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"m.A.A.d city" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his second studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). The song, which appears as the eighth track on the album, features a guest appearance from fellow Compton native and West Coast rapper MC Eiht. The song was produced by Top Dawg in-house producers THC and Sounwave for the first part of the instrumental, and Terrace Martin for the second part. The song peaked at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Background

In the song, Lamar tells the story of his upbringing in Compton and its results. The song features MC Eiht of American gangsta rap group Compton's Most Wanted. The song also features additional background vocals from Lamar's Black Hippy cohort Schoolboy Q, doing his signature ad-lib “yawk” four times during the refrain. He also explained "M.A.A.D" is an acronym for "My Angels on Angel Dust". It is also known as "My Angry Adolescence Divided."

On "m.A.A.d city", Lamar talks about driving down Rosecrans Avenue in Compton, references smoking the PCP-laced blunt that he smoked in "The Art of Peer Pressure," and talks about being fired from his job as a security guard for staging a robbery. Lamar also talks about how he saw his uncle being shot at a local burger stand. The song features the violent climatic change in the Good Kid, M.A.A.D City story.

Critical reception

The song was met with universal acclaim from music critics, praising the production and both rappers' performances. XXL called "m.A.A.d city" the album's "creative and cinematic climax." David Amidon of PopMatters praised the song's production saying, it "feels like Dr. Dre's The Chronic had a love child with Chronic 2001. Andrew Nosnitsky of Spin described MC Eiht's appearance as show stealing. Complex named the song number 25 on their list of the 50 best songs of 2012.

Chart performance

The week of the October 2012 release of Good Kid m.A.A.d city, "m.A.A.d City" debuted at number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100 due to high downloads. For unknown reasons, the track re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 on the week ending September 8, 2013, at number 98. Following Lamar's performance of the song at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, the song re-entered the chart, reaching a new peak of number 75 on the chart.

Live performances

On March 31, 2013, Lamar closed the Good Kid m.A.A.d City portion of Black Hippy's set, at Paid Dues 2013 with "m.A.A.d city". During his Good Kid m.A.A.d City World tour on July 12, 2013, Lamar performed "m.A.A.d city" in Birmingham, England while backed by a live band. Lamar also performed "m.A.A.d city" and "Money Trees" alongside Jay Rock, at the BET Experience concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. On September 17, 2013, Lamar performed "m.A.A.d city" on The Arsenio Hall Show, along with Schoolboy Q's single "Collard Greens". On January 28, 2014, Lamar performed "m.A.A.d city" on DJ Skee's SKEE Live. Following that, at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, Lamar performed "m.A.A.d city" again, along with a remix to "Radioactive", in a mash-up with American rock band Imagine Dragons. Then on February 15, 2014, Lamar performed "m.A.A.d city" and "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" on national television, during NBA's All-Star Saturday Night. Lamar has performed "M.A.A.D City" at every show on the Damn Tour. It was performed by Lamar in the Super Bowl LVI halftime show on February 13, 2022.

Remixes

The song was sampled for American singer Cassie's debut mixtape RockaByeBaby (2013), on the song "I Know What You Want". The song was also sampled by Dominican rapper Sensato, for his mixtape La Parte 3 Del 28 (2013), on the song "Back in Business".

Charts

Certifications

References

1. Kendrick Lamar, 'good kid, m.A.A.d city': Track-By-Track Review | Billboard
2. "The Narrative Guide To Kendrick Lamar's 'good kid, m.A.A.d city' | NOISEY". Noisey.vice.com. 17 April 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
3. Rytlewski, Evan (2012-10-30). "Kendrick Lamar: Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City | Music". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
4. "Kendrick Lamar: good kid, m.A.A.d city | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. 2012-10-23. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
5. Dan Jackson. "Review: Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city (Interscope)". Cmj.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-08. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
6. "Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d city - XXL". Xxlmag.com. 2012-10-23. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
7. Amidon, David. "Kendrick Lamar: good kid, m.A.A.d. city". PopMatters. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
8. Nosnitsky, Andrew (2012-10-23). "Kendrick Lamar, 'good kid, m.A.A.d City' Review". Spin.com. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
9. 25. Kendrick Lamar f/ MC Eiht "m.A.A.d city" — The 50 Best Songs of 2012 | Complex
10. Paul Grein September 11, 2013 4:32 PM (2013-09-11). "Week Ending Sept. 8, 2013. Songs: Race & The R&B Chart - Yahoo Music". Music.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2013-09-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
11. "Chart Watch: "Radioactive" Just Won't Quit". 6 February 2014.
12. HD VIDEO: Kendrick Lamar Performs “m.A.A.d. City” w/ TDE Crew at Paid Dues 2013 | Pt. 5 | ItsTheDaily
13. Watch: Kendrick Lamar Performs 'm.A.A.d City' With Full Band In Birmingham | Vibe
14. Kendrick Lamar Performs "m.A.A.d city" & "Money Trees" At BET Experience Concert - XXL
15. Watch Kendrick Lamar Perform "m.A.A.d city", "Collard Greens" With Schoolboy Q on "Arsenio Hall" | News | Pitchfork
16. "– Hip-Hop, R&B, Style, and Black Culture". Vibe.com. 2022-05-02. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
17. Llacoma, Janice (January 26, 2014). "Kendrick Lamar & Imagine Dragons "m.A.A.d city" & "Radioactive" (2014 GRAMMY Performance)". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on January 29, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
18. "Watch Kendrick Lamar Perform "M.A.A.D. City" and "B***h Don't Kill My Vibe" During NBA All-Star Saturday Night". Complex Networks.
19. Masley, Ed (July 13, 2017). "Kendrick Lamar launches DAMN. Tour in Glendale with triumphant one-man show of force". AZ Central. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
20. Cassie's I Know What You Want sample of Kendrick Lamar feat. MC Eiht's m.A.A.d City
21. "DJ Danny S Presents: La Parte 3 Del 28 (The Mixtape) Mixtape by Sensato Hosted by Dj Danny S". Datpiff.com. 2013-09-13. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
22. "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
23. "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
24. "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
25. "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
26. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
27. "Brazilian single certifications – Kendrick Lamar – M.A.A.D City" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
28. "Danish single certifications – Kendrick Lamar – M.A.A.D City". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
29. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Kendrick Lamar feat. MC Eiht; 'M.A.A.D City')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
30. "British single certifications – Kendrick Lamar & MC Eiht – Maad City". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
31. "American single certifications – Kendrick Lamar – M.A.A.D. City (feat. MC Eiht)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 13, 2018.

• 2012 songs
• Kendrick Lamar songs
• Songs written by Kendrick Lamar
• Gangsta rap songs
• Songs written by Sounwave
• Songs written by Schoolboy Q
• Songs about California
• Songs about violence
• Hardcore hip-hop songs
• G-funk songs
• Trap music songs