HITBOOOOOOOOOOOY (c) DJ Khaled

http://www.vibe.com/photo-gallery/10-things-we-learned-kendrick-lamars-album-listening-session

Kendrick Lamar is finalizing the last touches on what's looking like the most anticipated rap album of the 4th quarter: his studio debut, good kid, m.A.A.d. city.

Last night, VIBE, and a host of tastemakers in the music industry, were blessed with an exclusive first listen of the new project. Kendrick and Team TDE were strict on "no cameras, cell phones (yikes!), or recording devices," so we did our best to take notes on each song—minus any bootlegging or leakage.

Take a look at the 10 things we picked up from the good kid, m.A.A.d. city listening session, and make sure you cop the album when it drops on October 22nd.

1. KENDRICK IS SERIOUS ABOUT HIS sh*t


To prevent the album from leaking through the cracks, Kendrick only previewed 7 songs for us. He promised that the rest would follow when the album drops on October 22nd. Not only is this a smart move for preventing premature release, but this also makes us anticipate the album even more. Well played, sir.

2. BIG NAMES MAKE APPEARANCES


We already knew about the unlikely, yet dope, Lady Gaga collaboration on GKMC, but there's also another big name appearance: Drake. Gaga's feature could be somewhat described as "sing-rap," while Drake's verse was bold & boastful as ever on a Janet Jackson-sampled song, allegedly titled "Poetic Justice." Oh yeah, and both songs are definite hits.

3. HE GIVES VIBE A SHOUTOUT—KIND OF


Ok, so maybe we're reaching, but on the Lady Gaga-assisted cut, Kendrick repeats throughout the chorus, "bi*ch, don't kill my VIBE." We got a little bit big-headed and assumed that the smooth, laid-back, "L.A. low rider" tune was about our little ole' magazine. Regardless of the facts, this song was a favorite of ours—and not just because of the potential "VIBE" shoutout.

4. KENDRICK GETS PERSONAL ON THIS PROJECT


If you're a fan of Kendrick's past work on O.D. (Overly Dedicated) and Section.80, then you already know that he was going to get deep on good kid, m.A.A.d. city. On the 3rd song played, he references an incident from 2004—taking us back to the days when he was still running loose in those Cali streets. Thrown together with lyrics like, "What up nigga, I made it," it's clear that this is where Kendrick opens up. We can't wait to hear more cuts like this on the rest of the album.

5. KENDRICK IS REPPIN' FOR HIS CITY


Every song we heard last night was heavily west coast influenced—specifically the Compton area. He gave us chill joints, songs that'll have your head nodding uncontrollably, and smoker anthems that put you in the mind of what a regular day riding through L.A. in Kendrick's life might feel like. Hey California, your boy is definitely making you proud out here.

6. THERE'S SO MUCH MORE THAT'S YET TO BE HEARD


As we mentioned earlier, Kendrick only previewed 7 songs—leaving us with the burning question, "What's next?" We're assuming that the whole TDE fam is on the project. Last night, all were in attendance showing support for their boy. We spotted Ab Soul lurking around in the studio, Nitty Scott MC in the building, and even Pusha T in the booth with Kendrick, among other guests. Were they just showing love to a fellow artist or will they be making guest appearances as well? We'll see on October 22nd.

7. HIT-BOY PULLS OUT THE BIG GUNS ON PRODUCTION


There's not much we can say to sum up Hit-Boy's production on GKMC, without it sounding like an understatement. On the last song played of the night, Kendrick previewed an ill Hit-Boy produced track that is guaranteed to leave you with the "Oh sh*t!" face. If Hit-Boy is in fact trying to follow in Kanye West's producer-turned-superstar footsteps, he needs to keep making cuts like this.

8. GKMC CAN BE CONSIDERED A CONCEPT ALBUM


Much like his past work, GKMC has a running theme throughout. Music is subjective to the listener, but the theme we got here was Life—living it, surviving it, and experiencing different aspects of it from all sorts of perspectives. At times you'll hear him celebrating life, and others you'll hear him mourning it. Either way, prepare to feel chills down your back by the time the record stops spinning.

9. KENDRICK LAMAR WILL BRING QUALITY BACK TO HIP-HOP MUSIC


Kendrick is treating good kid, m.A.A.d. city like a well cared for child—like any respected artist should when it comes to their studio debut. From the tight-lipped, unheard second half of the project, to the time & effort put into every detail of what we've already heard so far, Kendrick brings new meaning to the idea of quality over quantity. If you've been a fan, prepare to be 100% pleased. If you're just being put on to K. Dot, prepare to be 100% pleased.

10. GOOD KID, M.A.A.D. CITY COULD'VE BEEN A POTENTIAL GRAMMY WINNER


With the detail Kendrick put into this album—from the artwork to the production—GKMC had the potential to really turn heads at the 2013 Grammys. Unfortunately, the October 22nd release date misses the Grammys' official cutoff date for all nominated albums. However, the 2014 Grammys are just a hop, skip, and a year and a half away. If Kendrick consistently releases quality singles throughout 2013, we can't imagine why he won't be holding a golden gramophone in the near future.

<--- Big Baller World Order