Kendrick Lamar's Overly Dedicated - Intro To Hip Hop [Part 14]

One of my all time favorite mixtapes

Today we’re going to dive into one of my favorite mixtapes. You won’t find the full version on iTunes/Spotify, you’ll have to get a mixtape app or YouTube. I knew of Kendrick Lamar before this, but this mixtape made me a fan.

Warning: please do not continue if you don’t have quality headphones/speakers, drinks, smokes etc.. If you don’t drink, ill accept tea.

For context, this Mixtape was before Kendrick released his first album. Let’s kick it off with “Heart Part 2”

“Ain’t doing this for myself, I’m trying to purchase my momma them Benzes”. “I’m trying to change the rules that we’ve been confined to so the cooperate won’t make decisions” .

I like this song because it’s Kendrick airing out his grievances and critiquing the culture and how much he values his art.

Let’s keep pushing, Next song is “Pussy & Petron”

Haha I don’t have to explain what this song is about, stress and “stress relief” .

“Guilty by association, story of my life” If you read up on Kendrick you’ll learn that he grew up in Compton, California around notorious gangs.

Next song is “Opposites Attract” I’m in love with the piano on this beat because It’s in another Kendrick song that I really like “Sing About Me”, maybe we’ll end it with that song. Ok lets go!

This song is basically describing the toxic nature of human and how we’re attracted to things we know are bad for us. “We love people that hurt us, hurt people that love us”. I just get lost in the instrumentals of this song, so many interesting sounds come in and out.

Now for one of my favorite all time Kendrick songs “Ignorance is bliss”. It’s been a while but I should still be able to rap every verse on this song.

The first verse in this song is describing life in Compton and how when you’re raised around these terrible things you don’t know any better “ignorance is bliss”.

The second verse is more optimistic and is about him making it out of the nonsense “I’ll make an album that’ll put a smile on Malcom (X) and make Martin Luther thank god, I’m the future for heaven’s talent”. This is Kendrick speaking as an almost low level rapper at this point. He didn’t reach the massive mainstream success yet. That’s why this second verse is so profound, he actually did it with the now legendary album “To Pimp A Butterfly”.

Now for another one of my favorite songs, R.O.T.C. interlude.

I relate this is song a lot because sometimes in my life It’s really rough and I start to think like: maybe if I flip some drugs I can get enough money to make it out of this situation. You get these thoughts especially when you’re used to a certain lifestyle and you take a hit. But of course like the end of this song “Then give it back when I think about the consequence”.

Next song is “Average Joe”

This Kendrick masterfully telling some Compton street stories, how everyone he knew growing up was a Crip or Piru Bloods (Gangs) and how street guys like him even though he’s not a gangster.

Next song is “Heaven & Hell”

This is Kendrick embracing is conspiratorial side and telling you about Hell on earth but also Heaven would look like.

Our next song is a song I really like:

This is a really chill song you play in the car on a Sunday morning. Not really much to say about it but it’s really chill and enjoyable.

We’ll stop here but we only covered about half of the songs on this mixtape. I suggest you go listen to it on your own. Remember to get a mixtape app. Last but not least, as promised we’ll end it with a song from Kendrick’s first album “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst”.

So much to be said about this song so I’ll let you go on Genius.com and get the lyrics an explanation. I’ll talk about how it makes me feel, I’m from a wild place and death was very present around me as a kid. It forced me too look at life in a very… How do I describe this… You ever watch one of those shows like Game of Thrones or a cyberpunk anime? Where literally everyone including the main character can die? This is how life was for me and this song brings me back. I had close family members die and I didn’t even shed a tear, forces you to look at life in a very binary way. Living in the US has made me forget all that, but every now and then I’m reminded of what reality is.

When it’s my turn to settle down, promise that you will sing about me.