| good kid, m.A.A.d city | |
|---|---|
 Studio album by Kendrick Lamar | |
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Released |
22 October 2012 |
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Recorded |
2011-2012 at At My Mama's House Studio (Los Angeles, California), Encore Studios (Burbank, California), PatchWerk Recording Studios (Atlanta, Georgia) and TDE Red Room (Carson, California) |
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Genre |
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Length |
68:16 |
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Label |
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Producer |
Tha Bizness, Dr. Dre (exec.), DJ Dahi, Hit-Boy, Just Blaze, Like, Terrace Martin, Scoop DeVille, Skyhe Hutch, Sounwave, T-Minus, Tabu, THC, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith (exec.), Pharrell Williams |
| Kendrick Lamar chronology | |
|---|---|
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Previous |
Section.80 (2011) |
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Next |
To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) |
good kid, m.A.A.d city is the second studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, released in 2012 on Top Dawg Entertainment and Aftermath Entertainment and distributed by Interscope Records. The album serves as Lamar's major label debut, after his signing to Aftermath and Interscope in early 2012. Billed as "a short film by Kendrick Lamar" on the album cover, the concept album follows the story of Lamar's teenage experiences in the drug-infested streets and gang lifestyle of his native California, Compton. The album is pieced together by several skits that deal with Lamar's experiences over the course of a day, presented in a non-chronological order with the story beginning with Lamar taking his parents' van on the album closer "Compton".
It was recorded mostly at studios in California with producers such as Dr. Dre, Just Blaze, Pharrell Williams, Hit-Boy, Scoop DeVille, and T-Minus, among others. The album's release was supported by five singles - "The Recipe" featuring Dr. Dre, "Swimming Pools (Drank)", "Backseat Freestyle", "Poetic Justice" featuring Drake, and a remix of "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" featuring Jay-Z. All five singles received varied chart success. Lamar went on a world tour between May and August 2013, which also featured Lamar's fellow members of Black Hippy.
Upon its release, good kid, m.A.A.d city received rave reviews from music critics, who praised its thematic scope and Lamar's lyrics. It earned Lamar four Grammy Award nominations at the 56th Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 242,000 copies in its first week - earning the highest first-week hip hop album sales of 2012 from a male artist, along with the best-selling debut from a male artist of the year. It has been certified platinum by the RIAA and has sold 1,226,000 copies as of March 2014.
Legacy[]
Rolling Stone ranked good kid, m.A.A.d city at #115 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2020.[1]
Track listing[]
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sherane a.k.a. Master Splinter's Daughter" | Kendrick Lamar | Duckworth, Henderson, Whitacre | Tha Bizness | 4:33 |
| 2. | "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" | Kendrick Lamar | Braun, Duckworth, Lykke, Spears, Vindahl | Sounwave | 5:10 |
| 3. | "Backseat Freestyle" | Kendrick Lamar | Duckworth, Hollis | Hit-Boy | 3:32 |
| 4. | "The Art of Peer Pressure" | Kendrick Lamar | Duckworth, Rask, Vesetergaard | Tabu | 5:24 |
| 5. | "Money Trees" | Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock | Duckworth, Garance, Legrand, McKinzie, Natche, Scally | DJ Dahi | 6:26 |
| 6. | "Poetic Justice" | Kendrick Lamar, Drake | Duckworth, Graham, Harris, Jackson, Lewis, Molina | Scoop DeVille | 5:00 |
| 7. | "good kid" | Kendrick Lamar | Duckworth, Williams | Pharrell Williams | 3:34 |
| 8. | "m.A.A.d city" | Kendrick Lamar, MC Eiht | Duckworth, Morgan, Riera, Spears, Tyler | THC, Sounwave, Terrace Martin (add.) | 5:50 |
| 9. | "Swimming Pools (Drank) [Extended Version]" | Kendrick Lamar | Duckworth, Williams | T-Minus | 5:13 |
| 10. | "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst" | Kendrick Lamar | Bergman, Bergman, Duckworth, Hutchins, Jones, Stevenson | Like, Skhye Hutch, Sounwave (add.) | 12:04 |
| 11. | "Real" | Kendrick Lamar, Anna Wise | Duckworth, Martin | Terrace Martin | 7:23 |
| 12. | "Compton" | Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre | Cason, Duckworth, Jordan, Smith | Just Blaze | 4:08 |
Notes
- Track 1 features live bass guitar performed by Demonterious Lawrence.
- Track 2 features guitar performed by J. Valle and Marlon Williams, live string arrangement composed and performed by Charly and Margaux, additional violin performed by Mary Keating, background vocals performed by Anna Wise, and additional vocals performed by JMSN.
- Track 5 features background vocals performed by Anna Wise.
- Track 7 features additional vocals performed by Chad Hugo.
- Track 8 features violin performed by Mary Keating, and guitar performed by Marlon Williams.
- Track 10 features piano performed by Gabriel Stevenson, violin performed by Mary Keating, and additional vocals performed by JMSN, Anna Wise and Camille "ill Camille" Davis.
- Track 11 features guitar performed by Marlon Williams, violin performed by Mary Keating, background vocals performed by JMSN, and additional vocals performed by Anna Wise.
Credits[]
- Recorded by: Dee Brown (track 1), Derek "MixedByAli" Ali (track 1-12), James Hunt (track 8, 11), Mauricio "Veto" Iragorri (track 12)
- Mixed by: Dr. Dre (track 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12), Derek "MixedByAli" Ali (track 1-11)
- Mastered by: Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, Mike Bozzi
- Art Direction: Kendrick Lamar
- Design: Invisible Creature, Inc.
- Handwriting on Cover: ScHoolboy Q
- Photography: Dan Monick
- Photography (additional): Paula Oliver, Dwayne LaFleur
- Album coordination: Punch, Dave Free
- Stylist: Kitti Fontaine
- Grooming: Willie Long
Album liner notes[]
Thank You God and Family.
References[]
- ↑ Rolling Stone (September 22, 2020). "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".