This track is the 8th off of Lamar’s album. In an interview with Complex magazine, Kendrick explains how the acronymed title has two meanings – My Angel on Angel Dust and My Angry Adolescence Divided. Seeing as how this is both the track title and one half of the album name, it is apparent that these intermingled ideas on personal and environmental struggles, honoring where you came from while figuring out who you are. The violence of Compton comes through in the lyrics, but the featuring of Compton born old school hip-hop artist MC eiht proves that Kendrick doesn’t want to throw away his heritage as he struggles to find his own identity.
Violence pops right out at the listener as soon as they turn on the song – “If Pirus and Crips all got along / They’d probably gun me down by the end of this song” opens the track. The first thing Lamar does is establish the normalcy of violence in his ‘mad city’ of Compton. While the most pervasive idea of the rest of the song is the danger of drugs, the mindless violence associated with that is a close second. This Kendrick goes on to relate stories and rumors – “The driver seat the first one to get killed / Seen a light-skinned nigga with his brains blown out” and “Joey packed the nine… We adapt to crime, pack a van with four guns at a time” and “A wall of bullets comin from AK’s, AR’s, “Aye y’all. Duck.” to reference a few. This rapid fire offering of violent scenes is also seen in Stiff Little Fingers’ “Wasted Life”, with constant reminders of fatal gun use and violent situations. These continue throughout the song, offering the picture of a past that makes the listener wonder how Lamar got out alive. He likens the kids he grew up with to the Children of the Corn, an unflattering comparison to pure fanatical violence and evil. Despite all of these brutal renderings of his city, Lamar refuses to be removed from Compton; he refers to himself as “Compton’s human sacrifice”, offering his life to the violence of the city he loves.
Lamar’s unbreakable connection to his heritage seems to be the key to why he accepts this violence. He takes it as an immutable part of his past, something that cannot be changed so it might as well be embraced. It is interesting to note that while Lamar accepts the violence of his past, Stiff little fingers “Wasted Life” and “Closed Groove” do just the opposite. While both albums depict violence, Stiff Little Fingers seem to push back against the idea of remembering their heritage, trying to distance themselves from their origins. With the very first verse Lamar invites the listener to “take a trip down memory lane” with him, to follow him as he remembers where he grew up. He names friends and enemies, experiences and conversations, family and drug culture all flowing together. This entire song is about the violence of his heritage, his origins and his roots in this action. The song is honest – Lamar does not lie about the situation of his upbringing but offers a bluntly real view of where he came from with all of the ups and downs that he recalls, for better or worse.
While talking about the past offers a clear link to heritage, the inclusion of MC eiht strengthens the idea of accepting heritage. MC eiht was a member of Compton’s Most Wanted, considered a pioneer in the West Coast rap scene as the genre was blowing up across the nation. To bring MC eiht back onto the scene gives proof to Lamar’s lyrics. Now he is not just talking about honoring his heritage, but he is acting on it, honoring Compton’s past through the use of old-school rappers. Lamar grew up as Compton’s Most Wanted released CD after CD, side by side in Compton. As Lamar went through these experiences and trials, it is easy to imagine tracks like “All Around the Hood” blasting through the car speakers.
Against this wish to embrace origins was a drive for Kendrick to create his own identity, remembering his origins while still becoming his own man. In Stiff Little Fingers’ “Closed Groove,” identity is formed from a shunning of heritage, leading to empowerment of the artist as an individual; in “m.A.A.d City” it seems that identity stems mainly from ideas of heritage while the artist simultaneously struggles against this. Lamar includes a repeated hook that showcase the importance of identity – “Where you from, nigga? Fuck who you know, where you from, my nigga? Where your grandma stay, huh, my nigga?” His “trip down memory lane” is his answer to these inquires explanations of who he is through his memories – his identity is not removable from his heritage.
Despite this, Lamar tries to remove the two from each other. He references himself in the third person a few times, trying to juggle respect for his origins and being true to himself. The line “you know the reasons but still won’t ever know my life / Kendrick AKA Compton’s human sacrifice” portrays this struggle perfectly. The listener can receive all of this information on the artist’s past but still not know the person. At the same time, the artist is a part of the city until death. Identity is irremovable form heritage, and violence is irremovable from heritage; all three are bound together, but an understanding, acceptance and balance makes it all okay.
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