It’s one-syllable sanctimony, and a condescending dismissal of any aesthetic or experience that doesn’t meet some arbitrary measure of value in rap music. For years its meaning has been manipulated to denote any hip-hop album or artist to follow the letter of the Backpacker Conventions. Kendrick Lamar – good kid m.A.A.“Real” is a loaded term in hip-hop. The high level of success GKMC received allowed for fans to be more patient listening to TPAB as he effectively introduced a generation of hip-hop fans to jazz & funk-fueled music led by the likes of George Clinton and Kamasi Washington. Although To Pimp A Butterfly was an unpredictable, complex LP filled with jazzy and funk-driven instrumentation, it crossed over to new demographics outside of hip-hop and went on to earn 11 Grammy nominations. The impressive achievements seen from GKMC once again put all eyes on Kendrick for his next album. The album earned Kendrick an incredibly dedicated fanbase, allowing him creative reign to branch out on his follow-up work. Georgia Regents University offers a class titled "Good Kid, Mad Cities" that asks students to "consider what effects our characters’ surroundings have on who they become as adults." Following the release, numerous colleges have taught courses that break down the lyrical nature and societal issues GKMC touches on. The body of work gained him respect from every corner of music as he received unanimous praise and was placed in almost every conversation of the age-long debate on who is the best rapper alive. Not only was GKMC one of the most significant hip-hop releases of the decade, but it was an important moment for Kendrick in earning his place atop the hip-hop world. It tells the story of how a good kid growing up in a bad neighborhood is able to escape the violent turmoils of gang violence and cycle of crime that consumed much of Compton's youth. He's compared the narrative to Pulp Fiction as the chronology jumps from the middle to the end to the beginning of the album. The LP’s artwork labels GKMC as "a short film by Kendrick Lamar", which may initially come off as strange, but makes complete sense when you dive into the story behind the music. The 12-track narrative doesn’t just show the listener his world, but also paints a vivid picture that fully immerses the listener into summer '04 in Compton where the story takes place. Kendrick’s uncanny focus delivered a cohesive project telling his coming-of-age tale in the form of a concept album. GKMC still sounds as fresh and genuine as it did the day it dropped. Dre co-sign goes a long way and all of the hip-hop world's eyes were on Kendrick. Leading up to GKMC's release, he had already earned a number of die-hard fans who deemed the skilled lyricist to be the next best rapper. In an age where many artists aim to have the biggest single, Kdot’s album-to-album evolution is unparalleled.
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Kendrick is an artist who pours his heart and soul into his work. Fast forward four years and we’ve decided to revisit his critically-acclaimed project and see how far the Compton MC has come since Oct. The LP was rightfully given the "classic" stamp right off the bat, but for an album to maintain the prestigious label, it needs to stand the test of time. It’s crazy to think that it's already been four years since the release of Kendrick Lamar’s platinum-selling, major label debut album good kid m.A.A.d. Let me know if you agree when you read this I think you can close with a condensed version of the last 2 paragraphs about To pimp a butterfly as that's a good point. Let's maybe find some more records it broke, some more landmark things people wouldn't know around it. I like the angle of the college classes and stuff that are created, that's an impact from the album that I didn't know happened.
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There needs to be something more concrete that we are informing people of to encourage people to want to share it to celebrate Kendrick After 8 paragraphs the only summary of the post is that "Kendrick had hype going into the releases, and it was an instant classic, and it won a fanbase that let him do the more experimental followup album."