Kendrick Lamar’s 50 Greatest Songs

Kendrick Lamar’s discography has a subtle depth. Its catalog is full of gems that you missed or never knew about. Maybe you forgot his brilliant project from 2016, untitled not mastered, or its exceptional series of mixtapes released in the years preceding its mainstream breakthrough. And when it comes to hits, he has a way of outdoing himself so thoroughly that each banger replaces the last in our collective psyche. “Swimming Pools (Drank)” is one of the greatest songs of the past decade, and it exists on the same album (2012’s good kid, maad city) which has “Backseat Freestyle”, which is, in a way, even better. His instantly iconic LPs To pimp a butterfly and SLIM. are also stocked with classics.

Now, with his latest Top Dawg Entertainment album on the way and his Super Bowl appearance with Dr. Dre. and Snoop Dogg booked for next year, we thought it would be a great time to look back on the road we traveled. So we’ve compiled a list of his 50 greatest songs, from monster hits like “Humble” to hymns like “Alright”, to deep, unmissable tracks. Ranking the list hasn’t been easy – with an artist like Kendrick, who has spent his entire career moving from one peak to the next, it’s nearly impossible. But at least we can say that we tried.