Kendrick Lamar's Good Kid, M.A.A.D City Review Roundup

Kendrick Lamar is the artist on everyone's lips at the moment. A Bona fide member of the Black Hippy crew, along with fellow West Coast rappers and label mates Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul, Lamar's latest album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City is receiving rave reviews.

"The West Coast rapper's major-label debut studio album, "good kid, M.A.A.D. city" (Top Dawg Entertainment/ Aftermath/Interscope), breathes life into the game with the art of storytelling," say Billboard.com in a positive review, which goes on to say "An ethos of freedom -- of both internal and external -- builds throughout the album, as Kendrick tells of his story through the creative outlet that saved him from an alternate life ending." Popular review site Pitchfork gave the record an impressive 9.5, and slapped their "best new music" label firmly on it's cover, saying: "All this weighty material might make good kid, M.A.A.D city sound like a bit of a drag. But the miracle of this album is how it ties straightforward rap thrills-- dazzling lyrical virtuosity, slick quotables, pulverizing beats, star turns from guest rappers-- directly to its narrative."

Elsewhere, Metacritic compiled 19 reviews and awarded the album 91/100, which well and truly categorizes it as "universally acclaimed". Section.80, Lamar's previous release was a great success, but it looks as though the West Coast boy has stepped up his game to deliver a true hip-hop masterpiece. Go buy it!