Kendrick Lamar (EP)

This article is about the debut mixtape released as extended play by Kendrick Lamar. For his albums, see Kendrick Lamar albums discography.

Kendrick Lamar (also referred to as The Kendrick Lamar EP) is the debut extended play (EP) by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on December 31, 2009, through Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), as a free digital download.^[1] It is Lamar's first project to be released under his modern stage name; he previously released music under the stage name K.Dot from 2003 to late 2009.

Kendrick Lamar
EP by Kendrick Lamar
Released	December 31, 2009 (2009-12-31)
Recorded	2009
Studio	TDE Red Room (Carson, California)
Genre	Hip-hop
Length	62:28
Label	TDE
Producer	Dude Dawg (exec.) Dee.Jay.Dave (exec.) Sounwave (also exec.) Black Milk The Foreign Exchange Insomnia Jake One King Blue Pete Rahk Q-Tip Wyldfyer
Kendrick Lamar chronology
C4 (2009) Kendrick Lamar (2009) Overly Dedicated (2010)

Production on Kendrick Lamar was handled by Sounwave, Black Milk, Jake One, Q-Tip and Wyldfyer, among others. It features guest appearances from Angela McCluskey, Ab-Soul, JaVonte, Jay Rock, BJ the Chicago Kid, Punch, Schoolboy Q and Big Pooh. The EP premiered exclusively on DatPiff, and has since been downloaded over one million times on the platform.^[2]

Critical reception

Shawn Setaro of Complex appreciated the EP for sharing a glimpse of Lamar's artistry, adding that the reason why the project has resonated with audiences years after its release is because of his consistency. He also noted that several themes and characters that would be the focal point in Lamar's later albums, such as the title of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012), were introduced for the first time on Kendrick Lamar.^[3] Writing for HotNewHipHop, Caleb Hardy described the EP as a "straining" listen. He criticized the "half-baked" nature of its production and songwriting, but acknowledged it as an admirable and engaging project.^[4]

Echoing Setaro's statements, Rolling Stone's Mosi Reeves characterized Kendrick Lamar as a Rosetta Stone of songwriting ideas that Lamar would later delve into on future albums. He praised the EP as being the first standout project of his career, describing it as "redolent of peak blog-rap," and applauded Lamar for eschewing the excessive freestyling over radio hit singles from his previous mixtapes in favor of a project that focuses on his writing and accompanied by "lovely yet doleful production." Reeves believed that although Kendrick Lamar did not receive the mainstream recognition that he felt it deserved, the "cathartic" EP restored Lamar's reputation and anticipation for new music following the overwhelmingly negative reception surrounding his third solo mixtape, C4 (2009).^[5]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Is It Love" (featuring Angela McCluskey)	Kendrick Duckworth McCluskey Mark Spears	Sounwave	4:00
2.	"Celebration"	Duckworth Spears Gene McDaniels Nat Adderley	Sounwave	3:51
3.	"P & P" (featuring Ab-Soul)	Duckworth Herbert Stevens IV Brandon Blue Tariq Trotter Ahmir Thompson Karl B. Jenkins James Gray Khari Mateen Leonard Hubbard	King Blue (of Sore Losers)	4:42
4.	"She Needs Me" (featuring JaVonté)	Duckworth JaVonté Pollard Spears Dimitri Grimm	Sounwave	3:31
5.	"I Am (Interlude)"	Duckworth Kamaal Fareed	Q-Tip	1:20
6.	"Wanna Be Heard"	Duckworth Curtis Cross	Black Milk	4:37
7.	"I Do This" (featuring Jay Rock)	Duckworth Johnny McKinzie Spears Bill Withers Melvin Dunlap Raymond Jackson	Sounwave	4:08
8.	"Uncle Bobby & Jason Keaton" (featuring JaVonté)	Duckworth Pollard	Insomnia	4:00
9.	"Faith" (featuring BJ the Chicago Kid and Punch)	Duckworth Terrence Henderson Jr. Bryan Sledge Blue Thomas Brenneck Dave Guy Leon Michels Fernando Velez Homer Steinweiss	King Blue	4:51
10.	"Trip"	Duckworth Spears	Sounwave	3:50
11.	"Vanity Slaves"	Duckworth Phonte Coleman Matthijs Rook	The Foreign Exchange	4:15
12.	"Far From Here" (featuring Schoolboy Q)	Duckworth Quincy Hanley Jacob Dutton	Jake One	3:53
13.	"Thanksgiving" (featuring Big Pooh)	Duckworth Thomas Jones III Wyatt Coleman	Wyldfyer	3:39
14.	"Let Me Be Me"	Duckworth Pete Rahk	Rahk	7:20
Total length:				62:28

Bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer	Length
15.	"Determined" (featuring Ash Riser)	Duckworth Ash Riser Spears Lamont Dozier	Sounwave	4:31

Sample credits

• "Is It Love" contains a sample of "Don't Look Back", as performed by Telepopmusik and Angela McCluskey.
• "Celebration" contains a sample of "Hummin'", written by Nat Adderley and Gene McDaniels, as performed by Roy Ayers.
• "P&P" contains a sample of "Clock With No Hands", written by Tariq Trotter, Ahmir Thompson, Karl B. Jenkins, James Gray, Khari Mateen and Leonard Hubbard; as performed by The Roots featuring Mercedes Martinez.
• "She Needs Me" contains samples of "Byrdshot and Bye", written by Dimitri Grimm; as performed by Dimlite; and "Long Red", written by Leslie West, Felix Pappalardi, John Ventura and Norman Landsberg, as performed by Mountain. The song also contains a drum sample from "Let's Ride", as performed by Q-Tip.
• "I Am (Interlude)" contains a sample of "Believe", written by Kamaal Fareed, as performed by Q-Tip featuring D'Angelo.
• "Wanna Be Heard" is a remix of "Popular Demand", as written, performed and produced by Black Milk.
• "I Do This" contains a sample of "Don't You Want to Stay", written by Bill Withers, Melvin Dunlap and Raymond Jackson, as performed by Withers.
• "Faith" contains a sample of "Tired of Fighting", written by Thomas Brenneck, Dave Guy, Leon Michels, Fernando Velez and Homer Steinweiss; as performed by Menahan Street Band.
• "Vanity Slaves" is a remix of "Daykeeper", as performed by The Foreign Exchange featuring Muhsinah, and produced by Nicolay.
• "Thanksgiving" contains samples of "Almost Like Being in Love", composed by Frederick Loewe and written by Alan Jay Lerner; as performed by Nat King Cole, and "Long Red", as performed by Mountain.
• "Determined" contains samples of "Family", as written and performed by Lamont Dozier, and interpolates "Touch the Sky", as performed by Kanye West featuring Lupe Fiasco.