Kendrick Lamar is known for producing fantastic bodies of work. Since his debut album, Section 80, the Compton artist has consistently released carefully crafted albums, many considered classics.
With the backing of Dr Dre on Aftermath, Lamar’s major label 2012 debut Good Kid, m.A.A.d City went straight to number one. Ever since he has been a force concerning full-length bodies of work. In 2015, the California rhymer released To Pimp A butterfly which was then followed by DAMN and last year Mr Morales And The Big Steppers.
Earlier this year, Anthony D’aliesio of the NFR Podcast unveiled the Good Kid, m.A.A.d City album’s tracks were recorded to be re-arranged in three different ways, all of which convey a different message.
Speaking to fans, he explained, “I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but there are three different ways to listen to Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. The first way is the way we all know and love. It’s the actual tracklist.” However, D’aliesio proceeded to reveal, “The second way is the chronological order! If you pay attention to the storyline and lyrics of [the album] and go into the writing, there’s a different order!” The personality also drew attention to a third way involving voice calls.
However, more recently, the podcast host has revealed how each of Lamar’s solo albums is individually related to each other. Speaking to his co-host, D’aliesio stated, “I’m not sure if you’ve ever noticed this, but there is actually a connection between each and every Kendrick Lamar album, and it’s that they each represent a different media form.”
He detailed, “Section.80, this is actually a novel. If you pay attention to songs like ‘Chapter Six’ and ‘Chapter Ten,’ if you pay attention to the narrator. The way it starts off the album with everyone telling personal stories. It feels like a book and a novel!”
D’aliesio then commented on Kendrick’s sophomore album, explaining, “GKMC [Good Kid, M.A.A.D City] is obviously a movie! ‘A short film by Kendrick Lamar’ on the title. Not only that, if you pay attention to the tracklist and all the skits, it’s extremely cinematic. You can listen to it in different orders. It feels like a movie.”
He then highlighted in depth how To Pimp A Butterfly is like a poem and highlighted how DAMN. is a magazine and likened the font of its cover to that of TIME magazine and even made fans aware of how the song tracks are formatted like headlines. He concluded by calling Mr Morale ANd The Big Steppers a theatre play, drawing attention to the different acts the album presents. You can listen to D’aliesio’s break down in the video below.