What makes a good concept album?
One can say it has to have a theme that's interesting enough to keep the listener's attention throughout the entire LP.
The artist also has to stay within the concept lines and not deviate from it.
On Wednesday, October 12, Rolling Stone published an article titled "The 50 Greatest Concept Albums of All Time," and Kendrick Lamar's 2012 album good kid, m.A.A.d city was named number one.
“Lamar comes of age in Compton, encountering the city’s many pleasures as well its ever-present threat of gang conflict and police violence," the article states. “The cover promises a short film by Kendrick Lamar, and the rapper delivers with a coming-of-age opus, the cinematic scope of which has been rightfully compared to Scorsese and Tarantino.”
Kendrick hasn't responded to the list and probably won't since he's not much of a social media person. But he did talk about his latest LP, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers recently, revealing that he stayed away from loved ones during the writing process.
Would you call good kid, m.A.A.d city the greatest concept album of all time?