Kendrick Lamar‘s slew of Drake diss records helped him not only arguably win their beef, but it’s boosted his entire back catalogue as well.
According to a post from Chart Data on Wednesday (May 22), Kdot’s 2012 debut good kid, m.A.A.d city has re-entered the top 20 of the Billboard 200 this week at No. 19.
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The LP, which turns 12 in October, is the longest charting Hip Hop studio album in history.
Back in 2022 while celebrating the album’s 10th anniversary, Top Dawg Entertainment President Terrence “Punch” Henderson revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that one of the album’s most beloved tracks almost sounded different had it not been for the Compton rapper making a last-minute change.
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The menacing hook on “m.A.A.d city” was added by Kendrick just hours before good kid, m.A.A.d city was due to be submitted for completion.
“Man it’s so much to say about that album. We all put everything into it. GKMC was the start. We made our mark in Hip Hop and music in general with that album. I’m forever grateful to have played a part in it,” the TDE executive reflected.
When a fan asked him about his favorite memory of making the album, Punch replied: “Can’t think of a favorite. But one memory is Kdot adding the hook part on madd city literally hours before mastering. I think he actually had to send the hook cause [MixedByAli] had left to get it mastered already. So that song was just one verse at first.”
Produced by Sounwave and THC, “m.A.A.d city” has long been a favorite at Kendrick Lamar’s concerts and festival appearances thanks to its riotous energy and streetwise storytelling. K. Dot’s hook, delivered through a pitched-down voice, only adds to the brutal realism of the song.
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“Man down, where you from, n-gga? / Fuck who you know — where you from, my n-gga? / Where your grandma stay, huh, my n-gga? / This m.A.A.d city I run, my n-gga,” he asks the listener, as if confronting them for wandering into the wrong hood.
The second half of the song, produced by Terrace Martin, pays homage to Kendrick’s West Coast Hip Hop heritage with guest vocals from Compton rap legend MC Eiht, lyrical nods to Ice Cube and Warren G, and an ominous, cinematic beat reminiscent of Dr. Dre.
