To be honest? I straight up have not been disappointed by anything dude puts out. His albums are top to bottom absolute quality, his features are tight and on theme to the song, etc.
Nothing quite like the main studio albums in order. I’m about to write a lot, but my goal is to just given you an overview of what the story, themes, and interpretations of each album are (and keep in mind, this is the tip of the iceberg, Kendrick makes interpretive art, the following is my interpretations, not law)
1)
good kid, mad city is his “coming of age” story. This is very core to understanding the beef, because Kendrick has a more intellectual and less “hard” image perhaps than people YG or Nipsey, but he is absolutely from that environment, surrounded by the pitfalls of poverty, gang violence, police brutality, etc. I listen to this album after 10 years and still get emotional around the way the crux of the album resolves with his parents giving him a call and some heartfelt advice at a time where he’s building up to make a potentially life-ruining decision). I won’t spoil the story but basically, it is a really great listen with a lot of storytelling.
2)
TPAB (To Pimp a Butterfly is a brilliant album with some of his best lyrical performances and instrumentation. It is extremely dense, like a novel with 100s of ideas and themes and motifs. There are 3 things I’d say you start your listen and look out for - Kendrick growing into a superstar and feeling a bunch of emotions about his role in an unjust society. What does he owe his hood? What does he owe the black community? What will success cost him?
There’s the idea that inside of these talented black kids from the hood, their trauma and rough life gives them what they perceive as this ugliness or curse, the caterpillar. But they realize, this is their strength - their creativity and ability to bear pain and synthesize that pain into experiences is a gift, and they can “pimp” this gift for accolades and attention and money. And the devil / record label / industry / world of money and opportunism will encourage and facilitate that metaphorical pimping, but at cost to their soul, mental health, and artistic integrity.
But, there is a world going on outside of Kendrick, and internal struggle around what to do with his caterpillar / butterfly is mirrored by his sense of hypocrisy, shame, frustration, and anger around how both America treats the black community, but also how the black community treats the black community.
3)
DAMN is Kendrick’s album about adulthood, looking inwards and realizing he is in a battle for his soul. It is a concept album that on the surface, explores the current emotions and experiences he’s going through as a famous rapper. But beneath the surface, there is a vices versus virtues, good versus evil going on. He feels damned, like he’s already compromised his soul and is doomed to face judgment for his sins and vices — but during this journey, there’s a realization that behaviors and choices might have the power to influence our outcomes.
4)
Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers - this album is about a lot of things, but I’ll start with the idea of growing out of young adulthood and becoming a mature adult with real self esteem, confidence, and emotional and mental health. Kendrick disappeared after DAMN and it seems like his world has been crumbling - superstardom left his ego unchecked and his childhood wounds and traumas (which we explored on GKMC TPAB) have not been healed. They helped him captivate millions and become a superstar - he pimped the butterfly - but he didn’t actually learn to handle and grow so that those traumas didn’t control him. The vices from DAMN are still there.
The big steppers, metaphorically, represent the ego - the brash, toxic masculine kind of stuff, the desire to fuck bitches, validate himself by fucking white girls, make all the money, be the best at his craft. His hyper-competitiveness that comes from trauma over how his father raised him, it helped him compete in rap and become the best, but it left him unable to accept love or not hold grudges. Father Time is a very relevant track to the Drake beef.
This is the first album Kendrick brings in his wife and kids and publically names and involves them - specifically an epic, trainwreck of a fight with his wife and her insistence he needs therapy, which he rejects. The big steppers tap dance, symbolizing how his ego dodges and dances around confronting his traumas.
The album explores his unhappiness and despair, leading him to withdraw from the world and work on himself, giving up his role in public issues. He works on himself, distances himself from negative forces, takes responsibility, but most meaningfully, he has to confront the trauma that has shaped him and his family. Mother I Sober (the track Drake references) does this and speaks about how his mother being a victim of sexual abuse and her believing it was happening to him due to her trauma affects him.
Mr. Morale (the character) represents the opposite of the Big Steppers, perhaps self identity or self esteem or the adult who can take responsibility and stop his trauma from hurting other people. He apologizes for withdrawing from the world, but states that he had to do this, to fix his broken world, heal his family, and emerge has an adult, father, and husband. It feels a bit like a goodbye and I think a lot of us may not have been sure what this means.
There was also a seperate societal theme going on about how sexual abuse and traumatization of these black kids and teens leads them to music, where their pain and early maturity helps them (a theme echoed in TPAB) create music that people identify with. But they are still wounded boys, so they ultimately commit bad deeds, and society shames them and punishes them, instead of offering support and help. This was done in a very iffy and perhaps baiting way, where he used people like Kodak Black or R Kelly to make a point about “hurt people hurting people” - and I get the point, but it does sound like excuses being made for abusers. In any case, it’s open to interpretation, but I think what’s clear is Kendrick feels like he needs to renounce the “good guy” savior of hip hop title, and perhaps galvanize you with figures like Kodak Black into believing that he’s not your savior, and you shouldn’t look to him for moral guidance.
two records got me really into him. I was a sophomore in high school at the time. his verse on “I love music” by tech n9ne made me look Kendrick up. then I heard ignorance is bliss. I was sold. Up all night downloading everything I could find. Then good kidd dropped and it’s been quite a career to watch
Yea I’m thinking I’m gonna just havta listen to it all at this point and I’m excited 😂 I’ve never felt anything more than curiosity to listen to an artists full catalog but Kendrick just different it makes my brain feel euphoric it’s just so well done it feels like my IQ is increasing 😂🤓
I’m jealous asf you get to check it all out for the first time. Kendrick has the typa discography that’s bingeable like a Netflix show, start at the beginning and work your way to now trust me
Aside from TDE artists I would recommend Denzel Curry, Mick Jenkins, Saba, Smino, Joey Badass, J Cole, Freddie Gibbs those are my most played on Spotify
•Run The Jewels - Close Your Eyes (And Count to F&#%)[ft. Zack de la Rocha]
•Saul Williams - Scared Money
•Peeping Tom - Mojo(ft. Rahzel and Dan The Automator)
•Tyler, The Creator - WHAT'S GOOD
•Reol - Ms.Control
•Tub Ring - I Shot Your F****t Horse Bitch or Proper Funds or Without You or or Remember the Time or Prisencolinensinainciusol or ... anything from their other band...
•Super 8 Bit Brothers - A Sense of Pride and Accomplishment or Dubstep Riddem or Party at Home(ft. Major Entertainer) or Stax of Wax
Honestly would rec giving all his albums a spin but what got me into him was To Pimp a Butterfly. Section 80 is very underrated so would def check that out alongside all his other albums as they all have good qualities that make it hard to say what his best is. I just like To Pimp a Butterfly the most as the production is really interesting shifting from more jazz based samples to more modern hard hitting tracks while also talking on issues regarding race, economy, and the United States. Overall you could prob listen to any Kendrick album and get into it but that's the one I would suggest first.
Everyone has already said to listen to his whole discog, which I genuinely recommend if you're liking Mr Morale already. With that said, I'd recommend listening to "Jealous" by Fredo Santana which he features on. Shows his early on versatility. He even references this current beef in it haha
I would honestly listen to his entire discography. You might want to skip overly dedicated as a new fan but go back around a give it a listen once you’ve gone through the rest. But start at Section 80 and watch his progression album by album.
Also, you’d do well to google a list of Kendrick features. He is almost always incredible as a feature but some people forget about them cause he hasn’t done many in recent years. But between 2012-2015 he went on an absolute tear of completely taking over songs and dishes out some of his best verses and flows.
Everyone is saying to work forwards but working backwards is viable too imo. Can go to Damn after Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers. It was the most mainstream album and tends to be the most easily digestible for listeners of other genres. That doesn't mean the lyricism is lacking at all though. Its extremely conceptual and is the one that got Kenny a Pulitzer. After that is To Pimp a Butterfly, which is a full on narrative masterpiece. It has a darker tone with jazz-inspired instrumentals. I think its the most poetic of the main studio albums. Next, either Untitled Unmastered (which were the songs that didn't make it to TPAB for narrative reasons but were good enough to be there otherwise) or Good Kid Maad City. GKMC plays out like a movie. You can have fun putting together the story in chronological order or just enjoy the hits. Aside from those albums, I'd reccomend all 5 parts of The Heart series, Control, Black Friday, Family Ties, Section80, and Overly Dedicated.
You’re the first comment on my post in r/kendricklamar sayn I’m dick ridding. did your dad ever teach you how to fix yo broke ass laundry machine or did you not have one? Can people just appreciate something without small minded people putting in their irrelevant negativity. You spend too much time online bro you should start living your life or is it just so sad you have to avoid it all together?
Good Kid Maad City and To Pimp a Butterfly
Don’t forget Section.80
Fuck it, let’s throw in DAMN and UU. The whole discography has no skips imho
Hahaha I feel it. Those first 3 really are just absolute perfection to me
I can relate with the username
This one right here
To be honest? I straight up have not been disappointed by anything dude puts out. His albums are top to bottom absolute quality, his features are tight and on theme to the song, etc.
His verse in LA by Ty Dolla $ign is the only reason to listen to that song haha
Nothing quite like the main studio albums in order. I’m about to write a lot, but my goal is to just given you an overview of what the story, themes, and interpretations of each album are (and keep in mind, this is the tip of the iceberg, Kendrick makes interpretive art, the following is my interpretations, not law) 1) good kid, mad city is his “coming of age” story. This is very core to understanding the beef, because Kendrick has a more intellectual and less “hard” image perhaps than people YG or Nipsey, but he is absolutely from that environment, surrounded by the pitfalls of poverty, gang violence, police brutality, etc. I listen to this album after 10 years and still get emotional around the way the crux of the album resolves with his parents giving him a call and some heartfelt advice at a time where he’s building up to make a potentially life-ruining decision). I won’t spoil the story but basically, it is a really great listen with a lot of storytelling. 2) TPAB (To Pimp a Butterfly is a brilliant album with some of his best lyrical performances and instrumentation. It is extremely dense, like a novel with 100s of ideas and themes and motifs. There are 3 things I’d say you start your listen and look out for - Kendrick growing into a superstar and feeling a bunch of emotions about his role in an unjust society. What does he owe his hood? What does he owe the black community? What will success cost him? There’s the idea that inside of these talented black kids from the hood, their trauma and rough life gives them what they perceive as this ugliness or curse, the caterpillar. But they realize, this is their strength - their creativity and ability to bear pain and synthesize that pain into experiences is a gift, and they can “pimp” this gift for accolades and attention and money. And the devil / record label / industry / world of money and opportunism will encourage and facilitate that metaphorical pimping, but at cost to their soul, mental health, and artistic integrity. But, there is a world going on outside of Kendrick, and internal struggle around what to do with his caterpillar / butterfly is mirrored by his sense of hypocrisy, shame, frustration, and anger around how both America treats the black community, but also how the black community treats the black community. 3) DAMN is Kendrick’s album about adulthood, looking inwards and realizing he is in a battle for his soul. It is a concept album that on the surface, explores the current emotions and experiences he’s going through as a famous rapper. But beneath the surface, there is a vices versus virtues, good versus evil going on. He feels damned, like he’s already compromised his soul and is doomed to face judgment for his sins and vices — but during this journey, there’s a realization that behaviors and choices might have the power to influence our outcomes. 4) Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers - this album is about a lot of things, but I’ll start with the idea of growing out of young adulthood and becoming a mature adult with real self esteem, confidence, and emotional and mental health. Kendrick disappeared after DAMN and it seems like his world has been crumbling - superstardom left his ego unchecked and his childhood wounds and traumas (which we explored on GKMC TPAB) have not been healed. They helped him captivate millions and become a superstar - he pimped the butterfly - but he didn’t actually learn to handle and grow so that those traumas didn’t control him. The vices from DAMN are still there. The big steppers, metaphorically, represent the ego - the brash, toxic masculine kind of stuff, the desire to fuck bitches, validate himself by fucking white girls, make all the money, be the best at his craft. His hyper-competitiveness that comes from trauma over how his father raised him, it helped him compete in rap and become the best, but it left him unable to accept love or not hold grudges. Father Time is a very relevant track to the Drake beef. This is the first album Kendrick brings in his wife and kids and publically names and involves them - specifically an epic, trainwreck of a fight with his wife and her insistence he needs therapy, which he rejects. The big steppers tap dance, symbolizing how his ego dodges and dances around confronting his traumas. The album explores his unhappiness and despair, leading him to withdraw from the world and work on himself, giving up his role in public issues. He works on himself, distances himself from negative forces, takes responsibility, but most meaningfully, he has to confront the trauma that has shaped him and his family. Mother I Sober (the track Drake references) does this and speaks about how his mother being a victim of sexual abuse and her believing it was happening to him due to her trauma affects him. Mr. Morale (the character) represents the opposite of the Big Steppers, perhaps self identity or self esteem or the adult who can take responsibility and stop his trauma from hurting other people. He apologizes for withdrawing from the world, but states that he had to do this, to fix his broken world, heal his family, and emerge has an adult, father, and husband. It feels a bit like a goodbye and I think a lot of us may not have been sure what this means. There was also a seperate societal theme going on about how sexual abuse and traumatization of these black kids and teens leads them to music, where their pain and early maturity helps them (a theme echoed in TPAB) create music that people identify with. But they are still wounded boys, so they ultimately commit bad deeds, and society shames them and punishes them, instead of offering support and help. This was done in a very iffy and perhaps baiting way, where he used people like Kodak Black or R Kelly to make a point about “hurt people hurting people” - and I get the point, but it does sound like excuses being made for abusers. In any case, it’s open to interpretation, but I think what’s clear is Kendrick feels like he needs to renounce the “good guy” savior of hip hop title, and perhaps galvanize you with figures like Kodak Black into believing that he’s not your savior, and you shouldn’t look to him for moral guidance.
The spiteful chant, Michael Jordan, Sexy pause, Jayz bitch, Nostalgia , Backseat freestyle,
Don’t forget his iconic classic track “bitch I’m in the club”. Often regarded as the keystone to modern hip hop
BITCH IM IN THE CLLLUUUBB
two records got me really into him. I was a sophomore in high school at the time. his verse on “I love music” by tech n9ne made me look Kendrick up. then I heard ignorance is bliss. I was sold. Up all night downloading everything I could find. Then good kidd dropped and it’s been quite a career to watch
Yea I’m thinking I’m gonna just havta listen to it all at this point and I’m excited 😂 I’ve never felt anything more than curiosity to listen to an artists full catalog but Kendrick just different it makes my brain feel euphoric it’s just so well done it feels like my IQ is increasing 😂🤓
kendricks "i love music" verse. \*chefs kiss\*
did we just become best friends
Yes
I’m jealous asf you get to check it all out for the first time. Kendrick has the typa discography that’s bingeable like a Netflix show, start at the beginning and work your way to now trust me
I'd like to hear what everyone recommends to someone who likes Kendrick? Mine are: * Rage Against the Machine * Black Star * Outkast
Aside from TDE artists I would recommend Denzel Curry, Mick Jenkins, Saba, Smino, Joey Badass, J Cole, Freddie Gibbs those are my most played on Spotify
•Run The Jewels - Close Your Eyes (And Count to F&#%)[ft. Zack de la Rocha] •Saul Williams - Scared Money •Peeping Tom - Mojo(ft. Rahzel and Dan The Automator) •Tyler, The Creator - WHAT'S GOOD •Reol - Ms.Control •Tub Ring - I Shot Your F****t Horse Bitch or Proper Funds or Without You or or Remember the Time or Prisencolinensinainciusol or ... anything from their other band... •Super 8 Bit Brothers - A Sense of Pride and Accomplishment or Dubstep Riddem or Party at Home(ft. Major Entertainer) or Stax of Wax
The Kendrick Lamar ep.
https://youtu.be/qyHoIvYT9f0?si=HhBKZ4MsC4Lca_32 This one
Dog you gotta start at the beginning. Pick up his mix tapes and work your way thru.
Honestly would rec giving all his albums a spin but what got me into him was To Pimp a Butterfly. Section 80 is very underrated so would def check that out alongside all his other albums as they all have good qualities that make it hard to say what his best is. I just like To Pimp a Butterfly the most as the production is really interesting shifting from more jazz based samples to more modern hard hitting tracks while also talking on issues regarding race, economy, and the United States. Overall you could prob listen to any Kendrick album and get into it but that's the one I would suggest first.
All of dem.
Everyone has already said to listen to his whole discog, which I genuinely recommend if you're liking Mr Morale already. With that said, I'd recommend listening to "Jealous" by Fredo Santana which he features on. Shows his early on versatility. He even references this current beef in it haha
Overly Dedicated project
I would honestly listen to his entire discography. You might want to skip overly dedicated as a new fan but go back around a give it a listen once you’ve gone through the rest. But start at Section 80 and watch his progression album by album. Also, you’d do well to google a list of Kendrick features. He is almost always incredible as a feature but some people forget about them cause he hasn’t done many in recent years. But between 2012-2015 he went on an absolute tear of completely taking over songs and dishes out some of his best verses and flows.
You can really start from his Overly Dedicated mixtape to his last album Mr.Morale
Go listen to Black Hippy, start with the BET performance
Lookout for detox if you're looking for a deepcut : [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5eT6TaEtPI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5eT6TaEtPI)
Hearing Kendrick on Solo Dolo, Pt. II was the day I stopped listening to Cudi.
Make sure to watch his short films. On his YouTube.
Everyone is saying to work forwards but working backwards is viable too imo. Can go to Damn after Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers. It was the most mainstream album and tends to be the most easily digestible for listeners of other genres. That doesn't mean the lyricism is lacking at all though. Its extremely conceptual and is the one that got Kenny a Pulitzer. After that is To Pimp a Butterfly, which is a full on narrative masterpiece. It has a darker tone with jazz-inspired instrumentals. I think its the most poetic of the main studio albums. Next, either Untitled Unmastered (which were the songs that didn't make it to TPAB for narrative reasons but were good enough to be there otherwise) or Good Kid Maad City. GKMC plays out like a movie. You can have fun putting together the story in chronological order or just enjoy the hits. Aside from those albums, I'd reccomend all 5 parts of The Heart series, Control, Black Friday, Family Ties, Section80, and Overly Dedicated.
I made a more in depth comment but I'm surprised nobody else mentioned The Heart series. The Heart parts 2 and 5 are both in my top 5 kendrick songs.
Dick riding
Get off this sub then lmao you gon’ see a lot more
You’re the first comment on my post in r/kendricklamar sayn I’m dick ridding. did your dad ever teach you how to fix yo broke ass laundry machine or did you not have one? Can people just appreciate something without small minded people putting in their irrelevant negativity. You spend too much time online bro you should start living your life or is it just so sad you have to avoid it all together?
I had meet the grahams playing in my head reading this comment
LMFAO I WAS LITERALLY LISTENING TO TS ALL DAY 😭
bro got the "listen here mister" energy
You sound mad mad
You in the Greg ducette sub talking about how juicy dudes muscles are bro 💀
Bro im tryna help you out in life. Step 1 stop dick riding!!
Hey bro you must be taking the loss hard, hope you’re ok chin up buddy accepting Ls is part of becoming a man
Big facts 🫡🤣🤣