good kid, m.A.A.d city

I mean 4 me....

       This was probably the most anticipated debut album, or actually the most anticipated Hip-Hop album this year period.  And honestly it's arguably the most waited on debut album since Nas' Illmatic...in some opinions.  So with all the excitement that has surrounded this album and all the hype or (depending who you ask) expectation encircling Kendrick Lamar's name, the pressure to create a masterful work of Hip-Hop art was seemingly unmatchable.  However...Kendrick Lamar is the truth.

    For those who still don't know who he is or believe that it's just hype, this is the same guy that just earlier this month beat out J. Cole, Kanye West, Nas AND Jay-Z for lyricist of the year. I mean really? Who does that or could do that besides Lupe Fiasco, Eminem or Andre 3000? Kendrick Lamar could and did, that's who!  If you feel that it was a fluke or that someone was cheated go listen to Section .80 which might be the most overlooked album of 2011. 

...Ok so I thought I would be able to articulate how masterfully Kendrick Lamar lyrically wrote this "good kid, m.A.A.d city" story. I can't. I can't verbally, whether it be written or orally, explain to you how incredibly vivid, cohesive, well put together and simply amazing this album is lyrically, conceptually and production-wise.  The best way to describe it is to say that it's the closest thing my generation (90s babies) will get to experiencing first hand what it was like when Nas' Illmatic dropped. Or when Jay-Z debuted with Reasonable doubt and Notorious B.I.G. took over the game with Ready To Die.  I was between the ages of 4-6 when any of those albums came out so I wasn't able to feel the buzz that what are now considered classic albums created. I wouldn't be able to talk to someone 10-15 years older than me about what it's like to go to the store and buy Illmatic, unwrap it, and put the tape or disc in the car and just listen to it all the way through. I could only say how I feel now after I've downloaded it and listened to it's greatness.  However, because of this Kendrick Lamar album, I know that feeling. I can now converse with someone about buying that "classic" album before it's officially crowned. I can say I knew, before it is known.  

I don't know what to tell you. I don't want to describe any of the songs cause I would surely understate them.  All I know to say is go out and buy the album. If you've never gone out to buy an album, this is the one to get. Trust me. Mark my words, good kid, m.A.A.d city will be a classic album. It will be mentioned with albums like The Chronic, The Blueprint, Only Built For Cubin Links, Illmatic, Radio, The Low End Theory and or Paid in Full. There's honestly nothing negative about the album outside of the Bonus Tracks..and those are Bonus Tracks so I never really hold those against an artist who had enough wisdom to set them aside as bonus tracks.

Get the album. Kendrick Lamar is Hip-Hop's future. Will you let it die?

Rating... 9/10 <---- I boldly stand by that rating.

Cole World: The Sideline Story

I mean for me...

J. Cole's debut album "Cole World: The Sideline Story" is the second best Hip-Hop album of 2011 (and there haven't been a lot of HIP-HOP albums put out lately...some urban/rap albums, but not Hip-Hop). The best album of course was Watch The Throne.

Listening to the album, you would never know that this was Cole's debut album. I don't know to explain it, but newer rappers sometimes sound bright-eyed and excited when they rap. It's like they're trying too hard to sound good. For example, listen to DJ Unk's Walk It Out Remix. When Unk started rapping, you could tell that he was happy and excited about the success of the song (which isn't a bad thing), but when Andre 3000 spit his verse, it sounded like we was just chillin' and vibin' out cause it's nothin' to him. A lot of veteran rappers have that, "I've been doin' this for a minute so what I gotta prove? I can just relax on the track" type sound when they rap. You notice it more when they're featured on a new artists' song, which contrasts the rookie rapper's over zealous flow.

I said all of that just to say that J. Cole sounds almost like a veteran rapper. The choices he made for his album showed a different level of maturity than most new rappers. And I mean new as in having only one album.

One decision he made was to only have 4 features on the album. Generally, rappers like to have a lot of guest features on their album. Depending on the artist, it's to add desire for the record because of who's on the album, or because the artist isn't good enough to do an entire song or album themselves...at least that's how I feel. On the other side of things, sometimes newer artists can't get a lot of features either because they can't afford the guests or they're not drawing enough credibility to their work for another artist to get on.

However in this case, J. Cole had a big enough following to get "big name" features. And I wouldn't be surprised if he could afford a couple artists here or there, especially through the label. But he chose not to. Cole did the album basically himself. Every verse on the album was spat by him except the verse by Jay-Z on Mr. Nice Watch & Drake on In The Morning. We first heard In The Morning on Cole's award winning mixtape Friday Night Lights. It was easily the most popular song on the mixtape with the masses so there's no surprise that it made it to the album. And the verse by Jay was almost a given. I mean Jay-Z is J. Cole's boss, mentor, and he's just Jay-Z. I mean NOBODY in their right mind turns down a Jay-Z verse. I'm just sayin', whether you ask Jay or especially if the offers, you don't turn it down. So I feel like those two verse features were totally acceptable, weren't overkill, and didn't take away from his talent. He also featured Trey Songz on the hook of his lead single Can't Get Enough. I feel like this was a smart choice because he needed a radio single that wouldn't detract from his style of music and Trey Songz has enough mainstream appeal to draw more fans in without being too cliche or seeming desperate by bringing someone in like a Chris Brown or Justin Beiber. The only other feature was Missy Elliot on his song Nobody's Perfect. She sang the hook perfectly. Their chemistry was perfect. It's true that Nobody's Perfect, but that song almost is.

Another genius decision that J. Cole made, and possibly the best choice he made was to basically produce the album himself, with No I.D. It just gives the album a connected and congealed feel. It made every song seem together while still being it's own song. The sign of a great, or classic album is the ability to listen to the album straight through without skipping any songs. You can do that with this album. Sometimes using only one or two producers can hinder the album by giving it a monotone feel (Thank Me Later). At the same time, using a different producer for every other song makes the album disjointed. It might give you seven or eight good songs, but it also can give you a cluttered album. The combination of J. Cole & No I.D. is just awesome. Although production isn't as epic or complex as Watch the Throne's, it gives a more classic hip-hop type vibe. They did an excellent job of giving each song it's own identity without giving any polar opposite dynamics in the beats like other albums do sometimes.

And just in case you didn't know, J. Cole is a lyrical BEAST! Subject matter, he's comparable to Nas. Wordplay, he's comparable to Lupe Fiasco. This guy is just good. I honestly don't know how to describe or explain to you that Cole is gonna be a problem for these other rappers in a couple years. I've been tryin' to tell people he's like the LeBron James of the rap game because of the potential that he has. He possibly could be mentioned with the greats in the future if he progresses.

That's basically all I can say right now about the album. I know the review is kind of late...but better late than never. The album is awesome. Easily a 4/5...to me.