Kendrick Lamar - good kid m.A.A.d city
TDE/Aftermath/Interscope
October 22nd, 2012.
good kid m.A.A.d city saw the stardom which waited around the corner for Kendrick Lamar earned through a piece of genuine artistry - you could call it a once in a lifetime album, but Kendrick would go on to do it throughout his 2010's run, and beyond. Kendrick Lamar, along with the TDE family, set foot on hallowed ground.
Kendrick's ascent into orbit really took off with the release of good kid, m.A.A.d city. Section 80. furthered the potential sensed on the Overly Dedicated project, however it refrained from anything in the vicinity of Swimming Pools, Poetic Justice or Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe - radio mega hits, star status. Kendrick Lamar's second studio album set the standard for what may just be the 2010's defining artist/creator/entity. The buzz surrounding Kendrick around this time was nothing short of other-worldly, and in retrospect, all valid.
Story-telling is an art - it's what pieces our existence, and species, together. One thing leads to the next. Everything has an equal and opposite reaction. We are all victims or our decisions. Death and re-birth occur at any given moment - the ouroboros remains in infinite cycle. That leads to this. The past is the present is the future. Pulled by a thread, existence tethers us to one another. Our minds all pull from the same pit. Perspective gives our thoughts nuance. A game of angles, intuition sees what the senses can't. Kendrick Lamar's story telling sense tingles at the sight of a studio - his grip on the game tightened through vivid images of street life and the ways and woes that come and go with said life.
Anyone who ascends to the top will realize that the spot is open to pretty much anybody; anyone can get it, the difficulties arise in keeping it. Building a cohesive project - artwork, vision, sound, story, concept - in the same vein, quality-wise, as GKMC is a tough, you could say a once in a lifetime, task. You know you're on the right path when your material catches ears and minds at the time of release - although not necessary - and subsequent years show that the reach of influence has only extended and strengthened. Respect from your audience is one thing, respect from your peers and people you look up to is another.
The one in front of the gun lives forever.
