Overly Dedicated

I was looking forward to this mixtape for quite some time now, mainly because of The Heart, Pt. 2, but apart from that song, there weren't that many highlights or songs that outstand from other Kendrick songs.
Maybe the overall outcome of this mixtape wasn't very good, but it still has some notable songs that definitely deserve a place in a playlist.
Easily his best mixtape, since the previous ones were pretty bad, while this one is just ok, not much better, not much worse. The EP he released beforehand was slightly better than this, but they're pretty close.
While it doesn't compare with anything he dropped afterwards, it still shows how much he has improved ever since the release of Y.N.I.C. and it proves Conscious Hip Hop was a smarter route than Gangsta Rap for him.
He was still kind of experimenting during the mixtape era, but you could already see how he was trying to gain some popularity with this.
Not many of the songs show his lyrical capabilities, of course there are a few, but it wasn't until the release of Section.80 when Kendrick showed his true skills and proved that his verses can get pretty complex. Not many people heard it when he released it, because it wasn't the album that made him popular, but those who did knew he would already go big. I doubt anybody would predict Dr. Dre signing him though.
The production here is pretty cool, it's kind of similar to his debut album, but on this mixtape the lyrics aren't really that good, where as in Section.80 you can enjoy both the beats and lyrics.
I think his flow hasn't changed very much throughout his career. I guess along with his improving vocals it does sound a bit better, but paying attention to the flow alone, it isn't much different than it is on his other mixtapes. The delivery here really varies.
So yeah, I'm glad to finish all of his records I haven't listened to before, that's about all I can say.

Fav. Track - The Heart, Pt. 2
Least Fav. Track - Michael Jordan