Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is an African-American rapper and songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the best rappers ever to hold a mic and the best rapper alive right now. He has one of the most consistent discographies in the music industry, with none of his projects having the ability to be called bad. But what kind of discography must you have to not only win multiple Grammys, not only be considered the West Coast Savior, and the King of New York (as an LA native), but also become the first rapper to win a Pulitzer prize? Come with me as we dive into the various projects of Kendrick Lamar, from (O)verly (D)edicated to GNX.
Below are ratings of every album and mixtape currently on DSPS as of 2024, so no self-titled mixtape, or C4. There will be two types of ratings, objective rating and personal rating. The objective rating is how good it actually is and the personal rating is how favorable the project is in my perspective.
(O)verly (D)edicated
Objective Rating: 6.5/10
Personal Rating 8/10
This may not be his first-ever project, but it is the oldest mixtape available on Spotify at the moment. This project talks about his experiences in Compton, CA, the city where he grew up, talking about topics such as violence, drug use, etc. This reminds me of a rough draft of Section 80, as I listened to that album first.
Best Song: Barbed Wire
Favorite Songs: Average Joe, Barbed Wire, HOC
Worst Song: Cut You Off (To Grow Closer)
Section.80
Objective Rating: 8/10
Personal Rating: 9/10
Kendrick’s first album, and for a debut album, this is relatively deep. It tackles topics such as drugs, youth in an impoverished neighborhood (such as Compton), and violence. It has polarizing songs such as Keisha’s Song, Her Pain, which talk about hard topics that most people would not enjoy listening to regularly. He made it so that every track on the album was necessary, and if one song was removed, the album would not make sense. Although No Make-Up is the worst song on the project, it is vital for the narrative of the album.
Best Song: Rigamortus
Favorite Songs: Chapter Six, Keisha’s Song (Her Pain), Blow My High (Members Only)
Worst Song: No Make-Up (Her Vice)
good kid, m.A.A.d city/(Deluxe)
Objective Rating: 8.5/10
Personal Rating: 7/10
His sophomore album, which led him to mainstream success. This delves deeper into the experiences in the city of Compton compared to his previous projects. It tells a vivid story of how he grew up with gang affiliations and violence being typical in his sight.
Best Song: Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst
Favorite Songs: Swimming Pools(Drank), Real, Now Or Never – Bonus Track
To Pimp A Butterfly
Objective Rating: 10/10
Personal Rating: 8.5/10
Regarded by most, including me, to be his magnum opus. The album talks about how it is to be an African-American person in the entertainment industry and America in general. The song Wesley’s Theory goes into detail about how “Uncle Sam” promises the young, ignorant black entertainer riches and fame, knowing that they would go bankrupt and end up like Wesley Snipes, hence the name. This album is critically acclaimed and named by Anthony Fantano, a popular and respected music critic, the album of the decade.
Best Song: King Kunta
Favorite Songs: You Ain’t Gotta Lie (Momma Said), Institutionalized, Mortal Man
untitled unmastered
Objective Rating: 8/10
Personal Rating: 8/10
A group of throwaways that didn’t make it into the previous To Pimp A Butterfly. That’s kind of it.
Best Song: untitled 05
Favorite Songs: untitled 02, untitled 06, untitled 08
Worst Song: untitled 01 or untitled 07
DAMN.
Objective Rating: 7.5/10
Personal Rating: 8/10
His most popular LP with every song on the project has over 100 million streams. The theme is his having to deal with his fame and human emotion, with most tracks on the album being named over human emotions, such as LOVE, LUST, HUMBLE, PRIDE, FEAR… There are songs in this project with intricate stories, such as FEAR, talking about his fears at the age of 7, 17, and 27, and how they vary significantly, and DUCKWORTH talks about the story of how his father’s workplace at the time got robbed by his future boss. The only thing is even though I have listened to this album so many times, I can’t see this album as a concept album. I only view it as a compilation album.
Best Song: DUCKWORTH.
Favorite Songs: DNA., ELEMENT., FEAR.
Black Panther The Album Music- From And Inspired By
Objective Rating: 7/10
Personal Rating 8/10
I was heavily debating reviewing this album. Although this is a very solid album, it is disregarded by most of his fanbase since it is just a soundtrack for the Black Panther Movie. Mostly filled with hits, it is honestly one of his most underrated projects.
Best Song: King’s Dead
Favorite Songs: X, Big Shot, The Ways
Worst Song: Opps
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
Objective Rating: 9/10
Personal Rating: 8.5/10
His first album in almost 5 years, this is his deepest album talking about how he got a therapist. He delves into topics such as his feelings about fame and how he doesn’t want the pressure of being the rap savior. He reminds us that he is still human, with human emotions and failures. This is also mentioned in Mortal Man in TPAB when he talks about how his fans should not put him on a pedestal to the point where they believe that he can’t do no wrong, because he can, and he does.
Best Song: Count Me Out
Favorite Songs: Count Me Out, Purple Hearts, Father Time
GNX
Objective Rating: 8/10
Personal Rating: 8/10
If you asked me to rate it when it came out I probably would have said that it was average, but the album has grown on me heavily. This project feels like an arguably better version of DAMN. The stories that are on this album are so immersing, showcasing his talent for storytelling. In The Real Heart pt. 6, he talks about his group Black Hippy– a group that he was in with his former labelmates in TDE, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, and Ab-Soul. He says that it was his fault that the group broke up. In Gloria, he makes it seem that he is talking about his longtime partner Whitney Alford and their relationship, but he actually shows that he is making a ballad to his pen. This is also a compilation album, but it doesn’t try to be a concept album like DAMN. You can see him letting loose and not taking it too seriously. I’d definitely be lying if it said that it was Album of The Year, especially with Tyler The Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA released this year.
Best Song: Heart pt. 6
Favorite Songs: Squabble Up, Dodger Blue, Gloria
Kendrick Lamar is a phenomenal rapper and artist, and he has made incredible projects and LPs, each varying in theme. His storytelling ability is what made him to become the greatest rapper of this generation.
