Last week saw the eagerly anticipated release of Kendrick Lamar's debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d city. The record was welcomed to almost unanimous acclaim (ourselves giving it a 9.5 out of 10—the highest rated Prefix review of the year!) and as expected, has converted that critical success to commercial triumph.
According to HHD, good kid, m.A.A.d city shifted 242,122 first-week units—topping its 200k projection—earning Kendrick an opening No. 2 position on the Billboard 200. Pop juggernaut Taylor Swift topped the chart with her new LP, Red, which sold a phenomenal 1.2 million copies. Any other week and that gold ribbon may well have belonged to the Black Hippy.
Nevertheless, for an album built on impeccable and cohesive storytelling as opposed to the usual singles-driven structure, good kid, m.A.A.d city's achievement should be considered a victory for all of hip-hop. Congratulations, Mr. Lamar.