Kendrick Lamar‘s “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City” Makes History

Kendrick Lamar.
Kendrick Lamar. Photo by RMV/REX/Shutterstock (8923784aw)

While we are patiently waiting for his new material, Kendrick Lamar is busy making history. According to official data, Lamar’s sophomore album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City has now spent 400 weeks on US Billboard charts, becoming the longest-charting hip-hop studio album in history.

The only other hip-hop material to match Good Kid, M.A.A.D City is Eminem’s Curtain Call: The Hits, which will soon hit 500 weeks on the charts. However, this is the greatest hits compilation and doesn’t fall in the category of studio albums.

Good Kid, M.A.A.D City was released in October 2012 and was Kendrick Lamar’s first studio effort for a major label. The album launched Lamar into hip-hop mainstream, debuting at No.2 on the US Billboard 200 and becoming the best-selling debut from a male artist that year.

The record, which featured tracks “The Recipe,” “Swimming Pools (Drank),” “Backseat Freestyle,” and “Poetic Justice,” also received widespread acclaim from the critics and was named the Album of the Year by several publications. It also earned Lamar five Grammy Award nominations.

Lamar later followed Good Kid, M.A.A.D City with equally, if not better, received albums To Pimp A Butterfly and DAMN..