10 Best Hip Hop Albums Of The Decade

5. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, M.A.A.d City

The past six years have seen Kendrick Lamar go from cult underground favourite to all-conquering megastar. From 2011’s Section.80 to DAMN. in 2017, the TDE rapper is on one of the most impressive five-album runs in hip hop history, and many consider good kid, m.A.A.d city to be his magnum opus.

A concept album based on Kendrick’s formative years as a gangland outsider, GKMC is the record that first shot him towards mainstream prominence. If it wasn’t for a few bum notes near the end (“Real” is particularly corny), it might be perfect. “Money Trees,” “Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst,” and “m.A.A.D city,” stand among the finest songs the genre has to offer, and GKMC drifts effortlessly from track to track, with each new song bleeding into the last.

Narrative wise, GKMC is the story of an adolescent Kendrick Lamar dealing with the struggle of maintaining his morality while growing up in chaos. From peer pressure to gang violence, he touches on a number of topics throughout this dangerous journey, before wrapping everything up in “Compton,” a colossal, triumphant album closer. This was Kendrick’s coming out party, and it still sounds just as fresh as it did in 2012.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.