Kendrick Lamar wants you to hop in the van. His major label debut, good kid, m.A.A.d city dropped and exploded onto the hip-hop scene last week, causing frenzy in the best way possible. Picture being able to listen, think and bop your head at the same time. Well, you can.
With this debut, Kendrick Lamar comes bearing a thank you gift to his fans just weeks after being awarded BET’s hip-hop Lyricist of the Year, beating out heavyweight contenders such as Kanye West, Jay-Z and Nas.
The album tracks are intertwined with skits narrated by Kendrick Lamar’s friends and parents. Kendrick Lamar has collectively referred to these skits as a “short film.” He plays the lead in this film and has borrowed his mom’s minivan, which is pictured on the album cover and decorated with several bullet holes.
He’s embarked on a joy ride into the streets of his hometown — the notoriously dangerous city of Compton, Calif.
Through the album’s tracks, Kendrick Lamar invites listeners into the backseat of the van and takes pit stops at some of the milestones of his childhood and adolescent life. The first stop, “Sherane aka Master Splinter’s Daughter,” depicts a 17-year-old Kendrick Lamar giving into his teenage hormones as he drives over to a girl’s house only to find he’s been set up for a robbery.
The next tracks follow with experiences with peer-pressure, memories of a home invasion he performed with said pressuring peers, and descriptions of various vices and abundant near-death altercations.
Talk about mastering the art of storytelling. Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city is complex yet comprehensible with blazing beats and brilliantly enticing lyrics. It’s everything Dr. Dre’s Detox is expected to be and more.
And one thing’s for sure — if you hop on this joy ride, you won’t want to get off.
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