Sometime this year, Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar is supposed to be releasing Good Kid in a Mad City, which is shaping up to be an absolutely transcendent hip-hop record (think: Madvillainy or MBDTF), the only concerning thing about this release is that there isn't a solid release date attached to it yet, and considering that legendary producer/perfectionist/procrastinator Dr. Dre is affiliated with the project, this could spell trouble. But I'm going to trust that K-Dot will keep his fans in mind and get the record out sometime in 2012. So in anticipation, here is a collection of Kendrick's most thoroughly scene-stealing performances. If High Fidelity was made in 2012, Rob might have said, "Some people never got over Vietnam or the
Game - The City
Kendrick's hook alone probably outshines Game on this song. Game's verses aren't terrible by any means (although he's probably a little delusional when he talks about being one of the top 5 rappers of all time) but for the last minute or so of the track, the beat fades out and Kendrick rattles off a spine-chilling set of bars.
Meek Mill - A1 Everything
The wonderful thing about this track and a lot of other songs Kendrick appears on, is that Kendrick is able to adapt to what his host is doing and just do it better. This song is just Meek Mill bragging pretty effectively about how awesome he is over a hyped-up beat. If Lamar came through with a verse about visions of Tupac and Ronald Regan-era politics, it would kill the vibe. So instead he busts through the door screaming gun-noises and snarling about million-dollar contracts.
Birdman & Mack Maine - B Boyz
Yeah. This isn't even fair. They even let Kendrick rap first. At least Game had enough sense to make people wait through his verses first.
