Good Kid m.A.A.d City: The Story Behind A Classic

The year is 2012. Trayvon Martin was gunned down in Florida at the beginning of the year, Linsanity ran wild over the NBA for some time, ‘Gangnam Style’ took the world by storm, the mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado during a midnight screening of the film The Dark Knight Rises occurs, and Serena Williams won the U.S. Open title.
Serena won in September of that year but just a month later in October, Kendrick Lamar dropped what’s regarded as one of if not the greatest albums in history with ‘Good Kid M.A.A.D City’. Make sure to watch the video to see the story behind the album.
Instagram: @theworldofdre
TikTok: cloutcancun
Link to videos used:
(Kendrick Lamar - Interview / A Little Appalled (Freestyle))
• Kendrick Lamar - Inter...
(Kendrick Lamar EP DEC 31)
• Kendrick Lamar EP DEC 31
(Kendrick Lamar Vlog)
• Kendrick Lamar Vlog
(Kendrick Lamar - Celebration / P & P Video Teaser HQ)
• Kendrick Lamar - Celeb...
(Kendrick Lamar - She Needs Me - BTS Vlog/ Teaser)
• Kendrick Lamar - She N...
(Little Brother x Kendrick Lamar x Key Club)
• Little Brother x Kendr...
(Kendrick Lamar & Dr. Dre working on)
• Kendrick Lamar & Dr. D...
(Kendrick Lamar "No Time Like Now")
• Kendrick Lamar "No Tim...
(Kendrick Lamar Gets Passed Down Torch HiiiPower Live Music Box Los Angeles, CA 8/19/11)
• Kendrick Lamar Gets Pa...
#goodkidmaadcity #schoolboyq #topdawgentertainment

[@cloutcancun]

Where were you at when this album dropped?

[@deandremelvin4390]

Senior year of college

[@1hendrixx7]

11 years old

[@bed-of-roses]

Pretty sure I was in middle school

[@mrsmiley707]

6th grade

[@Tacana_Redd_Sox]

I was 32 and living in Rialto California. I was hyped for it and it definitely delivered.

[@MarkHallOfFame]

2012 was such a memorable year for me. I got my first car that year. Got First decent job that year. Fell In love and got my heart broke that year.😂😂😂 But that damn GKMC was ABSOLUTELY a highlight in my life that year. An absolutely FLAWLESS album. Easily one of my Top 5 favorite albums of all time. I put it up there with Me Against The World, Doggystyle, Thug Motivation 101, Graduation etc. A F**kin MASTERPIECE!!!🔥🔥🔥

[@raphael9783]

Same. Just turned 22. Just got my first car. I had GKMC, New jet city (currensy), onifc (wiz) and asap rockys tape in heavy rotation. I was living a lifestyle similar to what kendrick was rapping about. I was riding around fuckin chicks I ain't had no business fucking with. Me and my friends were once close-knit, doing whatever to get a little money and trying to rap only for us to grow apart, me to make different choices and ascend, turn my life around, and start a career in the same neighborhood I did all that in. Blessings to you.

[@GeezyNYC3]

Graduation over LATE REGISTRATION 🙃

[@kalypsxo]

There are several songs from the album I’ve kept on constant rotation for the last decade. The album is a work of art. So is TPAB, but you can literally see the van and be taken right into this album

[@merpfgalaxy4906]

Alright unc

[@karasmith348]

Same! Well, 2011 for me. Ironically take care & good kid maad city were the only full cds i had in my car (everything else was on my iPod)

[@dezzy_yates]

2012 holds a special place in my heart: Worked on two music projects while navigating this space with my ex-manager. During some of the writing and recording sessions, we had Kendrick playing. My producer and big brother, Tu Degrees, was heavy on me about writing something that could compete with that. My ex manager was shopping my mixtapes around to several people and was trying to get it into hands of Kendrick’s people I believe. I was in a dark space trying to find out where to go after graduating high school and not being where I thought I was. I spent most of that year very lost and confused. My friends and I rode around listening to this thinking we really were lacking. We headed to the studio and created tons of music refining our sound. To this day, this album is one of those that personally pushes me to do better with my craft. We actually recorded a song during that time, Sonic Boom, that got reworked over the years and found it’s way on the the Street Fighter 6 hip hop album with Benny the Butcher, Dave East, Royce Da 5’9, and a few other well known emcees. I got saved in September around the 24 with my now wife, then girlfriend. We both were going through a lot and I remember Swimminng Pools was one of them songs that made me sit down and think about my life and where it was going. I ended that year on a very big high note.

[@JoshuaStHill]

This album literally changed my life… the renaissance of real

[@diesel101raw]

I Will Never Get Over the Fact that Andre 3000 was Suppose to be on B Don't Kill My Vibe 😣🥲

[@ignorantenlightenment]

This dropped my freshman year of college, so many memories and nostalgia surrounding this every time I hear it 😢😂

[@IDoubleJ]

14 years old when this released. I listened to section 80 months before this released. I still listen to good kid m.A.A.d city. Great body of work

[@lordkwazz36]

Literally the first album I ever bought. Straight up CLASSIC. Man, what a time that was. So many memories

[@4DaFam]

Man I really miss the early 2010s rap scene. Lyricist were making a huge comeback in mainstream Hip Hop. I didn’t catch on to Kendrick until a year prior to GKMC. First song I ever heard by him was Hol Up. Instantly became a fan and I was hooked to Section 80. He became my favorite rapper soon after that. I was getting into heated debates my senior year that he’s better than Cole, Em, etc. When he dropped GKMC I had that shit playing every day my senior year. My biggest regret is I could’ve seen him in concert at this small venue in Tampa but decided to go to the A$AP Mob concert with Danny Brown & Schoolboy Q instead. Wish I could’ve seen Kendrick before he became what he is now. Legendary album 🙌🏾

[@FightEuphoria]

Crazy Kendrick sung “B***h don’t kill my vibe” way better than Gaga lol

[@OrbitPoops]

When good kid maad city came out I was 19, fighting for my life with a drug abuse. Now I’m 18 with a family of four and free from drugs, thank you Kendrick.

[@cobylawson1965]

That’s what’s up. Congratulations! I knew someone who struggled with it for years but she finally broke free of it, so I know how difficult it can be. Shout out to you for continuing to move forward. ✌🏾

[@Flavourfull_calvanized_steel]

How You got younger tho? Whats the secret🧐

[@Folksluv_spidamann]

Yall hes joking

[@Georges_IV]

@@Flavourfull_calvanized_steelthe album was so good he aged backwards

[@ipissedonthemoon4066]

idk if im tripping but he meant to say 28 ig

[@jalenchildress716]

So I was 16 years old in a boarding school on Fort Knox when this dropped and had been in juvie for 7 months prior to that. So the first time I ever heard Kendrick was when we got a leave for whatever holiday is in September. Omw back to the drop off location to go back to Fort Knox I hear this song on the radio talking about “ I got a swimming pool fulla liquor ima dive in it “ with this alien sounding audio effects and this super infectious melody. So the shit was stuck in my head the next few days after I get back and one of the other dudes down there heard me kinda humming/mumbling and was like “ DUDE WTF IS THAT SONG “ i told em idk but i heard it on leave and it’s fire af. We go ask another group if they knew and they didn’t either but EVERYONE knew the song and loved that shit and we only went home for 2 damn days. I will never forget the impact Kendrick had on me and every other black boy out there

[@diesel101raw]

2010's Album of the Decade

[@bed-of-roses]

“I can feel your energy from two planets away”

[@theblaccmarket9506]

was bumping this after my first stint in the mental hospital. got me thru the next 2 years. THANK YOU KUNG FU KENNY

[@PapaJRuiz]

iii remember riding all throughout my city Aurora, Colorado listening to this album! Life Changer!

[@unprofessionaltrader6743]

Hell yeah bro just sat down with some food and saw this just uploaded

[@cloutcancun]

The best way to watch! FACTS

[@SavageKE]

I was like 12 or 13 when this dropped i remember downloading the whole album on my blackberry

[@Soldierboy39]

Great video as usual! Couldn't wait to watch when I saw you uploaded this. Definitely a classic album!

[@hugheswhiteman1674]

Kendrick shows these kids that being authentic delivers. This is possibly the last dope pure hip hop album.

[@dwaynejpeterkin]

Killer mike dropped a great album and jid

[@TommyTenderoni]

"I know you didn't give him the one with the shenanigans" man I love this album

[@kingpinpasta2934]

I heard the album for the first time in 2014 when I was on plane coming back from summer break. I couldn’t stop bobbing my head aggressively clearly embarrassing my mom every time a flight attendant would walk by

[@brianban110]

Thank you for making me feel old. This album came out when i was in my late teens and early 20s. Still one of my favs

[@rayrawket]

I was headed down a troubled past Got in a jam that year that took the next 5 to get out of. I remember living with my grandmother and aunt when this came out. It was very different in a refreshing way

[@saltysaltbox]

I was actually in 3rd grade when this album came out. My sister was 15 at the time and my brother 22. They loved this album, i remember hearing swimming pools and i fell in love with the beat and music. I still listen to this song beginning to end. Beautiful story.

[@davidhey52]

Great Job Bro, hope you’ll soon license your videos to major companies, you’re that good rt

[@jchhch4966]

2012 was a great year for me! I had just finished college after serving for 4 years in the navy. I met my wife in March of that year, got married in September and moved from San Diego to Sacramento in October. I listened to this album heavy during that time and it reminds me of that time. Young optimism and martial bliss!

[@tutistic7743]

Wonderful video man! The next segment you should do is illmatic. Another classic that I know that you would do great on! I love your videos by the way and you're killing it 💪💯

[@G0ATTARIUS]

“REAL” is my favorite song off the album. That shit brought tears to my eyes fr

[@1992CaliBoy]

I remember listening to kendrick thru a homie of mine. He and i werent super close but we both loved hip hop (real rap/undergound) and thats how we connected. He played money trees, maad city (the leaked versions summer 2012) and cut you off. My first thoughts "this guy is unique, hes so different" and fell in love with his music since. He spoke about sh u didnt hear on the radio (conscious rap) and him coming from compton, i knew it was the next big thing. Because kendrick could have rapped about shootings, lowriders, 40oz, Funk, banging, typical california shit like ice cube, eazy, dr dre, dj quik, suga free. But he chose to rap about REAL people behind those shootings, banging, killings etc. just gave it another dimension.

[@darksamuraidmt98]

Kong foo Kenny, K dot , King Kendrick, Mr big setper 🔥🔥🔥 I wonder what story Kendrick Lamar is going to tell us next

[@WestCoastCheeseHead]

I was a sophomore in HS in 2012 this album was perfect for the kids in the ghetto that ain’t bad, being able to relate to songs like Money Trees, Sherane and swimming pools was something that won’t me hit again like it did at that point in my life

[@othelliusmaximus]

My favorite Kendrick album

[@trewilliams3453]

Man I was only 12 but had this album in rotation

[@Niqueguala415]

I bought the “bitch don’t kill my vibe” I still have that sweatshirt til this day !!!! I fucking love it ❤❤❤❤

[@MrBadavidson9]

It always needs to be mentioned that section 80 was sold but also offered for free and promoted that way so the numbers are a lie because that’s just sales and everyone downloaded it

[@jojowalker6560]

You knocked it out the park with this one good kid mad city high school days those were dope days for me. That instrumental intro is real nice what's the name of it

[@LeleMsebenzi]

GKMC My Favourite Hip Hop Album OF ALL TIME!! ❤

[@SecretSocietyofGoths]

the recipe made for a perfect deep cut. around that time i was bar tending in tyler tx and me and my bros were jamming good kidd non stop. and we really love the bigger songs that played at the bar but the recipe was more of a song we played back at the crib while we were trying to just be ourselves

[@apolosteez47]

Classic Album 😤

[@zedz1989]

One of the best albums ever🙌🏾🔥

[@nicolesherman8974]

A classic and a cultural rest for sure 🔥

[@mjlilray23]

I was born in 2010 but I some how remember that my big bro an mom at 5 years old they used to bump swimming pools an alright n adhd 🔥🔥🔥🔥 good times and now as I grown up I am the #1 Kendrick Lamar fan off ALL TIME 💯💯💯 the art of peer pressure caught my eye, and I listen to the whole album of gkmc oh my God Kendrick take my v 🔥🔥🔥🔥💯💯💯💯💯😭😭😭😭😭

[@ipissedonthemoon4066]

also 2010 person here, im the bigger fan 😈

[@mjlilray23]

@@ipissedonthemoon4066 i’m the bigger fan Lil Bro I don’t know what u talking about

[@ipissedonthemoon4066]

@@mjlilray23 oh nah keep cappin, im the biggest fan

[@mjlilray23]

@@ipissedonthemoon4066 (finish the lyrics) pool full of

[@K1ngSamu3ls]

When i heard Cartoon n Cereal for the first time.....

[@thelashaunlove]

This couldn't have dropped at a worse time for me personally lol. Was a sophomore in college and just became a Christian. Kinda gave up secular music at the time and couldn't appreciate it. Finally ran it back in like 2016 and was able to really appreciate it for the classic it is.

[@gordophunkin]

Im young as hell but 2012 will forver be cemented in my head. I lived in a house full of gangbangers and little kids and i remember my uncles playing good kidd mad city and watching shit go fucking nuts. People getting fucked, up beat, partying like theres no tm. I was the kid drawing on everyones faces and fucking with them with my gangbanger ass uncles and dad going crazy on mfs shit makes me cry cuz i party like they did but i know ill never that feeling hearing swiming pools watching my family togther happy ya know like its sum u never think to appreciate until ur older

[@qsmooth7805]

Awesome

[@MrCalverino]

I never jammed any of Kendrick's other albums...I'm so stuck on Section 80 no lie- It's tooo gud I can't get enough

[@YaMommaFav]

I think I was a freshman in high school when this came out and my mom copped a bootleg I played this shit until the cd skipped this whole album made me a Kendrick fan

[@youngm.a.r.s2614]

Crazy I was 13 yrs old when this album dropped, now I’m 25.

[@TheMilkcracker]

Such a good video thanks for your hard work

[@GDSprodify]

I remember being a freshman in HS going around letting people know on Oct 22, 2012 that “The Best Album Ever Dropped”, No one really knew about K. Dot except for ‘The Recipe’ and ‘Swimming Pools’ but a month later after F-N Problems he blew up before 2013 even came lol

[@4Getter]

Love your videos bro I’m late as shit to the party but fuck it we out here 😂🎉

[@RegalToneT]

Gaga would have given it a different vibe to be honest. Her superstar would have overshadowed him and he didn’t need that as a young up and coming artist. It wasn’t meant to be

[@Notorious_BigSmoke]

fire vid bro🔥…..i been praying for a take care, nwt or iyrtitl vid since last year🤲😭

[@jacobbrent9839]

🗣️🔥

[@Peacefullybroken410]

Classic album by Kendrick 💯

[@keeseagainsttheworld2106]

Still haven't heard the full album yet

[@pastense]

TERRACE, not Terrence

[@teslafieldphysics4041]

Listen to Swimming Pools. Listen to Rihanna’s Pour it up. Same.

[@jessicgon]

My FAV álbum

[@SHVWXXIV]

I was in the 8th grade when GKMD dropped and in the 7th when Section 80 dropped

[@ЭмильПалеев]

Classic

[@MrCalverino]

we was supposed to die December 21st 2012 🤣😭

[@Saeidbeatz]

Please break down ,, How to pimp a butterfly‘‘ by kendrick lamar it would be very interesting

[@Motle009]

I always say this about Kendrick had he not signed to Aftermath and Interscope he would have not been one of the biggest rappers of the 2010’s. He would have been another Rass Kass, Talib Kweli, or Lupe Fiasco. Even if he signed a deal with a major label I feel not having the Dr Dre backing or machine his albums would have never sold what they did, he wouldnt be mentioned as the big 3x, you wouldn’t have seen the Pulitzer Prize, and any of the major accolades he has gotten in the past decade. Now this is not to say he wouldn’t receive praises or great reviews. I’m just saying he wouldn’t be put on this pedestal had he never signed to Dr Dre or Interscope. Even though I credit TDE and the team he worked with over there to create all his albums. TDE back in 2012 wasn’t well known to the majority of people and were just starting to get off the ground. Signing to Dr Dre was the stamp of approval they needed to get people to really pay attention to Kendrick. What I’m getting at is Dr Dre is a brand and the most recognizable brand when it comes to hip hop. Not to mention when it comes to signing rappers and producing the majority of people think of Dr Dre they think ear for talented rappers and ones that become superstars. Especially when it comes to names like Snoop Dogg and Eminem, so just having that backing as well as the cosigned from West Coast rap, legends, and going on that tour with Drake and getting a feature really boosted Kendrick’s name and really helped put him at the top of the rap game. Without that I don’t feel you would be seeing as many videos as you do on Kendrick today on KZbin as well as I don’t think he would have the fan he does. He never been attached to the Dr Dre brand

[@blakseed]

Cool story, bro. Now do an essay on why Drake wouldn't be where he is without Wayne and the backing he had.

[@TokyoCaliLove]

Can we get a Nipsey video ?

[@GBabyGencher94]

The greatest album of all time 😂😂😂 What are you 16?

[@HairJordan-23]

I am 15 and I still said hell no

[@PalatialSlumlord5183]

DOT was signed to Aftermath when he dropped but we knew about Section 80. coming out b4 he got signed tho bc he was working on it b4 the deal. The Game never had the torch of the west bc they knew he was a fraud but a good rapper. The loop for Maad City still uses the BB King sample that Ice Cube used for Bird In The Hand

[@Meatloaf_man]

“Kendrick and drake have been working with each other for a while” POV: 2024

[@mattgursky5703]

THANK GOD Lady Gaga was not on don't kill my vibe

[@aaroninlatin]

My reaction was to listen to nothing else for weeks.

[@kobesystemyourwelcome8817]

I'm glad the OG version of kill my vibe didn't make it it sounded tarsh with lady Gaga on there

[@Dc225_]

33:35 damn, whatd the NBA do to you?

[@LoganBell-o1z]

I was born

[@sdoyajdartistwho]

Lady Gaga on bitch don't kill my vibe is crazyyy🤣🤣🤣🤣that song they had that didn't make it was hot garbage

[@Vestavia-cq5fh]

0:12 He really wasn't this good person like the fake news made him look out to be and that's The Real Truth. *But He Didn't Deserve That*

[@Jimmyhendrixx21]

Relevance?

[@MLawrence-z9k]

Backstreet Freestyle really doesn't fit the vibe of the album & its the only track i have a issue with on that album!!! That song fits better on Section 80

[@TSA1D1]

$tainLife

[@legendinthemaking9861]

Man thank god he kept Gaga off. Her version was 🗑 🚮