He also put out a fourth mix tape, Overly Dedicated. In 2010 Lamar dropped the K-Dot tag and began using his own name. Lamar and these other performers eventually formed their own rap collective, Black Hippy. He went on to release two other acclaimed mix tapes, Training Day (2005) and C4 (2009), steadily working with other up-and-coming West Coast rappers like Jay Rock, Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q. The project was enough to get Lamar a record deal with Top Dawg Entertainment, a respected California independent label and feeder to major labels. At age 16, in 2003, he circulated a mix tape called Youngest Head Nigga in Charge, which drew a lot of interest in his native Southern California and beyond. He adopted the moniker K-Dot and began performing his lyrics as a rapper. Maybe not as well defined as his last one, but equally ambitious, and with this album his discography one of the most acclaimed and well received by any musician, ever in history.Lamar's family was directly touched by the violence of the streets, yet he remained thoughtful and soft-spoken, ever the keen observer, even as a child.
This is more remarkable in the song GOD., probably the only low point I've found. However, some of the more commercial appealing songs like LOYALTY or LOVE feel kinda out of place, maybe for their position in the tracklist, or like if Kendrick was not really convinced of which direction this project would take in terms of sound. It lacks the cohesion that had TPAB but as a result the album shows a great variety of moods. Kendrick's lyrics, different voices and flows remain as good as ever. offers a more accessible and easier listen to his music. Despite not having TPAB's unique sound or not being as fresh sonically as GKMC when it came out in 2012, DAMN. Despite not having TPAB's unique sound or not being as fresh sonically as GKMC when it came out in Kendrick offers another fantastic album. It's not the best he's done, but a very close match. Overall, this album is definitely a masterpiece, disregarding the good, yet not perfect production, which is why I have rounded its score to a perfect 10. The production is great, as always, though its production is flawed by certain instrumentals that feel compensated for something more raw and cutting edge. In a brief summarization, this album shows Kendrick Lamar overcoming his weaknesses, surviving the figurative gunshot the blind women has given him, and surviving the possible fate of dying in a gunfight, as referred to in DUCKWORTH., given the TDE record labels creator is sent to jail for life (charged for the murder of Kendrick's own father.) The album really challenges this idea of "what if?" The album, played backwards, polarizes Kendrick's fate when played initially, and shows him submitting to a life of cruelty, agressiveness, and crime, dying to the gunshoit wound we were referred to in the beginning of the album when played in its original order.
To my knowledge this has NEVER been done before in the lifetime of hip-hop.
This album continuously foreshadows this great twist, and in the last song, and probably my favorite track of the beautiful collection, DUCKWORTH., the narrator, Kid Cupri, who has set the tone for this album along with the vocals Bekon, essentially reveals this great twist. Like To PImp a Butterfly, this album breaks ground with its incredibly genius twist - the altering of the story when played reversed. This album is insanely smart, and is definitely a great successor to the ever-so-great To Pimp a Butterfly shortly released 2 years prior. 9.5/10 As usual, Kendrick Lamar's poeticism ,taste in production, and storytelling is absolutely phenomenal, and once again, Kendrick Lamar 9.5/10 As usual, Kendrick Lamar's poeticism ,taste in production, and storytelling is absolutely phenomenal, and once again, Kendrick Lamar has released another groundbreaking, shocking, and chilling album to his discography.