Kendrick Lamar‘s seminal good kid, m.A.A.d city has been crowned the greatest concept album of all time by Rolling Stone.
The 2012 album beat out Green day’s American Idiot for the top spot and the next rap album clocked in at No. 4 with Raekwon and Ghostface Killah’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.
RS explained the concept of good kid, m.A.A.d city as: “Lamar comes of age in Compton, encountering the city’s many pleasures as well its ever-present threat of gang conflict and police violence.”
“The cover promises a short film by Kendrick Lamar, and the rapper delivers with a coming-of-age opus, the cinematic scope of which has been rightfully compared to Scorsese and Tarantino.”
Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city arrived in October 2012 and the project’s 10th anniversary is coming up next week on October 22. It could make chart history by becoming the first rap album to spend a full decade on the Billboard 200 (per Chart Data).
K. Dot is celebrating 10 years of good kid, m.A.A.d city by releasing a limited-edition vinyl on October 21. The exclusive vinyl puts a new spin on the album’s design, featuring a black-and-white version of the van from the original deluxe cover set in front of a bare, all-black backdrop.
Pre-orders are available now on Interscope’s online store, along with CD and cassette versions.
Jeezy Recalls Being Name-Dropped By Kendrick Lamar On 'Good Kid, M.A.A.D City'
The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 after selling 242,000 copies in its first week, bested only by pop juggernaut Taylor Swift’s Red. However, it comfortably topped the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.
Outside of its commercial success, Kendrick Lamar’s major label debut was met with widespread critical acclaim and yielded multiple nominations at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, where it controversially lost out to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ The Heist in the Best Rap Album category.
The biographical project has since been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and remains a hot commodity among vinyl collectors in particular.
It ranked as the best-selling rap album on vinyl of 2021 — and 10th most popular vinyl album overall — having shifted 194,000 copies on the format.
in what way was this “CROWNED GREATEST CONCEPT ALBUM OF ALL TIME” oh some people born in 2000 said it was at rolling stone? theres a 100 rock albums better than this. good for him tho A MAGAZINE a dying industry said this. jeez we should take this as fact! headline should of read first black man to be CROWNED WITH THE GREATEST CONCEPT ALBUM OF ALL TIME
You’re one sad, strange little man.
Rant rant rant….for as long as you can ….what is decided is done…GKMC Is the greatest simple…Go listen to those rock albums
Great concept album for sure but Cuban Linx will always be my top. I also have Sticky Fingaz’ Autobiography…, Masta Ace’s Dispisable Arts and Long Hot Summer above Good Kid, but not mad at the ranking. Definitely a great album. I forgot about Prince Paul’s Prince Among Thieves too. All great albums.
Deltron 3030!
Absolutely!
Respect for your knowledge good sir!
Good call on Masta Ace
Good call. I was going to type the autobiography of Kirk Jones and Disposable arts. Both albums are concept, then the songs are concepts within the concept and stand alone concepts at the same time. Come on, sticky has a song that’s a court trial, with Canibus, Redman, Punch and Words, and others where each lyricist plays a different role in the court room drama. Good kid doesn’t even come close.
Prince Paul A Prince Among Thieves tops the list for me
GOAT?? FOH!! DMX It’s Dark and Hell is Hot, Scarface The Fix. Jay-Z Reasonable Doubt and Nas It Was Written are way better when it comes to storytelling and messages. The concept of these albums is better structured than GKMC. Kendrick is a dope rapper and a good artist but the dickriding is too strong though
Or maybe it’s called having an opinion
Rolling Stones please leave Rap alone. You know little about it. Kendrick is average at best. He’s no savior… people don’t everything… sometimes we smart. Rolling Stone is done. Nobody reads that shit, but guppies. Older generation nor young generation listen to Kendrick… just sell the mag already. But this the same mag that gave Ice Cube Amerikkka most wanted 2 stars…. Cafe shop millenniums leave rap alone. It’s dying, but let it die respectfully
No wonder you dislike RS, considering you can barely write i bet you can barely read. Sentence structure of a 4 year old lmao
I bet you I’d run circles around your Kendrick Lamar worshipping ass. I miss two words typing fast. Been listening to hip hip and writing about since you kissed your first boy. Again, fish man no one listens to Kendrick but millenniums that claim hip hop. There are zillions of concept albums that are not marketed as that. Who the fuck brought / streamed and like that last MC-Beth as album from Kendrick. Again, youth don’t listen – neither do hip hop elders… FOH… again, read the message- that’s over your head thou. No one is screaming Kendrick but you. Betcha your a Milly
I think I just had an aneurysm trying to read your comment
Lmfao, tell that to the ppl attending his current sold out world tour then. Tell that to the billions of ppl that are streaming his music then. Tell that to the 37.1M ppl on Spotify streaming his music every month. Go and hate somewhere else, bitter soul
I FIND IT INTERESTING THAT IT EVEN BEAT TOMMY BY THE WHO ON A ROLLING STONE LIST. ARCHANDRIOD, CUBAN LINX AND ZIGGY STARDUST ARE ALSO INTERESTING CHOICES. PRETTY GOOD LIST. ANYONE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS LIST IS A SMALL MINDED PERSON. THESE LISTS COME FROM PEOPLE WHO LISTEN TO ALL GENRES OF MUSIC. THE FACT THERE’S ANY REPRESENTATION LET ALONE A NUMBER 1 SPOT IS A MIRACLE.
I meann, how many concept albums chart for a decade like that? It may not be the best, but it has a strong argument.
The sad thing about our culture is rather than celebrate the fact that TWO hip-hop albums are considered top-5 concept albums of all time, the haters will argue for others to have this distinction.
Congrats Kendrick, Raekwon, and Ghostface
I actually wrote this comment BEFORE I read other comments.. I didn’t have to go far to prove my point.. very sad how hateful we are as a hip-hop culture and community.
I love Good Kid Mad City, pointing out better concept albums isn’t hating it’s an opinion. I’m sure if you took the time to listen to those albums with an objective ear, you would agree. In saying that, I’m sure we could all agree that GKMC is an amazing album, there is just albums that’s concept was more well done.