Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is an American rapper and songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he is the only musician outside of the classical and jazz genres to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music. His inclusion of social commentary and political criticism in his songwriting has influenced a rise in social conscience within his generation.
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City is the second studio album by the American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on October 22, 2012, by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album features guest appearances from Drake, Dr. Dre, Jay Rock, Anna Wise and MC Eiht. It is Lamar's first major label album, after his independently released first album Section.80 in 2011 and his signing to Aftermath and Interscope the following year.
Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) is an American independent record label. Specializing in hip hop and R&B artists, TDE is based in Carson, California. The label was founded in 2004 by record producer Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, who is the chief executive officer. His son, Anthony "Moosa" Tiffith Jr., and Terrence "Punch" Henderson are the presidents of the label.
"The Recipe" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on April 3, 2012, as the first single from his major label debut Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). The song, however, only made the deluxe edition of the album.
"Swimming Pools (Drank)" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on July 31, 2012 as the lead single (second overall) from his major-label debut studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012), by Top Dawg, Aftermath and Interscope. The song was written by Lamar and Tyler "T-Minus" Williams, the latter of whom also produced the song. The song, mixed by Dr. Dre and Top Dawg's engineer Derek "MixedByAli" Ali, propelled Lamar to mainstream popularity. The song peaked at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100, in its thirteenth week of charting, after gradually climbing up the chart. It debuted on the Hot 100 at number 100 and progressed from number 55 and 32 to its peak. "Swimming Pools (Drank)" also serves as Lamar's first entry on the UK Singles Chart, where it debuted at number 63.
"A.D.H.D" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar from his debut studio album, Section.80 (2011). The song was produced by frequent collaborator and Top Dawg in-house producer Sounwave, of Digi+Phonics.
"Poetic Justice" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his major-label debut studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). The song, produced by American record producer Scoop DeVille, features a verse from Canadian rapper Drake. The song was released as the album's fourth official single, due to its positive response.
"Fuckin' Problems" is a song by American rapper ASAP Rocky featuring Canadian rapper Drake and fellow American rappers 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar. It was released on October 24, 2012, as the second single from Rocky's debut studio album Long. Live. ASAP (2013), and was later released to radio on November 27, 2012.
"M.A.A.D City" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his second studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). The song, which appears as the eighth track on the album, features a guest appearance from fellow Compton native and West Coast rapper MC Eiht. The song was produced by Top Dawg in-house producers THC and Sounwave for the first part of the instrumental, and Terrace Martin for the second part. The song peaked at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe", is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his major-label debut studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). The song, produced by frequent collaborator Sounwave of Top Dawg Entertainment in-house production team Digi+Phonics, heavily samples "Tiden Flyver", by Danish electronic group Boom Clap Bachelors. It was originally intended to be a collaboration with American singer Lady Gaga, but her contributions were ultimately excluded from the final recording due to timing issues. A remix of "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" featuring American rapper Jay-Z was sent to radio as the album's fifth single on March 21, 2013, with the original version and another remix featuring British singer Emeli Sandé later being released.
"Backseat Freestyle" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It debuted on October 15, 2012 in the United Kingdom as the third single from Lamar's second studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). It was released in the United States with the album's release on October 22, 2012. "Backseat Freestyle" was written by Lamar and Chauncey Hollis and produced by Hollis under his stage name Hit-Boy.
"Money Trees" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, taken from his major label debut studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). The song, which appears as the fifth track on the album, features a guest appearance from his Black Hippy cohort, fellow American rapper Jay Rock, and was produced by DJ Dahi. It entered the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart at number 19 due to high downloads, following the album's release. The song, mixed by Top Dawg engineer Derek "MixedByAIi" Ali, features background vocals from American singer Anna Wise of Sonnymoon. Money Trees samples the Beach House song "Silver Soul", from their 2010 album Teen Dream, as well as vocals from Lamar's "Cartoon and Cereal" and interpolates lyrics from E-40's "Big Ballin' With My Homies".
Mark Anthony Spears, known professionally as Sounwave, is an American record producer and songwriter. He is a frequent collaborator of rapper Kendrick Lamar, having worked on all of his projects since his 2009 self-titled extended play. Sounwave has also worked with artists such as Taylor Swift, Chloe x Halle, Baby Keem, Mac Miller, and Bleachers. He has won three Grammy Awards, including two for Best Rap Album.
Richard Welton Morales Jr., better known by his stage name Gunplay, is an American rapper from Carol City, Florida. He is best known for his association with fellow Florida-based rapper Rick Ross, with whom he formed the hip hop group Triple C's in 2005, along with rappers Torch and Young Breed. Following their debut album, Custom Cars & Cycles (2009), Morales signed a solo recording contract with Ross' Maybach Music Group, which entered a joint venture with Def Jam Recordings in July 2012. His debut studio album, Living Legend (2015), narrowly entered the Billboard 200 and served as his only release on a major label.
Derrick Hutchins, Jr., better known as his stage name Skhye Hutch, is an American hip hop record producer from Los Angeles, California. The two-time Grammy nominee attended Pacific Palisades High School and graduated from the Musicians Institution in 2004.
"Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst" is a song by American hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar, from his major label debut studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). The song, which appears as the tenth track on the album, was released as a regular album track. It is one of Lamar's lengthier songs, clocking in at twelve minutes and three seconds. The song is split into two parts, the first part, titled "Sing About Me", which is about seven minutes, and the second part, titled "I'm Dying of Thirst", is approximately two minutes and fifty-seconds. There is a skit in between the two parts and another one after the second section. "Sing About Me" samples Grant Green's "Maybe Tomorrow" and the drum break from the track "Use Me" by Bill Withers, while "I'm Dying of Thirst" samples The Singers Unlimited cover of "My Romance".
American rapper Kendrick Lamar has appeared in 73 music videos, including 37 featured appearances and one uncredited appearance. He has also released three short films and was featured in numerous television shows. For his debut studio album, Section.80 (2011), Lamar released music videos for his debut single "HiiiPower", "Tammy's Song, "A.D.H.D", and "Rigamortis", each helmed by various directors and released in 2011. He followed with a sole music video in 2012 for "Swimming Pools (Drank)", in support of his second album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. He released four more music videos for the album in 2013, and made his debut as a music video director with the video for "Backseat Freestyle". He debuted as a film producer with the short film M.A.A.D (2014), which was directed by Khalil Joseph and inspired by Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.
"Family Ties" is a song by American rappers Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar. The song was released on August 27, 2021, by Columbia Records and pgLang. The song serves as the fourth single from Keem's debut album, The Melodic Blue. The song also serves as Lamar’s first musical release under pgLang, a production company he co-founded in March 2020.
"Sherane a.k.a Master Splinter's Daughter" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his major-label debut studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012).
