In a joint interview alongside TDE label boss Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, Kendrick Lamar has revealed that he scrapped and remade his second album good kid, m.A.A.d city several times before it was released.
Speaking to Billboard, Kendrick said “Yeah, we did good kid about three, four times before the world got to it.”
As for what the process involved, he said, “New songs, new everything. I wanted to tell that story, but I had to execute it. My whole thing is about execution. The songs can be great, the hooks can be great, but if it’s not executed well, then it’s not a great album.”
Even though good Kid, m.A.A.d City didn’t drop until 2012, Kendrick revealed that he’d been working on it since at least 2009, when TDE published The Kendrick Lamar EP.
Speaking on why he decided not to use a rap name and instead perform under his given name, Kendrick referred to the process of working on his early EPs and albums. “It’s got to be real, it’s got to be my story,” he said. “It’s got to be some shit that not only I feel, but everybody else can feel. That was the initial idea: I’m going to give a small piece of my backstory before my debut album. Because good kid was already prepped.”
Read the full interview with Kendrick and Top Dawg here.
Kendricks best album by far! Glad he went with the one he went with #claSSic
We’re all entitled to an opinion but butterfly was something on a whole other level*you have classics then you have masterpieces*
Butterfly is overrated trash. Literally only has one good song and one good interlude. The whole Pac thing at the end was corny as hell. Don’t even get me started on that “dick aint free” shit. That was straight garbage juice wtf. The only reason people say it’s his best album, or a “masturpeece”, is because its so “woke” and “progressive”. Artists been doing that shit since the 90’s and they don’t get any credit. Foh
Nah son. To Pimp A Butterfly is legendary. His true first classic
Really? I never hear anyone ever say that I also never hear anyone listen to this album ever and ive never heard anyone talk about it like its a “masterpiece” unless your some hardcore Duckworth fan
Nah son, section 8.0 is his first classic
Stop hatin
Btw his real name Kendrick Duckworth.
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth. Lamar is his middle name.
And all them corny! This dudes so over rated it’s not even funny. Beats are trash and his voice is just annoying as Eminem’s nowadays. WACK!