Kendrick Lamar is a rapper, songwriter and poet and released the best album of the 2010’s. “good kid, m.A.A.d city” is a hip-hop album released on January 1, 2012, by Lamar. Most people think that “To Pimp A Butterfly” (2015) is his greatest album, but I believe it’s “good kid, m.A.A.d city.”

This album is his best because of his storytelling ability. Lamar can create a clear image of the things he describes in every song, although the story just follows a day in the life of the rapper. Some of the most descriptive songs on this album are: “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst,” “The Art of Peer Pressure,” and “Sherane a.k.a Master Splinter’s Daughter.”

The themes in this album are represented very clearly. This covers topics like love, lust, loyalty, anger, fear, spirituality, gang violence, teenage innocence, racial profiling, self-awareness and hope. Another main theme is teenage innocence, which is present in songs like, “The Art of Peer Pressure” and “good kid.”

This album is also very well-produced with famous producers like Dr. Dre, Pharrell Williams, Hit-Boy, T-Minus, and Scoop DeVille. Almost every song has an amazing beat that stands out. Some of the best produced tracks on this album in my opinion are “B****, Don’t Kill My Vibe,” “Backseat Freestyle,” “Money Trees,” “Poetic Justice,” “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst,” and “m.A.A.d city.”

The lyrics and overall performance by Lamar is spectacular. The amount of clever bars and catchy verses/hooks never seem to run out in this album. The songs with the best lyrics on this album include “Backseat Freestyle,” “Money Trees,” “Poetic Justice,” “Swimming Pools (Drank),” and “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst.”

One negative thing about this album is the deluxe version. While some of the added songs are really good, some of them are just boring. Songs like “Black Boy Fly” and “Now Or Never” either are slow or they don’t seem to fit in with the feel of “good kid, m.A.A.d city.”

Another bad thing about this album is that it’s not as influential as I think it should be. Don’t get me wrong, when it was released, everybody loved it. But after the release of “To Pimp A Butterfly,” everyone loved that album much more and looked to it as a staple of hip-hop. Again, don’t get me wrong, I love that album, but I just don’t think it’s as good as “good kid, m.A.A.d city” and I think his earlier work deserves more praise.

I highly recommend “good kid, m.A.A.d city” by Kendrick Lamar to anyone that is into hip-hop or anyone that just listens to any music on a regular basis. This album has a lot of re-playability and adding it to your Spotify or AppleMusic playlist will heighten your listening experience.