Good Kid, M.A.A.D City

現在のHip Hopシーン最重要ラッパーの一人と言える、Kendrick Lamarがメジャー・デビュー作として発表した2ndアルバム『good kid, m.A.A.d city』(2012)の10周年を飾るリイシュー企画。180g重量盤ブラック・ヴァイナル2LP仕様

Hip-hop debuts don't come much more "highly anticipated" than Kendrick Lamar's. A series of killer mixtapes displayed his talent for thought-provoking street lyrics delivered with an attention-grabbing flow, and then there was his membership in the Black Hippy crew with his brethren Ab-Soul, Schoolboy Q, and Jay Rock all issuing solo releases that pleased the "true hip-hop" set, setting the stage for a massive fourth and final. Top it off with a pre-release XXL Magazine cover that he shared with his label boss and all-around legend Dr. Dre, and the "biggest debut since Illmatic" stuff starts to flow, but Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City would be a milestone even without the back-story, offering cool and compelling lyrics, great guests (Drake, Dr. Dre, and MC Eiht) and attractive production (from Pharrell, Just Blaze, Tabu, and others). Here, Kendrick is living his life like status and cash were extra credit. It is what makes this kid so "good" as he navigates his "mad" city (Compton) with experience and wisdom beyond his years (25). He's shamelessly bold about the allure of the trap, contrasting the sickness of his city with the universal feeling of getting homesick, and carrying a Springsteen-sized love for the home team. Course, in his gang-ruled city, N.W.A. was the home team, but as the truly beautiful, steeped-in-soul, biographic key track "The Art of Peer Pressure" finds a reluctant young Kendrick and his friends feeding off the life-force of Young Jeezy's debut album, it's something Clash, Public Enemy, and all other rebel music fans can relate to. Still, when he realizes that hero Jeezy must have risen above the game -- because the real playas are damned and never show their faces -- it spawns a kind of elevated gangsta rap that's as pimp-connectable as the most vicious Eazy-E, and yet poignant enough to blow the dust off any cracked soul. Equally heavy is the cautionary tale of drank dubbed "Swimming Pools," yet that highlight is as hooky and hallucinatory as most Houston drank anthems, and breaks off into one of the chilling, cassette-quality interludes that connect the album, adding to the documentary or eavesdropping quality of it all. Soul children will experience deja vu when "Poetic Justice" slides by with its Janet Jackson sample -- sounding like it came off his Aunt's VHS copy of the movie it's named after -- while the closing "Compton" is an anthem sure to make the Game jealous, featuring Dre in beast mode, acting pre-Chronic and pre-Death Row. This journey through the concrete jungle of Compton is worth taking because of the artistic richness within, plus the attraction of a whip-smart rapper flying high during his rookie season. Any hesitation about the horror of it all is quickly wiped away by Kendrick's mix of true talk, open heart, open mind, and extended hand. Add it all up and even without the hype, this one is still potent and smart enough to rise to the top of the pile. ~ David Jeffries

L Aを拠点とするレーベル、トップ・ドッグに所属し、昨年の“HiiiPower”で一躍その名を知らしめ、ドクター・ドレーが主宰するアフターマスとの契約をゲットしたいまもっともホットなラッパー、ケンドリック・ラマーのメジャー・デビュー・アルバム。ドレーの制作曲はないものの（数曲のミックスと客演のみ）、ヒット・ボーイやスクープ・デヴィル、テラス・マーティンら現行シーンで高い人気を誇るプロデューサーが名を連ね、ドレーをフィーチャーしたジャスト・ブレイズ作の“Compton”を筆頭に同郷コンプトンの重鎮MCエイトとのコラボなど聴きどころは多数。リアルなストリート・ライフを紡いでいくラマーのヒリヒリとするようなラップは聴き応え十分で、間違いなく今年を代表する作品となるはずだ。
bounce (C)升本徹