Section.80

Kendrick Lamar is a name that -in 2024 specifically- has been on everyone's mouth at some point. From his overly conceptual body of work, to his layered lyricism, to his dynamic voice, to his sensitive ear for great beats to absolutely killing Drake on wax. His career has been celebrated by critics, rap fans and the general public through grammy's and pulitzers.

That said, when talking about Kendrick, the majority of people would point to "To Pimp a Butterfly" as the most notorious piece of work (which might be), or "Good kid, Maad City" (which...also might be). Others will point out DAMN. as the most approachable (which is true). Many have pointed back at albums like "Mr. Morale" for its emotional depth or the newly released "GNX" for the variety in sound palette.

One album is often left forgotten beyond the hardcore Kenny fans, an album I feel deserves much more recognition than what's given to it. An album that is as approachable as DAMN. in my opinion, almost as iconic as GKMC, as versatile as GNX and, on its own, an outstanding piece of work by an -at the time- up and coming artist with vision, hunger and intelligence.

Section 80. is that exact piece of work. Taking the structure of a book being divided into chapters, the album really goes into the struggles men and women face in these broken communities Kendrick was a part of growing up. It illustrates, through vivid imagery and smart-personality filled lyricism, the drug filled communities being separated by gangs that were, at some point,formed to protect these communities. It talks about the effects of the Ronald Reagan era on the black community, on prostitution, domestic violence and the Hiipower movement

To start the album, we get a skit that, in usual Kendrick fashion, is used as a thread to unify all these concepts throughout the album. This one in particular takes the shape of a youth group surrounding a fireplace, where the characters about to be explored take a seat. The opener "Fuck Your Ethnicity" features synth heavy, almost bubbly production that reminds me a lot to Kanye West's earlier work, with Kendrick going really into racial divide, his ambitions as an MC and wanting to unify us all through music. It's fun, quirky and Kdot's flows are incredible in this song.
"Hol' Up" and “Rigamortus” are high energy, almost braggadocious tracks from Kendrick in different points of the tracklist where he goes in with a vicious flow, these two are probably the most energetic, heavy-rap songs in the album, making them a highlight every time.

More mellow cuts, like “ADHD”, “Poe Man’s Dream” and “Ronald Reagan Era” give much more time to not only explore some societal issues, but give the listener a bit more “breathing room” in between the high energy tracks. “ADHD” in particular sounds like a proto “Good Kid, MAAD City” track featuring pretty much the sound he’d really explore in that album.

The interludes, “Chapter 6” and “Chapter 10”, also bring us back to the campfire I mentioned earlier, giving us the threads of the themes Kendrick wants to take the listener in for the next few tracks. “Chapter 6” in particular is a haunting track and a highlight for me, as the refrain is incredibly catchy yet incredibly dreadful of the future, as Kendrick chants “Riding with ‘em boys and girls and we’re high, young wild and reckless is how we live life, pray that we make it to twenty one”, which reminds me a lot in spirit and tone of Kanye’s opener “We Don’t Care”, from The College Dropout.

That idea, of a broken generation being swallowed by vices and evils, indulging in them without a care for the future thanks to the very hostile reality they live in is not only relatable and still relevant to this day; it serves as backdrop to actually empower the listener. As a young person myself, living in the third world, I see a lot of what Kendrick raps about in this album, from gangs to pregnant teenage girls and prostitutes. I feel Kendrick paints an incredibly realistic portrait of the world, while still adding a lot of personality to it.

A lot of the album’s first half introduces the concept of vices and evils separating them between men and women, to slowly unite them and giving them a pretty climactic moment in the track “Keisha’s Song” which, to this day, I feel stands as one of Kendrick’s best songs. Incredibly detailed with a strong message and a heartbreaking story.

The album’s weakest link to me is that, at times, it feels a bit derivative from the sound of the era, something I cannot blame the album for but that does feel like a time capsule instead of the timelessness future Kendrick projects have gotten us accustomed to. The song “Tammy’s song” also features a weirdly dated “women turn lesbians because men are mean with them” mentality that feels a bit reductive in the present day.

Some tracks in particular also feature a weird ass sound, like “No Make Up”, a track I do enjoy but find the chorus incredibly grating and the overall theming to be well intentioned but a bit ... .undercooked?

In fact, a lot of the issues on the tracklisting stem from features, an issue I feel at times does still plague Kendrick a bit. BJ The Chicago Kid and Ab-Soul are genuinely the only good additions to the songs, as I find the rest unmemorable or just not really...good.

The project has a great high energy start and a powerful ending, but I do feel the middle portion drags a bit thanks to entertaining but not conceptually or sonically interesting tracks, with “Ronald Regan Era” being the exception.

The two finales the album gives us are a joy to me. “Ab-Soul’s Outro” features TDE alumni and Black Hippy member Ab-Soul who gives an incredible lyrical performance, featuring a pretty entertaining back and forth with Kendrick and an empowering conclusion to the campfire skit introduced in the album. It is also the most distinctive sound with a jazz-filled production.

“Hiiipower” serves as the most iconic track from this era. Serving as a motto not just for the album’s conclusion and Kendrick’s early career but the entirety of the Black Hippy group. The J-Cole production shines through in this record and it’s probably my favourite out of the entire record, with Kendrick stating “Get up off that slave ship, build your own pyramids, write your own hieroglyphs”, empowering the broken generation from the stagnation, vices and evils he pointed out throughout the whole record.

Going back to the beginning, while Section .80 could not hold the crown as the most impactful, iconic, emotional or mainstream Kendrick album, it is probably the one that’s most essential.

Kendrick, even at his earliest, feels like an experienced rapper already, tying concepts in between the tracklist to truly elevate his vision. While not his most mature, it’s something that gives the record a bit of charm. Without Section .80, there would not be a Good Kid Maad City, or a To Pimp a Butterfly, or a DAMN, Mr Morale or GNX.

Simply put, without this record and its successes, there would not be a Kendrick Lamar, and that just feels wrong to say.

Favourite Tracks: Fuck Your Ethnicity, Hol’ Up, Chapter 6, Ronald Reagan Era, Keisha’s Song, Rigamortus, Ab-Soul’s Outro, HiiiPower.

Least Favourite Track: The Spiteful Chant, Tammy’s Song, No Make Up.