Kendrick Lamar: G.O.A.T. or Overrated

Cameron Cox

This is a debate that has outgrown twitter arguments. It first sprung into place when Kendrick Lamar released his much anticipated Good Kid M.A.A.D. City on October 1, 2012. This album was nominated as Album of the Year in the 2012 Grammy Awards and sold the most copies in its first week than any other male rappers of the year. Lamar fans argued that Kendrick’s lyricism and flow on the album adequately demonstrated his skill set making him one of the best rappers of our generation. Proud super fan, Katherine Reidstra ‘17, exclaims, “Kendrick Lamar is an artist with actual talent. No one else is even on his level.” Artists like J. Cole and Wale are often compared to him but Kendrick overshadows him because of the memorable storylines on his projects and amazing singles. Though Kendrick has been widely recognized as one of the best, a lot of music critics find him highly overrated. One of these critics, Lamont Wallace ‘17, claims, “He’s boring. He talks about the same things in all his songs. I’m not sure why people love him so much.” Lamar does make use of his fearful Compton past in most of his songs, but he does so in a way that makes the listener appreciate their own surroundings. Avid radio listener, Hannah Hawkins ‘18, says, “I love when he comes on the radio. His music makes me feel good.” The debate about this rising artist may never end, but at the end of the day he’s still winning awards and earning a plethora of money…so does it really matter?