Transcription
A lot of people think they know Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city. I honestly doubt it. Here, we’re not only going to be revisiting the album; we’re going to be dissecting every story, meaning, and how this is Kendrick’s greatest album. Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city is more than just a bunch of random songs. No, it tells the story of how Kendrick became the success he is today by battling his inner demons, trauma, and how, in just one single day, Kendrick would be faced with the hardest choice of his life. So what does it mean to be a good kid in a m.A.A.d city?
The album starts with a prayer: “I come to you as a…sincerely repent for my sins.” Now, this is no doubt the most important line of the entire album, and somehow it’s the first thing we hear—a rather interesting way to start, since it gives us a sense of remorse and repentance. But who are these people, and what are they praying for? That’s when you start getting the sense of something not being right—an important sound that represents a key figure in this album: a girl. A girl that would change the whole trajectory of everything to come.
After “Sherane,” the song kicks off at this house party in Compton where a young 17-year-old Kendrick meets this girl, Sherane. Met this house party on Central. She had the credentials of strippers in Atlanta. “Hello, my name is Kendrick,” she said. His disappointment. Her dancing is captivating; it’s beyond anything he’s felt before. But this girl, Sherane, becomes a huge temptation for K. The way that he describes her—all rough and focusing on her physicality—shows the youthful impulsiveness that drives so many of his decisions in this album. This is where the concept of choice starts to take place. We learn in the song that Sherane is affiliated with gangs. In her family, her favorite cousin, Demetrius, is able gang. He’s able to acknowledge these red flags but still chooses to pursue her anyways, driven by his lust. So when the opportunity presents itself for Kendrick to go over, he doesn’t hesitate to take his mom’s van and drive straight to her house. “Mom, I’m going to use the van real quick, be back in 15 minutes.” And I’m thinking about that, thinking about…or maybe kissing on her neck, or maybe what position. Two blocks away, 250t and six STS from where she’s at. But as Kendrick gets closer and closer to Sherane, a smile on his face…and then I see hoodies. I freeze. My phone rang. The track here suddenly stops.
A very simple story: boy meets girl, girl becomes a problem, and consequences begin. But after this point, you’re left wondering what just happened. Are these two hooded people involved with Sherane? Was this all a plot towards Kendrick? Even considering Kendrick’s mom refers to Sherane as a “hood rat” in the ending skit of the song: “Kendrick, where you at? Damn, I’m sitting here waiting on my van. You told me you was going to be back in 15 minutes. You on your way or what? I hope you ain’t out there messing with them damn hood rats out there, especially that crazy ass girl, Sherane.”
As the album progresses, you’re able to see that Sherane, AKA Master Splinter’s daughter, is sort of a starting point for Kendrick to confront his own identity. Who is Kendrick? Who does Kendrick want to become? It represents a crossroads where the wrong choice can lead to horrible outcomes. So who is Kendrick going to choose to be after this just happened?
“Swimming Pools (Drank)” is the ninth song on this album, and it’s funny how a lot of people view this as a club song, telling people to drink and party, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. First, what exactly is swimming pools? Well, a swimming pool is a place of fun and jumping in the water, but here, imagine the swimming pool being made entirely of liquor, and addicted people are jumping in. This song steps away from everything and focuses on how Kendrick just promised himself he wouldn’t get involved in stuff like this. If he can escape this house, he can show the world that staying a good kid can actually pay off. Telling his friends about last time they told him to drink. Picture this: Kendrick is at a party; everyone is drinking. The vibes are exciting, and then boom, you can see that people are drinking to escape their sadness; others just doing it to be accepted by their friends. So Kendrick, at this party, is of course not a drinker, but he stands there watching, observing, seeing what everyone is doing, when all of a sudden his friends end up right next to him, all extremely drunk, pushing him to drink with them. But after some persistent nos, he ends up giving in because someone called him a “bitch.” See, now that’s where you cross the line.
So he starts drinking with them, and shot after shot, the room gets darker and louder. Drinking more and more to keep up with his friends, then comes a crucial point. Kendrick hears a voice, the voice of his conscience, warning him about the dangers of drinking too much. [Music]
She okay now? Open your mind up and listen to me, Kendrick. If you do not hear me, you will be… I’m… gy right now, and I’m hoping to you… for that one second. He realizes what he’s been doing. Since he knows that drowning too much in this poison can lead to a crazy addiction and ruin his life, but Kendrick’s already gone too far. He starts mentioning having a new appetite for failure, meaning that he’s starting to expect the worst first in his life. And this feeling just grows stronger over time.
Saying EXC bom, we go back to Kendrick explaining this to his friends, but they aren’t listening. They still think that he’s shooken up after what happened to him earlier. And so, fueled by rage, the only thing on their minds from all of this is revenge. How can we get back at those people who did this to him? They can’t let this slide; they have to end those guys’ lives. Without a second thought, they jump back in their car and they go back. Kendrick, not wanting to go, tries to become the voice of reason, but they just keep going faster and faster. Even though these two have nothing to do with it, they feel it’s necessary to protect him here. And we know that Kendrick is changing, but even him being on this car going back is the single most important part of this.
“I thought I had enough,” they stop.
“Hum me out over a [ __ ] we going to do the same old [ __ ]. I’m going pop a few shots, they going run, they run opposite way right, and I hope that that set him up out there. We going to pop that [ __ ] too. Wait, hold up. Hey, I see something. Ah, got the K out. You good? You good? Yeah, but I’m good. You good? D, say something. D, these [ __ ] killed my brother.”
“Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst” is the most important song throughout this album. There’s been this overarching story taking place about love and violence, and “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst” serves as that climax that a lot of stories have, that is meant to completely motivate the character just for a chance of making a difference. So why? Why is this song specifically so important? Well, this song is cut up into two parts: first, “Sing About Me” and “I’m Dying of Thirst,” which we’ll find out the meaning of later. Throughout the album, we’ve been following Kendrick and his group of friends, and unfortunately, we just saw one of Kendrick’s closest friends pass away after trying to get revenge for him earlier. Now, this song isn’t revolved around that friend, who we later learned his name was Dave, but is focused on Dave’s brother, who I’m calling DB, and how he reacts to finding out what happened. DB just saw his brother die right in front of him. But time goes on, and we see him thinking, Kendrick thanking him for always, always showing so much love to Dave, even in Dave’s dying moment, moments. Kendrick held him, making him feel safe, even though in this moment he’s completely helpless. Just the being there meant so much to DB.
We go back to a specific day where it’s just Kendrick and DB alone, sitting thinking about life. And for the first time in forever, they have a genuine talk, putting Kendrick in this high pedestal since he has this huge passion to make it out of Compton. Because for him, it was all lost when he was just a kid, telling him about how much he loves his raps and prays that one day, one day when he makes it big, he’ll tell their story, shedding light to all those other kids going through the same situation, making sure that his memory is never forgotten. So fueled by rage, he can’t get over his brother’s death; it’s the same nightmare every night, so he goes for vengeance, but one slip-up ended his life. But Kendrick here, fulfilling his wish to “Sing About Me,” ending his verse with the final words: “Am I worth it right now? They just killed my homey brother. Just all right, all right. Just call me back, me back.”
“So what we going to do, man? What we going to do? BR, bro, we can go back right now. My… we can go back right now. I’m tired of this. I’m tired of f***ing running. I’m tired of this, my brother, homie. I am tired of running.”
Song after song, it’s been issue after issue, problem after problem. They’re tired of running; they’re tired of hunting; they’re tired of living this life of crime, chasing these empty goals. They just watched their friend die and just want to find a way to stop all this madness. Kendrick and his friend start to reflect, saying, “Many I lost. They’ve sinned too much, and the reaper is calling.” Death is always close by and feel like there’s no escape. So how are they all going to change? It’s a psycho, violence, greed, temptation, repentance that keeps pulling them in, but breaking free from that cycle is an uphill battle. But then the most unexpected but beautiful thing happens.
“Tired of this. I’m… of to me, my brother, homie. Is that what I think that is? I know that’s not what I think that is. Why are you so angry? See, you young men are dying of thirst. Do you know what that means? That means you need water, holy water. You need to be baptized with the spirit of the Lord. Do you want to receive God as your personal savior? Okay, repeat after me: ‘Lord God, I come to you a sinner.’ Lord God, I come to you a sin…”
The phrase “dying of thirst” isn’t about needing water; it’s about feeling spiritually empty, desperate for something greater. This lady helping these young men with the sinner’s prayer, turning their life into Jesus, no longer running, no longer living a life of crime and revenge, but living for him, releasing themselves of this horrible mentality and ready to live this life as a newly found person. And while people like DB were victims of not following through with this newly found mentality, people who did were able to find something greater.
“All right now, remember this day, the start of a new life, your real life.”
I mean, at this point, we could have just ended the album right here, right? We just went from Kendrick being this easily influenced little immature kid to him having this beautiful redemption at the end. So why continue? Well, I like to think of this song as a bowl of cereal because you have two ingredients: you have the cereal and you have the milk. Both, in their own regards, are perfectly fine separate, but when combined together, magic. So this side of the story is done, right? It… it’s over… well, kind of. I like to think that there’s one final puzzle piece to make this album whole. This song begins right after, with Kendrick expressing pride in who he finally is. This is really important because it sets the stage for the main message of the song being real, but what does that actually mean? After Kendrick took that leap to being true to himself, he realized what’s going on with so many other people. He points out how everyone loves material things: fancy clothes, fast cars, money, and they believe that these things will make them happy. But what to do it when you don’t yourself? No matter how much you love these material things or other people, if you don’t love and accept yourself, none of it really matters. So real isn’t about what you have or what other people think of you; it’s about knowing yourself and your own worth.
Well, true, but there’s so, so much more to it than just that. Throughout the album, we’ve been getting voicemails from Kendrick’s parents, and at first, these voicemails are very sporadic.
“Where my mother Domino’s at? This the second time I actually bring my Domino… D phone. I want your body of that big old F… See, hell, he ain’t even tripping off them Domino’s no more. Just bring the car back. Somebody say Domino, don’t hang up. Damn, let me call back.”
But one thing is extremely clear: Kendrick’s parents are flustered. His mom constantly asking for the van back, his dad high as hell the whole time. So they must not be important. Actually, these two characters might be the most important people. At some point after this whole ordeal, Kendrick’s parents call him for a third time, not calling asking about the car or Domino’s, but actually talking to him. His dad starts by apologizing for what happened to Dave.
“Yeah, I ain’t tripping up from Domino’s. Just call… sorry to hear what happened to your homey.”
He tells him that what those people did to him, that’s not being real. For him, being real is responsibility; it’s taking care of your family. Real is God. His mom takes the phone and tells Kendrick that Top Dawg, the music label, called asking if they could hear more from him, saying that they loved what they’ve been listening to so far, and if he actually put all of his energy into it, who knows where it can take him, ending the conversation with something that would push him forward to pursuing this rapping thing.
“If I don’t hear from you… your city… and I love you, Kendrick. Talk to you later. Bye now.”
Everybody serenate the new Fai of Kendrick Lamar.
“Compton” is the final chapter of Kendrick Lamar’s *good kid, m.A.A.d city*, and it brings everything we’ve seen in this album to this powerful conclusion. And when you listen to it, it sounds happy, kind of like a celebration. And in all honesty, that’s exactly what it is. This album has been crazy; I hope you see why so many people are in love with it and can stop obsessing over this man. But there’s one final chapter to this story to finally close this book shut. So, taking place way in the future, Kendrick pursued rap; he signed that deal with Top Dawg. We’re finally seeing Kendrick at a moment of triumph. He made it; he’s at the top, dropping song after song, win after win. The fame and the money keep stacking up; life couldn’t be going any better. And with fame, he can throw that whole past life behind him. Who cares about everyone else? He’s the one who’s up; not a single thought has to go to Compton or that horrible life ever again.
I’m going to pause you right there. Even though Kendrick is at the top, he’s never going to forget where he came from. Kendrick loves this city and the people that are in it. He embraces it, not looking down on it, but holding it to a pedestal for making it who he is today, giving back to the people of Compton just as he promised his mom, showing homage to the city, its people, and its culture. The city is united as one. If the album is a story of Kendrick trying to find a way in the midst of chaos, “Compton” is that resolution where everything comes full circle. If you’ve been following this far, then you know that the story of *good kid, m.A.A.d city* is deeply rooted on the idea of change. Kendrick says that all kids in Compton are good kids; they just live in the m.A.A.d city. It changes people; it becomes their norm. So by him telling this story of his introduction to this world to then his everyday life to his eventual victory, it shows people that they can change too. We saw Kendrick at his worst in Compton, dealing with Shine, the constant fear of walking outside, to that key moment changing everything for Kendrick, pushing him to achieve more—a story of personal change from an immature teenager to a seasoned adult, parents focused on Domino’s to passing down lessons on being a man, to us witnessing Kendrick’s group of friends go from troubled teenagers to converted Christians. Change is at the key center of all of it, showing you that whatever situation you’re going through in life, with change, you can overcome it too. So find your good kid in a m.A.A.d city and overcome. [Music] It… I remember you was conflicted.