-Z-Boy wants all but the Compton rights
My first impression of this album was a bit worrying. By midway through the second song I was impatient and tempted to save Good Kid, M.A.A.D City for another time. Even though the spoken dialogue interludes were insightful enough to remain interesting and the lyrics held enough weight to tease a great story, the downbeat grooves and atmospheric overlays were almost too laid back to handle. I gave it a few more minutes, and something about Backstreet Freestyle gave the entire flow the reinvigoration it so desperately needed — from that point on, the entire record had a drive that made the tracks smoothly slip by. It was still not fast and still very ambient, but the backing tracks and Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics built a pace that stuck all throughout. More hard-hitting tracks like M.A.A.D City and Compton near the latter half of the track list were still very much appreciated, but at least the tempo of all the rest was bearable.
After a little while, the realization hit that this was old-school hip-hop that I was listening to — even though the album was released in 2012, Kendrick Lamar nailed the feel of West Coast classics (I figure this is why I initially found it boring). The mood of the album itself, initially built up by Lamar’s lyrics, is also backed by the aforementioned interludes. Almost every song has a snippet of old voicemails or chats with the crew (shit I sound white), but they feel legitimate and authentic and add to the old-school feel. The loose storyline following Kendrick’s upbringing in the streets of Compton is tied with intense and real injections of situations like robberies, drive-bys, finding Jesus, and failing to pick up Domino’s — accompanied with subtle-yet-demanding commentaries on the dichotomy of a decent guy finding himself running around a crazy town full of stereotypes and profiling.
In the end this record legitimately made me feel sympathetic for the characters and their situations, even if only described by brief audio cues riddled with redacted names and locations. But it also felt empowering and fulfilling, especially with tracks like Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst and Real laying down the truths of Lemar’s realities and how he can, and is currently, moving past them. The slow build-up can be forgiven by how real the album gets, and I think that speaks for itself.
Verdict: If I were to go back in time, I’d tell my past self to listen to this album late at night or while out for a jog. Being a captive audience really helps you absorb these tunes, and while I wouldn’t say listen to it right away, Good Kid M.A.A.D City is definitely one not to miss.
