"[Kendrick Lamar] has gone above and beyond expectation, redefining the power of the long-player."
A defining hip-hop artist of his generation, Kendrick Lamar has been commanding stages, charts and headlines since his rapid ascent to worldwide stardom, all of which really kicked off in the wake of his second studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City in 2012.
Renowned for his position as master storyteller, a fireball of political commentary and socially conscious introspection, Lamar's success lies can be measured not just through his status as one of the most awarded rappers in hip hop history (22 Grammys wins, 57 Grammy nominations, the Pulitzer prize for DAMN in 2018, a BRIT award, MOBOs and countless BET Hip-Hop Awards) but in his sheer cultural relevance. The great American artist's writing is informed by his life story, a quiet kid who grew up in Section 8 housing in Compton, who witnessed his first murder at age 5 and fell into rapping after an interest in poetry at school. He remains devoted to the revitalisation of his hometown, of America, and his complex narratives explore Black American culture, reinterpreting Black intellect.
Following the release of GNX in 2024, becoming the first rapper to solo headline the Super Bowl and the entertaining escalation of his epic feud with Drake, it feels due time to take a look back on the rapper's much respected discography. Stepping up to the task is DOTWAV founder and Rough Trade East's very own Kieran Rushton.
"Let me preface this list by saying that this was an incredibly tricky task, it’s hard to compare the vastly different bodies of work from Kendrick Lamar. Each of them mean different things to other people. Each of them hold various sets of memories, which means the list is probably not the same for everyone!
Kendrick has songs for every mood. Starting right at the beginning with tracks like Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe which over 10 years later still gets played at parties with everyone singing along. Fast forward to the most recent surprise LP, GNX, which was released in November 2024 with tracks like luther and gloria with SZA, where Kendrick shows off his profound songwriting skills and ability to construct heart-melting melodies.
So, as we approach the 10th anniversary of To Pimp a Butterfly here’s how I would rank K Dot’s studio album discography...."
7. Section 80 (2011)
The debut studio album that laid the foundations for what Kendrick Lamar is all about. Written in his mother's kitchen and on his tour bus, Lamar aimed to create a record “as organic as possible”. The stripped-down record was partly created to comment on his generation and after seeing a friend of his get sentenced to 25 years in jail, Kendrick felt compelled to put the pain of this event on wax. Section.80 prominently features Lamar's storytelling songwriting technique, with multiple tracks focusing on two women named Tammy and Keisha and their hardships. The record touches on topics of cheating and going to parties and getting fucked up. Being the first studio release from Kendrick, the Top Dawg Entertainment crew heavily supported the production of the record and Kendrick’s now business partner of his PGlang imprint, Dave Free, took the picture for the cover art.
Best tracks: ADHD, F*ck Your Ethnicity
"Nothing is hidden, everything is laid out in the open, the concept style of the album makes it feel as if we are a fly on the wall during one of Kendrick's therapy sessions."
6. Mr Morale & The Big Steppers (2022)
Mr Morale is Kendrick’s therapy session laid out over a near triple LP worth of material. After a five-year hiatus from the limelight, Kendrick became a father to two children. During the recording process of Mr Morale, he shielded the new material from his family and friends, as he didn’t want external influences and feelings to override his own. Mr Morale is no doubt the most personal project in his discography.
Becoming a father, and leaving long-time label TDE to pursue his own creative company, PGlang, meant Kendrick was going through a transitional period of his life, saying in a statement he released before the release of the album "There's beauty in completion. And always faith in the unknown." Producer Sounwave said on record that the Mr Morale sessions were "one of the toughest creative processes imaginable" and he even contemplated quitting music due to the lack of new inspiration. These feelings are transparent on Mr Morale. Nothing is hidden, everything is laid out in the open, the concept style of the album makes it feel as if we are a fly on the wall during one of Kendrick's therapy sessions. With chilling features from Beth Gibbons and Ghostface Killah.
Best tracks: Saviour, Purple Hearts & Mother I Sober
5. GNX (2024)
Surprise album fresh off the back of his feud with Canadian pop star Drake, the Compton native pays homage to the car his parents drove him home from the hospital in, the 1987 Buick Grand National Regal GNX. This is where a young K Dot would be exposed to hip-hop, with his Dad playing Big Daddy Kane on the journey home. Staying true to the Westside, Kendrick enlists hip-hop powerhouse Mustard for multiple tracks on GNX. After producing the smash hit Not Like Us, it feels natural to have Mustard's sound sprinkled throughout the album, sounding almost as if they made all the tracks in the same session. GNX has an almost G Funk feel, especially on tracks like squabble up and tv off with Lefty Gunplay. Carrying the torch for the west, Kendrick features a bag of LA-based artists such as Dody6 and AzChike, many of whom haven’t collaborated with him before, continuing the energy of his 'Pop Out' free concert in June of 2024.
Mr. Lamar pulled no punches in 2024 and put his all into the feud, dropping 5 consecutive diss tracks and appearing on Future and Metro Boomin’s Like That, where he shuts down the idea of a ‘big three’. One can only wonder if GNX is a direct product of the rap beef or if the timing was just perfect.
Best tracks: man at the garden, gloria, peekaboo
4. untitled unmastered (2016)
“I made TPAB for you, told me to use my vocals to save mankind for you”
Scene: a year after Kendrick Lamar drops To Pimp a Butterfly, LeBron James makes a public statement requesting Anthony ‘Top Dawg’ Tiffith release the project titled untitled unmastered. Before the late great James went to bed that night, the album was uploaded to iTunes for all to hear.
The eight-track player doesn’t feel like demos, unfinished tracks or throwaways, it’s an experience in the mind of Kendrick Lamar when it comes to making music. The compilation takes the listener through a journey of jazz, funk, and rap sounds. The album beautifully collates its tracks to form a fully fledged LP without any prior information other than the date the song was recorded. Spanning the years of 2013-2016, it’s easy to see how TPAB was constructed after listening to untitled. Kendrick plays into similar themes and experiences that feature heavily on TPAB but untitled almost adds another layer of context to his creative direction, drowning the listener in a bath of his inspiration.
Best tracks: untitled 05 / 09.21.2014, untitled 07 / 2014-2016
"DAMN. could be the most accessible Kendrick LP, but the ideas that aren’t on the surface level require the listener to pay attention to reveal the deeper meaning."
3. DAMN. (2017)
“Wake up in the morning thinking about money, kick your feet up”
His most commercial body of work? Sure. But 2017’s DAMN. is the record that earned K Dot the Pulitzer Prize. The first record to receive the prize from an artist outside of the jazz and classical community to note, also. This was the first Kendrick LP I actively listened to upon release and it’s the one that has had me hooked ever since. The Collector's Edition features the track list in reverse order, which tells more of a story with a clear beginning and end. DAMN. seems to sit right in the middle of GKMC and TPAB. The dense lyrical themes are present but are paired with a refined set of productions from 9th Wonder, The Alchemist, and Steve Lacy among others. DAMN. could be the most accessible Kendrick LP, but the ideas that aren’t on the surface level require the listener to pay attention to reveal the deeper meaning. To me this record holds a heavy sense of "replayability", and holds tracks for every mood and feeling. The cover also will forever be legendary."
2.Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012)
A major label debut from Kendrick Lamar. With executive production handled by N.W.A’s Dr. Dre, Kendrick didn’t want to work with high-profile producers, instead opting to work with Top Dawg’s in-house team such as DJ Dahi and Sounwave, who now are most definitely high profile. The album features ScHoolboy Q’s handwriting on the cover, billing the record as a short film. Kendrick presents his innocent experience of growing up in Compton, surrounded by gang culture and drug abuse, the M.A.A.D in the title acts as an acronym with two meanings: 'My Angry Adolescence Divided' and 'My Angel's on Angel Dust'.
I feel like GKMC sets the tone for what fans expect to hear from Kendrick going forward. And over 10 years later the artist has not only done that but has gone above and beyond expectation, redefining the power of the long-player. He managed to create a cinematic masterpiece with true lyrical depth, all the while creating tracks that will continue to be played at various parties and functions until the end of time.
Best tracks: Real, Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst & Swimming Pools
1. To Pimp A Butterfly (2015)
The title of the record was originally To Pimp A Caterpillar, in homage to Tupac Shakur, but was later changed. David Bowie and Tony Visconti even said they were listening to it when making Bowie's Blackstar album. Expanding his web of collaborations and honing in on elements of jazz, funk, and soul, Kendrick created his magnum opus. Working with legendary artists such as George Clinton, Ronald Isley and Snoop Dogg and earning himself his first UK number one in the process, the politically charged To Pimp A Butterfly is arguably the most influential record from Kendrick Lamar, being quoted as "a pantheon for racial empowerment" and has been cited as creating a respected space for conscious hip-hop to thrive. Scrapping two or three albums worth of material after an influential trip to South Africa, Sounwave said that “something in [Kendrick’s] mind just clicked”.
"I felt like I belonged in Africa. I saw all the things that I wasn't taught. Probably one of the hardest things to do is put [together] a concept of how beautiful a place can be, and tell a person this while they're still in the ghettos of Compton. I wanted to put that experience in the music."
Kendrick Lamar
Best tracks: U, How Much A Dollar Cost, You Ain’t Gotta Lie (Momma Said)