KENDRICK LAMAR’S GOOD KID, M.A.A.D. CITY ALBUM DEBUTS AS THE HIGHEST SELLING ALBUM FOR A NEW ARTIST IN 2012

Rave reviews and remarkable first week sales have greeted good kid, m.A.A.d. city (Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath Entertainment/Interscope), the highly anticipated debut major label album from 25-year-old Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album, released October 22nd, will debut with more than 241,000 in sales and also atop the Billboard Rap, the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart and at #2 on the Billboard 100 behind only Taylor Swift’s Red. good kid, m.A.A.d. city earns the biggest-selling debut week for any new artist debut in 2012.

Anointed as “hip-hop’s next big star” by XXL magazine and awarded Lyricist of the Year at the recent BET Hip Hop Awards, Lamar has also received effusive praise for good kid, m.A.A.d. city from critics across the country:

“Easily the most ambitious (album) in hip-hop this year, maybe the most ambitious in any mainstream-focused genre.” (New York Times)

“A perfect coronation for the new ‘King of California,’ (Dr. Dre’s words), as well as a shining example of Lamar’s hyper-introspective style of SoCal hip-hop.” (Washington Post)

“A masterpiece of storytelling, empathy in the midst of chaos.” (Los Angeles Times)

“He both resurrects and reinvents West Coast hip-hop.A triumph.” (Boston Globe)

“The plush production of tracks like the Neptunes-produced centerpiece ‘good kid’ hearkens back to Seventies blaxploitation soundtracks and Nineties gangsta-rap blaxploitation revivals, and good kid warrants a place in that storied lineage.” (Rolling Stone, 4/5 stars)

“There’s a sophistication in his cool, taut delivery and deftly syncopated, soulfully textured arrangements, which make his blunt accounts as seductive as they are sobering.” (USA Today, 3.5/4)

“The miracle of this album is how it ties straightforward rap thrills–dazzling lyrical virtuosity, slick quotables, pulverizing beats, star turns from guest rappers–directly to its narrative.” (Pitchfork, 9.5/10)

“A cohesive album filled with classic gems.” (Associated Press)

“An undeniably stellar major label debut from Kendrick Lamar, which will certainly hurt the self-esteem of many rappers out now while also inspiring them to reach these heights.” (XXL)

“(He) manages to hold everything together in the midst of such chaos through sheer craftsmanship. For one, he is a f**king amazing rapper. On a purely technical level, he might be the best of his generation, and it’s awe-inspiring to hear him bend such complicated cadences without even breaking a sweat.” (Spin)

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