Kendrick Lamar’s mainstream rap dominance can’t be denied! Labeled as one of the most influential hip-hop artists of his generation, Kendrick’s album Good Kid, m.A.A.d City recently surpassed Eminem’s 2002 record The Eminem Show as the longest-running hip-hop record on the Billboard 200 charts. According to Consequence of Sound, the rapper’s sophomore album Good Kid, m.A.A.d City took the throne this week and has helped cement Lamar’s status as one of hip-hop’s greats.
.@kendricklamar‘s ‘good kid, m.A.A.d city’ is now the longest charting hip-hop studio album in Billboard 200 history, passing ‘The Eminem Show’.
— chart data (@chartdata) September 16, 2019
Good Kid, m.A.A.d City is Kendrick’s first major-label album, released on October 2012, the record immediately reached the Billboard 200 at No.2. Some hits from the record are “Swimming Pools (Drank),” “Poetic Justice” and “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” all having been in the top ten of Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts in 2012. The concept album not only showcased the uniquely artsy perspective of Kendrick but also was nominated in five categories at the 2012 Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist, Album of the Year and Best Rap Album.
Kendrick’s Good Kid broke the record of 357 consecutive weeks on the Billboard charts while Eminem’s 2002 record peaked at 358 weeks on the charts. XXL clarified that Eminem’s 2005 project Curtain Call: The Hits has 461 weeks on the Billboard Hip-Hop charts; however, the project is not categorized as a studio album but more a compilation album.
Last year, Kenrick’s 2017 album DAMN won the Pulitzer Prize, which marked the first award for hip-hop music in the ceremony, as well as gained recognition for the genre from judges who normally favor classical and jazz music. Kendrick also swept the 2018’s Grammy Awards, DAMN led to five Grammy wins, including a second Best Rap Album nod.
The rapper recently welcomed a child with his fiancée, Whitney Alford, who gave birth on July 26. Kendrick acknowledged the engagement on Power 105.1’s “The Breakfast Club Show” in 2015 when he was promoting his album Top Pimp a Butterfly. This year, Kendrick Lamar was featured in Beyoncé’s new album The Lion King, the soundtrack for the Walt Disney Pictures-produced film. Kendrick recently made an appearance in R&B artist SiR’s “Hair Down.” Check out entire tracks of Good Kid, m.A.A.d City below.
Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna