Intro

          “good kid m.A.A.d city” is a story of Kendrick Lamar's upbringing and relationships with himself, women, God, and alcohol. The album explores many subjects like the true power of money and the importance of self-love.

Sherane A.K.A. Master Splinter's Daughter

          “Sherane” opens the album with a prayer from a young man asking for forgiveness. He repents his sins and thanks god for everything he has done for him. After the prayer, a beautiful atmospheric melody plays with soothing vocals in the background that have heavy reverb. Soon a funky bassline comes in and plays very well countering the melody. When the beat drops, heavy kicks and strange snares fill your ears and then Kendrick finally speaks with his unique voice talking from his perspective at 17.This perspective makes the track pretty relatable when he talks about his relationship with Sherane, his crush. The relationship between the two is fascinating because Kendrick wants her so bad but Sherane’s cousins are gang affiliated making it very perilous for him to proceed. Kendrick ends up going to Sherane’s house with his mom’s car and sees Sherane’s cousins waiting for him. The track abruptly stops after that and Kendrick gets a call from his mom. The phone call is the most humorous part of the track because it sounds exactly what my mom would say, making me laugh every time I hear it. After his mom scolds him for taking her car, she yells at Kendrick’s dad in the background who tells her she is killing his vibe. 

Don't Kill My Vibe

          The song begins with a smooth transition from the previous skit, making the album seem so cohesive. Kendrick sings a beautiful chorus layering his vocals with a female’s, making you want to sing the entire song. The chorus brings in the repeating subject of repenting sins showing that Kendrick has a regretful past. A big reason why I love listening to a Kendrick album is because of his strangely high-pitched voice bringing a powerful yet happy tone to most of his songs. “Don’t Kill My Vibe”, thankfully brings the attractiveness of his voice to the center of the stage. 

Backseat Freestyle

          The ending of “Don’t Kill My Vibe” introduces this song by Kendrick’s friend telling him to freestyle on his beats. Kendrick attacks the subject of  a “Backseat Freestyle” cleverly by putting vocal samples all over the song making it seem like you are with Kendrick while he is rapping. The beat to the song is very dark with eerie sirens and high pitch bells giving Kendrick’s voice a lot of room to shine which I love. Kendrick doesn’t bring his usual in-depth bars with double entendres every other line. I appreciate this a lot because I don’t want a serious rap song all the time. I want a fun and exciting track giving me and my mind a break from such significant topics.

Money Trees ft. Jay Rock

          “Money Trees” is one of the lower points on the album. Kendrick unfortunately doesn’t bring anything new to the track. In fact, the feature, Jay Rock, outshines Kendrick which is very rare. Usually Kendrick is the one outshining people. He has done so with  Kanye, Drake, and J. Cole. They are all obviously great rappers but they seem like candles in the sun compared to Kendrick. In “Money Trees” though, Kendrick doesn't seem like himself. The song is very repetitive and boring. The feature is the only reason this song is bearable.

Good Kid

          “Good Kid” has an uncredited Pharrell Williams featured on the track. Pharrell sings the hook with a soft and soothing tone. Kendrick speaks on inner-city kids trying to do their best when everything and everyone is against them. “Good Kid” has very obvious and overused topics. The difference is, that Kendrick goes more in-depth with the topics and that's what makes this track better than any other generic rap song!  Even though Kendrick is talking about inner-city kids the track is surprisingly relatable. Kendrick has a few great punchlines on this song making it a great listening experience.

m.A.A.d city

          “m.A.A.d city” is one of the most influential and noteworthy tracks by Kendrick Lamar. Lamar focuses on himself in this song stating many of his personal struggles. This track shows more of an angry Kendrick than an intelligent Kendrick. The first half of the song is just violence, violence, violence, and then the beat switches. The whole atmosphere of the song shifts. From modern rap, to 90’s Boom Bap. From random attacks of violence, to all out premeditated murder. Kendrick literally kills the beat! Kendrick's voice changes from a profound  dark voice, to a high-pitched sinister one. Almost everyone I know loves it because of how unapologetically violent it is. I agree with them, this is an amazing track, but honestly it is too violent for me. The main reason I love this song is because of the feeling I got when I listened to it the first time. The first listen of this song can never be beaten.

Sing About Me

          "Sing About Me” brings back the subject of repenting and losing faith. Kendrick really proves himself on this track with his extensive storytelling. Instead of looking at the story from a bird’s eye view, he makes his point of view as the victim. The victim in the story Kendrick tells, is that of a young woman “damaged by the system”. He tells the story with vivid imagery and satirical lines showing the woman was brainwashed into selling herself. Kendrick shows the dark-side of Hip-Hop in this story which I think is much needed because many people only see the bright side. Many people only see the fame, money, and materials. Those same people don’t see the women, kids, and young men negatively affected.

Real ft. Anna Wise

          “Real” is probably one the most memorable and relatable track I have ever heard. It honestly carries much of the album. A big reason I love this song so much is because Kendrick cleverly breaks the song up into three separate verses. The first verse is about women, the second is about men, and the last is about himself. Though the song is broken into thirds, each verse shares characteristics showing the subject of unity and the insane intelligence of Kendrick Lamar. Anna Wise sings the brilliant and catchy chorus of this song, making it impossible not to get stuck in your head. Kendrick talks about the importance of self love and how it is possible to love somebody when you don't even love yourself. Because of this relevant topic it creates treasured lines like “You love so much, You love when love hurts.” This by far, is one of my favorite Kendrick songs of all time.

Compton ft. Dr. Dre

          “Compton” is one of the greatest finales in West Coast Hip-Hop. Kendrick doesn't worry about the story of the album on this song because in his mind the album already ended, he wants to thank his city for the opportunities he has gotten and take a victory lap with them. With live drums, synths, and vocoders, the West Coast Hip Hop instrumental suits the title of the track well. Dr. Dre brings his usual hard-hitting lines and he obviously is a very substantial representation of Compton. “Compton” is an all-around great track ending the album well with a quick and happy thank you to all of Kendrick’s supporters.

Conclusion