good kid, m.A.A.d city (Black Vinyl)

Description

Kendrick Lamar’s goodkid, m.A.A.d city is fearless and brilliant, an unvarnished and nuanced peek into the rapper’s inner life that ties straightforward rap thrills directly to its narrative.

The first sound we hear on good kid, m.A.A.d. city is a prayer: “Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving us with your precious blood,” voices murmur, evoking a family dinner gathering. The album’s cover art, a grubby Polaroid, provides a visual prompt for the scene: Baby Kendrick dangles off an uncle’s knee in front of a squat kitchen table displaying a 40-ounce and Lamar’s baby bottle. The snapshot is such an unvarnished peek into the rapper’s inner life that staring at it for too long feels almost invasive. This autobiographical intensity is the album’s calling card. Listening to it feels like walking directly into Lamar’s childhood home and, for the next hour, growing up alongside him.

Pitchfork
good kid, m.A.A.d city Review