Kendrick Lamar is regarded as one of the best rappers to ever live, being the youngest to even be argued in the top ten and is my personal number 1. He has the undisputed best rap album of the 2010’s and quite possibly of all time, being the masterpiece To Pimp A Butterfly, and another masterpiece, good kid, m.A.A.d city, which is another top 3 best albums of the 2010’s, with his other tracks still being very, very good. Kendrick is easily the most consistent, most accomplished, and best rapper of the last 15 years and is only 36 years old, so who knows what’s to come.

Songs that sound good and tell a story are the best kind of songs, which is why Kendrick’s discography stands out to me as he is a lyrical genius that can flow over any beat. Songs that are simply good with no meaning can be incredibly fun, as an example Rapture by Blondie is a song about the man from mars coming down and eating cars and bars, but if you ignore the lack of meaning it’s an exceptionally good and incredibly fun song. Kendrick manages to not only sound very good but also weave in a story or overall message for the album that gets pieced together with each song.

Kendrick’s Albums Ranked

7*. Black Panther The Album

Notable songs: All The Stars, Kings Dead, Pray For Me

Soundtrack for the Black Panther Movie

Accolades: Top Soundtrack 2018, Outstanding Soundtrack 2019

6*. Section 80

Released July 2, 2011

Notable songs: Hol’ Up, HiiiPower, Rigamortus, A.D.H.D

Kendrick’s first studio album

Certified Gold

I would say that every song on this album is at least a 6/10 and overall, the album is a 7/10. Section 80 features the “worst” songs of Kendricks career, while these lows are still better than some artists highs, it also has some very good songs though. To me the album has a theme, being the Keisha and Tammy stories, but overall feels kind of experimental, which does make sense cause even though it is technically his first studio album, Kendrick has said multiple times that he sees it as a mixtape. I’d say the best song on this album is either Hol’ Up or A.D.H.D, and i would say they are both solid 7-8/10 songs.

5. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

Notable songs: N95, Die Hard, Father Time, Crown, Mirror, The Heart Part 5

Kendricks’s 5^th studio album, Double album drop

Accolades: Favorite Hip Hop Album 2022, Album of the year 2022, Best Rap Album 2023

This album is different from the others as it is densely packed with features, some improving the songs and others doing the opposite. This album reminds me of what Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, was to music as it was different and had a bunch of different sounds making it very experimental. Kendrick starts the album off saying “one-thousand eight-hundred and fifty-five days, I’ve been going through somethin”, meaning it had been 1855 days since he last dropped an album and there’s a reason for it, so he’s here to share. The things that he’s been going through are therapy and reflection on his life, so he touches on topics such as trauma and father issues. The samples and background of most of the songs on this album remind me of TPAB with smooth jazz or R&B. Overall I would say this album is a solid 7.5-8/10 and has really grown on me. The best songs are N95, Father Time, and Crown, N95 being very much in contrast to the tone of Father Time and Crown as they are more calm samples, especially Crown.

4. untitled unmastered

Can’t say any notable songs because all 8 songs are good.

Compilation album

This album essentially is filled with songs that didn’t make it into TPAB, so Kendrick was in the same mindset and the same production that one of the best rap albums ever made had. This album is an honest 9-10/10. There is not one bad song on here and the only complaints imaginable is that Untitled 04 is basically just a skit and the songs don’t have actual titles. The title of best song is between Untitled 02 and 08 but I’ll have to give it to 08 because it has a very catchy chorus whereas 02 isn’t nearly as catchy of a chorus, although 02 does have the best verse on the album.

3. DAMN.

Notable songs: HUMBLE., DNA., FEAR., LUST., XXX. DUCKWORTH.

Kendricks’s 4^th studio album

Accolades: Favorite Hip-Hop Album 2017, Album of the Year 2017, international Album of the Year 2017, Best Rap Album 2018, Hip-Hop Album of the Year 2018, International Album of the Year 2018, Outstanding Album 2018, Pulitzer Prize for Music 2018.

This album is a very interesting one, Kendrick named each song after one of his emotions or after a story, and in each song, he talks in depth about his struggles or experiences with handling those emotions. Kendricks overall tone in this song is angry, he is angry at the world and is using the songs to blame the world for these experience. This album overall I at least a 9/10. The best songs are easily HUMBLE and DUCKWORTH, and everything else falls very shortly behind.

2. good kid, m.A.A.d city

Notable songs: Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst, m.A.A.d city, Money Trees

Kendricks’s 2^nd studio album

Accolades: Best Album 2012, Album of the Year 2013, Best New Artist 2013,Best Rap/Sung Performance 2013, Best Rap Performance 2013. Also should have one Best Rap Album of the Year in 2013 but somehow Macklemore won with his album “The Heist” which is a very fitting name and even Macklemore reached out to apologize to Kendrick cause he knows Kendrick should have won.

This is my favorite album of all time because to me it is Kendricks most fun listen, but I do recognize TPAB to be the best. gkmc flows like a movie, and it literally has “a short film” on the album cover. This album is absolutely perfect from intro to outro and features my favorite rap song of all time, Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst. Kendrick tells a beautiful tale on this album of his life in Compton, CA. This album is a big fat 10/10 and the best song of than SAMIDOT is m.A.A.d city.

1. To Pimp A Butterfly

Notable songs: Alright, These Walls, Wesley’s Theory, The Blacker The Berry

Kendricks’s 3^rd studio album

Accolades: Best Rap Album 2016, Best Rap Performance 2016, Best Rap Song 2016, Best Rap/ Sung Performance. Also, should have one Album of the Year in 2016 but somehow lost to Taylo Swifts “1989” which has made zero impact on music.

If this album is to be remembered for anything it wouldn’t be its achievements or its sound, it would be its cultural impact. This RAP album uses jazz, funk, soul, and R&B throughout its entirety and uses them to make a song feel like the topic. Kendrick raps about topics such as Black culture, racism, depression, discrimination, and violence. This album transends being the best of the year, it is the best of the decade, not only that, but it is also listed as Rolling Stone’s 19^th best album of all time. This album is actual art in audible form and shouldn’t just be seen as an album but as a landmark in the history of music. If an album could be 11/10 this would do it. The best songs on this album are Alright, These Wals and The Blacker The Berry.

Top 20 Kendrick Lamar Songs

1. King Kunta – To Pimp A Butterfly – First Kendrick song I listened to, bubbly, lively, more up-beat song that has some energy and can put some bounce in your step. Kendricks’s voice is grittier, making him sound angry as if he’s almost yelling the lyrics into the mic. King meaning Kenrick is on top of the rap game, Kunta being reference to a fictional slave, broken down it means Kendrick is hailed as a king but oppressed like a slave.
2. LOVE. FEAT. ZACARI – DAMN. – A very calm and smooth song where Kendrick is seemingly talking about his fiancé. This song is just good and there’s not much to say other than that.
3. XXX. FEAT. U2. – DAMN. – This song is essentially 2 songs in one, with three different moods and flows that could’ve gone the length of the song and I would’ve been happy. I like the way that the beat drops and Kendrick comes into the verse at 1:18 so much I set it as my ringtone.
4. untitled 02 | 06.23.2014. – untitled unmastered – Very slow build up with each instrument coming in one at a time before Kendrick starts off with a very calm flow to go along with the beat. When the song goes silent and Kendrick starts his verse at 2:17 with “ Cornrow Kenny, he was born with a vision” before the beat came back is so very pleasant to listen to.
5. good kid – good kid, m.A.Ad. city – Kendrick details the things he saw and tried to escape growing up in Compton. The way Kendrick describes the song is perfect as he heard the beat and knew immediately it had to be the title song because of how dark the beat sounds which made it easy for him to portray the emotion needed for such a song.
6. DNA. – DAMN. – Kendrick continues spitting the message he has about the world but also speaks about how the things he learned and experienced are essentially etched into his DNA as they are a part of him and made him the person he is. When the beat seizes at 1:50, it sounds darker and grittier before building up to one of Kendricks hardest verses ever where he simply speaks his mind.
7. PRIDE. – DAMN. – This beautiful and smooth song has Kendrick detailing his own battle with his pride where he is torn between his humble existence and the temptations of living life in the fast lane, intentionally this song is placed before the song HUMBLE.
8. ELEMENT – DAMN. – This song is simply good and just makes me happy to be listening to. Kendrick is absolutely spitting and talking trash, still following the theme of the album. Kendricks flow on this song is otherworldly as he strings together complex and clever rhymes.
9. B***h, Don’t Kill My Vibe – good kid, m.A.A.d city – To me Kendrick is saying that the world is filled with complex issues, and he just wants to sit back and chill, and this song is just that, calm and chill.
10. untitled 08 | 09.06.2014. – untitled unmastered – Very upbeat song that seems to have a deep meaning. To me it sounds like Kendrick is calling out people for wanting a shortcut in life via charity or crime instead of putting in the work as they complain about their life even when some people have it much worse than them.
11. Wesley’s Theory – To Pimp A Butterfly – Quite possibly the best intro song to a album of all time. Extremely high energy and tells a story that sets the tone for the rest of this genre-wide milestone of an album. Kendrick truly comes out swinging on this song and matches the energy of the loud, funky beat.
12. These Walls – To Pimp A Butterfly – This song has one of the most bubbly and beautiful choruses I’ve ever heard, Anna Wise singing “If these walls could talk” is absolute perfection especially at its first appearance where the beat drops. This song is very complicated as it is a sort of continuation of a story featured in Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst, from gkmc. The term “these walls” refers to many different walls being a house or prison or throughout most of the song it has a sexual meaning.
13. FEAR – DAMN. – The man rapping the opening verse leading to Kendricks first is his cousin, Charles. Kendricks first two verses utilize repetition of a phrase throughout the whole thing to tell a story, the first phrase being, “I beat yo’ a**”, the second is, “I’ll prolly die”. Normally the repetition of a single phrase is boring and annoying but Kendrick strings together some nicely flowing lines with a story about his past behind them. In his third verse Kendrick drops the anaphora and finishes the song pondering if he’s, “living through FEAR or living through rap.” Wondering if the fears he developed from his experiences are what’s driving him to keep going or if it truly is his passion for rapping.
14. The Blacker The Berry – To Pimp A Butterfly – This song is not even the end of TPAB, and yet it feels like a climax, or a song in which all of Kendricks feelings overflowed into the song as he raps hard, and with intent about the struggles African Americans go through in modern society. Kendrick’s tone is angry and the beat sure does a great job of making his words hit harder. This song truly needs to be analyzed to understand the deep meaning Kendrick is preaching on. The overall message and the final line exclaim that Kendrick himself is a hypocrite, as the pain America inflicts upon its black population in the form of violence and discrimination, he himself has added to that pain through gang violence, making him wonder, how can he condemn actions he himself has committed?
15. Money Trees – good kid, m.A.A.d city – Kendrick talks about the temptations and goals of being rich, and what that intitles in being a young man from Compton. Kendrick must ignore any distraction or liability that would steer him away or prevent him from accomplishing his dreams, being physical things like people or the place he lives, or mental like the temptations of easy money in crime. This song has not only a deep meaning and story but is also a dream to listen to as the beat is very calm and Kendrick’s tone and flow complement it perfectly.
16. HUMBLE – DAMN. – Humble is Kendrick’s highest streamed song to date for two overarching reasons, the song is very good and very digestible to even non rap fans. The line, “Be Humble” is Kendrick telling the world to be humble, while also looking in a mirror telling it to himself. Kendrick is almost challenging the words of Thomas Hobbes, Hobbes believed all of mankind are greedy and evil, whereas Kendrick is telling people to be their natural, humble selves on this track. This song is gritty and perfect in nearly every way, especially with Kendrick’s nonstop, hard flow that makes the beat pop.
17. m.A.A.d city – good kid, m.A.A.d city – The beat drop at the beginning of this song is borderline iconic. Kendrick literally tells the listeners to,” brace yourself, I’ll take you on a trip down memory lane,” just preparing you for the ride. This song is essentially two in one and the first half is Kendrick spewing actual fire out of his mouth with the incredible bars he spits while still telling a story from his childhood. The second half continues Kendrick’s dragon like habit of rapping very well and fast forwards to a story of Kendrick soon after graduating high school. Kendricks flow in the first verse is actual art, he manages to spit bars with some very complex rhymes built with big complex words, and he still flows so smoothly you can understand what he’s saying and even follow along with it.
18. Alright – To Pimp A Butterfly – Upon first listen this song just sounds like a very positive, chill, and overall very good song, but upon further inspection of the lyrics it is apparent that Kendrick seems to be in fear of being denied from heaven for his past actions. He says over and over how he knows what he has done is bad and you reap what you sow, so he knows karma will bite him back hard. The way the beat stops every so often and it’s just Kendrick’s voice is art, and then the beat picks back up and leads to even better bars than he already let loose. Kendricks flow at 00:53, sounds fast with the number of syllables he pronounces quickly and yet it’s understandable, Kendrick’s voice also sounds like he’s close to yelling, yet the words roll off his tongue smoothly. The jazz background of this song just adds to the smooth nature of Kendricks rapping ability.
19. DUCKWORTH – DAMN. – This song is extremely special because it’s not just a story about Kendrick’s past, it’s a story about actions in his father’s past that completely changed the trajectory of Kendrick’s life. Listening to this song Is like a fever dream, it’s weird because it’s a very chill and calm song, but Kendrick’s delivery and the story are the opposite. The song is about how Kendrick’s father, Ducky, was a manager at a KFC and a known gang member, who once robbed and shot up the same KFC, named Anthony. Anthony planned to rob the KFC, but Ducky did all he could to get on the gang’s good side, such as giving them free food. Ducky doing this made Anthony grow to like him, so he sparred Ducky, leading to Kendrick growing up the way he did. 20 years later, Ducky and Anthony met again in a recording studio as Kendrick was trying to make a name for himself through rap. It is crazy to think that if Anthony, better known as the producer Top Dawg, killed Ducky, what might have come of Kendricks life? Kendrick speculates at the end of the song saying” Then you start remindin’ them about that chicken incident, Whoever thought the greatest rapper would be from coincidence? Because if Anthony killed Ducky, Top Dawg could be servin’ life, While I grew up without a father and die in a gun fight.”. This is a perfect ending to the album because Kendrick’s story telling ability is top notch on this song and is only topped by the song that is number one on this list.
20. Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst – good kid, m.A.A.d city – What a joy it is to have such a good song, and have it be 12:04 long. This masterpiece is looked at as one of, if not the best example of storytelling in hip-hop history. This song is two in one, first half being Sing About Me, then there is an intermission of sorts where it builds up to the I’m Dying Of Thirst part. I’m more of a fan of the Sing About Me half because it is a calm song. If you don’t have your base turned all the way up this song is very gentle, the sample from Grant Green’s “Maybe Tomorrow” and bill Withers’s “Use Me”, is a dream to listen to. Kendrick’s flow over this part is constant, he just keeps on going, and it’s amazing. Sing About Me features three different stories all rapped by Kendrick, the first being a continuation of the skit at the end of “Swimming Pools (Drank)” off gkmc, where a man named Dave is killed and his brother is trying to find retaliation. Dave’s brother is talking directly to Kendrick and showing appreciation for how Kendrick treated Dave like his own brother. At the end of the verse, Dave’s brother says the same thing that Kendrick is saying on “The Blacker The Berry, from TPAB, where he is just adding to the violence he hates, and in the end Dave’s brother knows he’s too far gone to dream of a better life. The second story is from the perspective of Keisha’s sister, Keisha being the person talked about on “Keisha’s Song (Her Pain)” from Kendrick’s first album, Section 80. Keisha’s sister is angry at Kendrick for putting Keisha on blast and shaming her on his song without even knowing her that well. Keisha’s sister is living the same life Keisha did and is mad because she is proud in her life as a prostitute and claims that she’s not just any girl who resorts to it and instead she’s special because she likes doing it. The end of this verse has her saying she will “never fade away” as the vocals fade away, signifying that she is not special. The third story is in the perspective of Kendrick himself as he wonders about what death is like and if he will make it into heaven, being very similar to what he says on “Alright” off TPAB. He talks about how every time he looks in the mirror, he is more disgusted with the person he sees. He then recaps and responds to Dave’s brother and Keisha’s sister saying, “And you’re right, your brother was a brother to me, And your sister’s situation was the one that pulled me, In a direction to speak on somethin’ That’s realer than the TV screen, By any means, wasn’t tryin’ offend or come between, Her personal life, I was like ‘It need to be told’ Cursin’ the life of twenty generations after her soul, Exaclty what’d happen if I ain’t continue rappin’ Or steady bein’ distracted by money, drugs, and 4-“ Kendrick feels the need to speak about things he doesn’t want to see repeated which is why he wrote about their lives. The second half of this song is I’m Dying Of Thirst, which is a very religiously charged song ending with repenting. Kendrick talks about the never-ending cycle of violence and that he is tired of it all and just wants his soul to rest peacefully. This half is telling people, “The truth will set you free, so to me be completely honest, You’re dying of thirst,” The term, “Dying Of Thirst” is used meaning that he needs, “water, holy water, You need to be baptized, with the spirit of the lord,”. This song is a true masterclass in the art of mcing. Kendrick cemented himself as quite possibly the best storyteller in the history of rap with this track. This song changed my life as it made me grow to really listen to what people say, not just in music, but also in life.

Top 10 Kendrick Lamar Features

1. Fragile by Tech N9ne – The slow and calm nature of the beat and verse makes Tech N9ne spitting 6 syllables a second sound out of place on his own song, so luckily, he has Kendrick Lamar save the day. Kendrick has an aggressive flow that does sometimes tap into Tech N9ne’s flow but overall, Kendrick saved the song after Tech N9ne wasted a nice beat and chorus.
2. UOENO by Black Hippy – Black Hippy is a rap group Kendrick was in that unfortunately didn’t put out much music. Kendrick has the first verse, and he sets the tone and bar very high. Kendrick’s verse is kind of funny with some of the inappropriate lines he uses.
3. F****n Problem by A$AP Rocky – This song is overall very good as both A$AP Rocky and Drake drop some nice verses before K Dot comes on, but Kendrick utilizes a crisp flow that really goes well with the beat.
4. Hood Gone Love It by Jay Rock – This song is very special as this features a very young Kendrick and utilizes a sample Kendrick would go on to use on one his most streamed songs, “Money Trees”, and he even straight up says, “good kid, m.A.A.d city” in the song which would be the title of his second album. . Kendrick sounds quick and is absolutely in his element on this song. There are some moments where he kicks into high gear and spits a few syllables faster which is always a treat when done right.
5. Collard Greens by ScHoolboy Q – ScHoolboy Q uses what sounds as if he scoured the whole dictionary for goofy terms and words and puts them together and yet Kendrick still is the star on this song. The beginning of K Dots verse was in Spanish, and I don’t understand any of it but I know he is spitting, and it sounds good.
6. goosebumps by Travis Scott – I remember listening to this and absolutely loving it, getting to the end of Travis’s verse and wondering how he’s going to keep going and then Kendrick started rapping which was a beautiful surprise as he is a ghost feature. Kendrick easily has the better verse and turned a very good song into an extremely good song. My Favorite part is when he starts using the “ peter piper picked the pickled peppers” line to start spitting.
7. 1 Train by A$AP Rocky – Kendrick is going harder than everyone else on this song that is densely packed with features. He is absolutely spitting, and it sounds effortless. This is early on in his career which makes it even more impressive. My favorite bar is “ lets play ball in a ball-park with all sharks and a blind fold, I rhymed cold, my K hot, your 9 cold, that bark like K9’s on,” because I find it hard to repeat this bar without stuttering.
8. family ties by Baby Keem – Baby Keem is Kendricks younger cousin and to me it is honestly hard to say who had the better verse on this song because Keem’s verse is over some brass sounding sample and he’s giving easily the best rapping performance of his career up to this point, but Kendrick’s verse was over a more aggressive fast paced beat where he can really let loose, but I can say the best part of the song is when they bar for bar at the end and it’s a damn shame they didn’t keep doing that because it was hard, it had me hype because listening to them talk trash, going back and forth was a very cool moment in both of their careers.
9. Mona Lisa by Lil Wayne – When o first heard this song and I got through Wayne’s verse, I was genuinely curious how Kendrick would match up to his performance because Wayne is also one of the best rappers to ever live, and puts on a masterclass performance, but this is Kendrick I’m talking about so of course he showed up in a massive way. The beat stops and Kendrick comes on spitting quite fast which was a little contrast to what Wayne was doing and it was a good change of pace. Kendrick’s voice and flow changes a few times during his verse. He starts out with his normal voice then goes to a tone that sounds as if he’s breathing and the words are flowing out, then he’s nearly yelling, then he moves to sounding like he’s mad and on the verge of crying, which was my favorite part.
10. No More Parties In LA by Kanye West – I went into this song not expecting much as I’m not the biggest Kanye fan, but then I was hit with a one minute and thirty-seven-second-long Kendrick verse of a song he wasn’t listed on. This song makes me wonder how Kanye in his prime as a producer, and Kendrick rapping, would sound as a duo throughout a whole album, unfortunately Kanye doesn’t make good music anymore. I cant say much about Kendricks verse is a good as it is other than his flow being immaculate

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