good kid mA.A.d city

Background/Theme

good kid m A.A.d city is Kendrick’s second album released just a year after Section .80, on October 22, 2012 through Kendrick’s new label, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). The album delves deeper into the story of his upbringing in Compton which is notorious for gang violence and high crime rates. The title sets the theme of the album, being that Kendrick is a good person, but living around the harsh Compton life brings out the worst in him. Kendrick revealed the word m A.A.d in the album’s title is an acronym with two meanings, which is an important part of the album’s theme. The first is “My angry adolescence divided” which is likely just further painting the theme of the album. The second is “My angels on angel dust” but I won’t go into that, for fear it’s not very school appropriate.

Commercial/Critical Success

The album was a commercial and critical success, debuting #2 on the US Billboard 200 and earning Kendick’s first grammy nominations. The nominations include: Album of The Year, Best Rap Album, Best New Artist, Best Rap/Sung Performance for "Now or Never" with Mary J. Blige, and Best Rap Performance for "Swimming Pools (Drank)" Overall this album is praised by fans and critics alike, arguably being one of the best hip hop albums of all time. Just listen to "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst"

Overview

Overall, this album is praised by fans and critics alike, widley regarded as one of the best hip hop albums of all time. But many people wondered which direction Kendrick would go after this album. Everyone had seen the sucess on "Swimming Pools" because of it's radio-friendly sound. So would he continue down that path, or do something completley different?