Not everyday you get a great cd like this!! Really enjoyed it!

This was the first Kendrick Lamar album that I've ever purchased in my life. I didn't know what to expect since I only began listening to him last year. I first heard him back in 2011 but I don't believe in going by the hype so it took me awhile to finally become a fan and I hate that it took so long for me to finally accept that his music is very important for what's going on at the moment. This album drew the very vivid details of dealing with the dark side of yourself, the world, and others. It perfectly summed up how it is coming from certain backgrounds and being given the opportunity to better or worsen yourself. I believe that this album was created for those going through hardships or currently getting out of them. It's motivational and depressing in one but at the end it gives you the hope you need to maintain in order to live and survive amongst yourself and others.

I have to admit my first impressions of this album were rather tepid. The first few songs weren't anything close to the material on GKMC. After getting deeper into the album, there are some real jewels. A lot of the production reminds me of a DJ Quik-esque sound that has been absent from music for a while. While my tastes center more around the boom-bapish 'Blacker the Berry', I can appreciate what Kendrick is trying to do musically on this album. He's really bringing a west coast vibe with funky baselines and lush keys. The drum programming is spot on with that neck nodding shuffle that keeps the drums slightly off beat. Kendrick brings it all together with great lyrics and storytelling that go deeper than they typical money, drugs, crime rap that populates mainstream. While none of the current rappers measure up to the greats such as Rakim, KRS-ONE, Big Daddy Kane, Biggie, Pac, etc.....Kendrick does a good job of elevating the bar for the current crop of rappers trying to make it in the game.

With his 3rd (2nd major label) release Kendrick Lamar continues his evolution as the most talented and important hip-hop artist of this generation. While his previous album, Good Kid, MAAD City, rightfully garnered plaudits with fans and critics alike, this album is leaps and bounds ahead of GKMC. The sonic landscape, coordinated by Thundercat and Flying Lotus, is impeccable and creates the perfect sonic backdrop for Lamar's creative wordplay. No artist in the game, or perhaps ever, does a better jon of switching flows and vocal timbres between songs, and even words, to correspnd with the emotion of a particular track. It is evident a great deal of thought and effort went into this finely crafted album. A modern classic.

Production Value 9.6 Lyrical Value 10.0 Guest Artist 8.0 Over all, One of the Best Lyricists in Rap, His way of telling a story (bringing you into what he views of this world)is not easy to do...but Kendrick, is Rising...to an unimaginable hight, in just his 4th Studio Album (as his first 2...Displayed glimpses of Genius)...and his 3rd Put him on the map, so the masses could discover him. This one raises him into a Rap phenomenon, not seen since Tupac graced us with his presence.