If Planet Earth had testicles, they'd belong to Kendrick Lamar. Because, proverbially, homie's got the world by the balls.
With five critically acclaimed mixtapes and an independent release already under his belt, it's easy to forget that the Compton MC's first major-label LP hasn't even dropped yet. The much-blogged about Good Kid, Mad City (stylized good kid, m.A.A.d city) isn't due until October 22, but Lamar's already generating more media attention than a Mitt Romney gaffe.
At a recent Good Kid, Mad City preview listening party, Rolling Stone called the record -- what they'd heard, at least -- "precious," citing Lamar's "double-time barrages of syllables" and the album's "fierce drumbreak loops that screw your face up."
Raised on N.W.A.'s hood-life narratives and influenced by his own upbringing on the very streets that his mentor, Dr. Dre, depicts in his music, Lamar's portrayal of present-day South Central L.A. isn't only vivid. It's essential.
"Some of the best music comes from failure," Lamar recently told Def Pen Radio. "People just want to talk about situations they can't say through a regular conversation. It comes out better through sounds and melodies."
Sure. Especially when you sprinkle a lil' Black Hippy, a dash of Lady Gaga, and a whole lot of "Pussy and Patron" into the mix.
Black Hippy
An independent record label and its four-man roster was all it took for Black Hippy to take off. Made up of Lamar, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, and Schoolboy Q, this West Coast rap crew has been "perfecting the craft," Kendrick told the Fader, for about seven years. "We've just been in the studio since," he says. "That same studio."
Clearly, the dedication has paid off. Black Hippy is one of the most talked about rap crews in a conversation flooded with buzz bands and fleeting trends. In July 2011, Midwestern MC Tech N9ne called them "the new N.W.A.," the ultimate compliment.
But don't expect Black Hippy to release its Straight Outta Compton anytime soon. Schoolboy Q recently told Page 31 that the idea of a collaborative record is "corny."
"Why we can't just do our own shit?" he asks. "[A group album] will never come out right."
Lady Gaga
In the late '80s and early '90s, it would've been too weird for a 25-year-old rapper to become friends with a 26-year-old pop star who wears dresses made of raw meat and refers to her fans as "little monsters." In 2012, however, it's a perfectly natural musical friendship.
"We got something in the works," Lamar recently said in an interview with MuchMusic. "[Lady Gaga] reached out, just being a fan of hip-hop, being a fan of music."
In particular, Gaga really loves "The Recipe," Kendrick's first single off Good Kid, Mad City. She tweeted about it earlier this year and even watched Lamar's mid-day set at the Pitchfork Music Festival.
Life is good when Mother Monster's in your corner. But it certainly doesn't beat....
Pussy and Patron
Some might find it crass. But Lamar can never get enough booze. Or female companionship. When "going through something with life," Dr. Kendrick recommends soothing the pain with a healthy swig of "Pussy and Patron." And when having "Sex with Society," you simply have to "keep the pussy wet," just like the gangsta rap forefathers of yesteryear. (See: Eazy-E's "Gimme that Nut.")
It may be dirty, possibly even "stankin'" like Eazy's girl, but it'll never be in short supply. Pussy's just another one of rap's time-honored symbols, like money and weed. Embrace it.
Kendrick Lamar. Thursday, September 27. Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets cost $28 to $35 plus fees via livenation.com. All ages. Call 305-673-7300 or visit fillmoremb.com.
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