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Every Kendrick Lamar Song, Ranked
Volatility is the Compton rapper’s native tongue.
An overlooked “Heart” entry that works as both the opening and closing credits to GKMC, extending appreciation to Kendrick’s supporters and influences, most notably DMX: “Thank God for the album I idolized / It’s dark and plus hell is hot, that’s the start of this crazy ride.” Where “The Art of Peer Pressure” condenses a fraught period in Kendrick’s life to “one lucky night,” this takes the inverse approach, dilating a mundane activity — eating cereal while watching cartoons — into an unsettling mood piece about a childhood split between joyful and menacing environments. “Wesley’s Theory” is the nightmare to the dreamy hope of “Money Trees” and “County Building Blues.” After opening with a sample of Boris Gardiner’s “Every Nigger Is a Star,” the track hurls Kendrick into a tar pit of liquid bass lines, synth sirens, and warped shrieks and screams.
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