Kendrick

There are not many moments in life where you can remember the first time you heard a particular artist or musician and knew you were a fan immediately. In the late summer of 2011, I remember the moment I first heard Kendrick Lamar. My brother had just burned me The Game's R.E.D. Album and I was listening to the intro. The second track, "The City" came on and I was already blown away by the melodic, soulful beat accompanied by the female vocals that sounded like a gospel followed by The Game's verse. And then I heard Kendrick Lamar. 

At that moment, I knew Kendrick Lamar was unlike anyone I had ever heard before. His voice is raspy, lyrics are poetic, and he raps in a way where he builds up by getting more and more aggressive almost as if he's telling a story and building to the climax with his flow. And then the outro. Oh my god.

I immediately downloaded his album Overly Dedicated on iTunes for $6.99 and was impressed at his true, lyrical talent. It's not rare to find a good lyricist in hip hop, but it is rare to find a game-changing lyricist. I listened to "Michael Jordan" first, purely based on the track title. Then I heard the rest of it and it was a chill album. Fast forward to six months later, and I got to see Kendrick Lamar perform for the first time when he opened for Drake at San Jose State. Not many people knew about Kendrick yet so his set was pretty short, but definitely short and sweet.

I don't even have words for Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City that will do justice for the level of talent on that album. But the first time I heard, "YACK!YACK!YACK!", I felt like I wanted to shoot a gun, metaphorically speaking. Well, not much has changed since the first time I heard the song because I pretty much go nuts anytime I hear, "M.A.A.D. City." 

I love Kendrick Lamar because he is gangsta rap in a generation where people say hip hop is dead or 'true' rap doesn't exist anymore. At a time when people miss rappers like Tupac and Biggie, Kendrick brings poetic, street rap back to the forefront. Representing Compton for the rough city it is, Kenrdick Lamar always goes hard and never disappoints. 

Don't even get me started on "Control."