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Kendrick Lamar (EP)

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Kendrick Lamar
EP by
ReleasedDecember 31, 2009 (2009-12-31)
Recorded2009
Studio
GenreHip hop
Length62:28
LabelTDE
Producer
Kendrick Lamar chronology
C4
(2009)
Kendrick Lamar
(2009)
Overly Dedicated
(2010)

Kendrick Lamar (also referred to as The Kendrick Lamar EP) is the eponymous debut extended play (EP) by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on December 31, 2009, through Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), as a free digital download.[1] It is Lamar's first project to be released under his birth name; he previously released music under the stage name K.Dot from 2003 to late 2009.

Production on Kendrick Lamar was handled by Sounwave, Black Milk, Jake One, Q-Tip and Wyldfyer, among others. It features guest appearances from Angela McCluskey, Ab-Soul, JaVonte, Jay Rock, BJ the Chicago Kid, Punch, Schoolboy Q and Big Pooh. The EP premiered exclusively on DatPiff, and has since been downloaded over 1 million times on the platform.[2]

Critical reception

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Shawn Setaro of Complex appreciated the EP for sharing a glimpse of Lamar's artistry, adding that the reason why the project has resonated with audiences years after its release is because of his consistency. He also noted that several themes and characters that would be the focal point in Lamar's later albums, such as the title of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012), were introduced for the first time on Kendrick Lamar.[3] Writing for HotNewHipHop, Caleb Hardy described the EP as a "straining" listen. He criticized the "half-baked" nature of its production and songwriting, but acknowledged it as an admirable and engaging project.[4]

Echoing Setaro's statements, Rolling Stone's Mosi Reeves characterized Kendrick Lamar as a Rosetta Stone of songwriting ideas that Lamar would later delve into on future albums. He praised the EP as being the first standout project of his career, describing it as "redolent of peak blog-rap," and applauded Lamar for eschewing the excessive freestyling over radio hit singles from his previous mixtapes in favor of a project that focuses on his writing and accompanied by "lovely yet doleful production." Reeves believed that although Kendrick Lamar did not receive the mainstream recognition that he felt it deserved, the "cathartic" EP restored Lamar's reputation and anticipation for new music following the overwhelmingly negative reception surrounding his third solo mixtape, C4 (2009).[5]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Is It Love" (featuring Angela McCluskey)Sounwave4:00
2."Celebration"Sounwave3:51
3."P & P" (featuring Ab-Soul)King Blue (of Sore Losers)4:42
4."She Needs Me" (featuring JaVonté)
  • Duckworth
  • JaVonté Pollard
  • Spears
  • Dimitri Grimm
Sounwave3:31
5."I Am (Interlude)"
Q-Tip1:20
6."Wanna Be Heard"
Black Milk4:37
7."I Do This" (featuring Jay Rock)
Sounwave4:08
8."Uncle Bobby & Jason Keaton" (featuring JaVonté)
  • Duckworth
  • Pollard
Insomnia4:00
9."Faith" (featuring BJ the Chicago Kid and Punch)King Blue4:51
10."Trip"
  • Duckworth
  • Spears
Sounwave3:50
11."Vanity Slaves"The Foreign Exchange4:15
12."Far From Here" (featuring Schoolboy Q)Jake One3:53
13."Thanksgiving" (featuring Big Pooh)Wyldfyer3:39
14."Let Me Be Me"
  • Duckworth
  • Pete Rahk
Rahk7:20
Total length:62:28
Bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
15."Determined" (featuring Ash Riser)
  • Sounwave
4:31

Sample credits

References

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  1. ^ Meadows-Ingram, Benjamin (October 22, 2012). "Kendrick Lamar: The Story Behind 'good kid, m.A.A.d city'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  2. ^ "Kendrick Lamar (EP) Mixtape by Kendrick Lamar". DatPiff. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Setaro, Shawn (July 12, 2022). "Ranking Kendrick Lamar's Albums From Worst to Best". Complex. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  4. ^ Hardy, Caleb (March 11, 2023). "Kendrick Lamar's Albums, Ranked". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  5. ^ Reeves, Mosi (July 14, 2017). "Mixtape Primer: Reviewing Kendrick Lamar's Pre-Fame Output". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
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