Kendrick LamarBest Kendrick Lamar Albums Ranked

GNX

nme

10

“Kendrick Lamar could have hibernated for five years after dropping ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’, a record that will soon be mandatory listening in hip-hop’s vast syllabus. Instead, two years later, he’s spent 2024 far from keeping a low profile. In March, he responded to what seemed like an innocent shout-out from J. Cole on ‘First Person Shooter’ with a verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s ‘Lik”

Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

nme

10

“Over the last five years, since his last album, the Pulitzer Award-winning ‘DAMN’, Kendrick Lamar has been missed by the rap world. Revered for his vivid storytelling since his emergence in 2011, Kendrick has become a reference for all in the rap game on how to make seminal music and how to carry yourself while doing it. The man of mystique’s elaborate imagination is what has drawn us in year on y”

To Pimp a Butterfly

fantano

10

“Several years ago, Kendrick Lamar was hip hop's underdog. Today, he's dropping what's possibly the best rap album of the decade.”

good kid, m.A.A.d city

consequence

9.5

“Compton's finest offers the most comprehensive look yet at his absurd raw talent”

good kid, m.A.A.d city

pitchfork

9.5

“Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city is fearless and brilliant, an unvarnished and nuanced peek into the rapper's inner life that ties straightforward rap thrills directly to its narrative.”

To Pimp a Butterfly

pitchfork

9.3

“The dense and complex follow-up to good kid, m.A.A.d city is wry, theatrical, chaotic, ironic, and mournful, often all at once.”

To Pimp a Butterfly

Gunnar

9.8

“**💭 Thoughts:** The jazz and soul influences on this record are wonderful. The highlights of this record to me are definitely the production and lyricism. For a record only a decade old, it’s crazy that you can immediately tell this is a classic. Undoubtedly one of the best albums of the 2010s. **🎶 Tracklist Review** 1.) Wesley’s Theory 🔵 2.) For Free? (Interlude) ⚪️ 3.) King Kunta 🟢 4.) Institutionalized 🔵 5.) These Walls 🟣 6.) u 🟣 7.) Alright 🔵 8.) For Sale? (Interlude) ⚪️ 9.) Momma 🟣 10.) Hood Politics 🟢 11.) How Much A Dollar Cost 🟣 12.) Complexion (A Zulu Love) 🔵 13.) The Blacker the Berry 🟣 14.) You Ain’t Gotta Lie (Momma Said) 🔵 15.) i 🟢 16.) Mortal Man 🔵 ──────────────────── **🤔 Track Rating Scale** 🟣 Favorites — My favorite song(s) on the album 🔵 Loved — Really enjoyed it and will revisit often 🟢 Liked — Enjoyed it, but it’s not one I’d revisit often 🟡 Mixed — Has some good moments, but also some bad, most likely won’t revisit 🟠 Disliked — Didn't enjoy it much, won’t be revisiting 🔴 Hated — Will skip every time ⚪️ Interlude, etc — Not rated as an actual song ──────────────────── **🏅 Ranking Scale** 10 — Perfect 9 — Exceptional 8 — Great 7 — Good 6 — Decent 5 — Average 4 — Below Average 3 — Poor 2 — Bad 1 — Awful 0 — Unlistenable”

GNX

Miguel

8.7

“Good album from Kendrick which strays away from seriousness and self reflection of his last release ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’. This album goes for a west coast style hits with the production mostly from DJ Mustard, heavily inspired by it as well. This still has songs with a lot of thought and depth to them such as ‘wacced out murals’ & ‘man at the garden’ which are great. Compared to the rest of Kendrick’s discography this doesn’t really hold up or match with them, but that’s not a bad thing considering the album you’re comparing ‘GNX’ to. Top songs are ‘wacced out murals’ ‘squabble up’ ‘luther’ ft SZA ‘reincarnated’ ‘peekaboo’ ft azchike ‘tv off’ ft lefty gunplay ‘man at the garden’”

good kid, m.A.A.d city

Miguel

10

“Kendrick best album in my opinion.Insane album, storytelling, writing, production, features, everything is top notch on this album. Has so many classic songs on the album too with easily the best song and performance from Kendrick coming from “Sing About Me I’m Dying Of Thirst” Top songs on the album are: ‘Sherane a.k.a Master Splinters Daughter’ ‘Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe’ ‘The Art Of Peer Pressure’ ‘Money Trees’ ft Jay Rock ‘Poetic Justice’ ft Drake ‘m.A.A.d city’ ft MC Eiht ‘Swimming Pools (Drank)’ ‘Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst’”

Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

Miguel

10

“Tried to think of reasons to rate this lower than a 10 but I can’t. Such an amazing, introspective piece of work by Kendrick after returning from a 4 year long hiatus. This tackles his self doubt, relationships, fatherhood and insecurities, whilst still sounding amazing and some of the rapping is really great as well. Top songs off the album for me are ‘N95’ ‘Die Hard’ ft Blxst & Amanda Reifer ‘Father Time’ ft Sampha ‘Rich Spirit’ ‘Purple Hearts’ ft Summer Walker & Ghostface Killah ‘Count Me Out’ ⭐️ ‘Mirror’”

DAMN.

Miguel

9.9

“If you said this was Kendrick best album I wouldn’t argue. It’s so heavily stacked with great songs. Story telling on this album is great too, especially on songs like ‘DUCKWORTH.’ ‘FEAR.’ & ‘XXX.’ Rapping & writing on this album is incredible too. Production wise this is definitely his best album, the beat selection is next level. Top songs for me are ‘DNA.’ ‘ELEMENT.’ ‘FEEL.’ ‘LOYALTY.’ ft Rihanna ‘FEAR.’ ‘DUCKWORTH.’ ‘LOVE.’ ft Zacari ‘GOD.’ ‘XXX.’ ft U2”

To Pimp a Butterfly

Miguel

10

“Arguably the best rap album of the 2000s. Kendrick sticks to & covers its themes very well whilst giving insane rapping performances. Very good singles, good visuals, good production. You don’t get much better than To Pimp A Butterfly. Top songs from the album ‘Wesley’s Theory’ ft George Clinton & Thundercat ‘King Kunta’ ‘These Walls’ ft Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat ‘Alright’ ‘How Much A Dollar Cost’ ‘You Ain’t Gotta Lie (Momma Said)’ ‘i’”

DAMN.

Torres

9.9

“Always thought this album was a 10/10 but damn (ha see what I did there) it keeps growing on me.. the concept is truly amazing and the fact it can be played in reverse with a completely changed concept is crazy. Kendrick really shined his artistic talent here the most and this is only his 4th best album lmao. The tracks I used to dislike like “LUST.” And “FEAR.” Keep getting back into my rotation. Such a unique album just listen already.”

Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

ricardomedina

9.2

“this is a great record by kendrick, i love how sentimental he gets here with tracks like mother i sober, father time, & we cry together. i have always adored the way kendrick rapping style and this shows it off perfectly. my favorite track is count me out.”