Section.80 is Kendrick Lamar's first studio release, followed by the release of five of his mixtapes and his first extended-play. Lamar began working on the album from around January 2011. He recorded the album at Top Dawg Studios in Carson, California, and wrote most of it in his mother's kitchen and tour bus. While recording the album he wished for it to be "as organic as possible." At times leaving songs unfinshed for extented periods of time. Lamar felt compelled to create the album after seeing a friend of his go to jail for twenty-five years and experiencing the pain of such an event. He also stated that he:
Music and lyrics
Section.80 is a concept album that involves the lives of Tammy and Keisha as it explains the personal hardships in their lives. "Tammy's Song " revolves around two girls cheating on their boyfriends after discovering they were unfaithful, and eventually sleeping with each other because they can't trust men. "Keisha's Song " is about a prostitute who seeks comfort and control, only to her demise. Lamar has stated that he created the album to discuss his generation. He dwells on a variety of subjects, such as referencing Ronald Reagan and discussing how the crack epidemic occurred in the 80s. He explains how this is part of the reason drugs are popular for his Generation "A.D.H.D" addresses "Getting fucked up, going to parties, and just being carefree." "Kush & Corinthians" notes that justice and morals are rarely cut and dried. The final song and lead single for Section.80 was the song "HiiiPoWeR", the concept of which was to further explain the "HiiiPoWeR" movement promoted by Lamar and his TDE labelmates. The song came from Lamar's interactions with fellow rapper J. Cole and TDE president Punch. According to Lamar in a 2011 interview, music videos for "The Spiteful Chant", "Ronald Reagan Era" and "Keisha's Song", are to be made.
Critical reception
Section.80 was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 80, based on 11 reviews. Album of the Year assessed the critical consensus as 80 out of 100, based on eight reviews. Andres Tardio of HipHopDX wrote that Lamar "may have been searching for answers, but that journey allowed him to find out of this year's most outstanding albums with Section.80." Tom Breihan of Pitchfork believed that, "self-serious flaws and all, Section.80 still stands as a powerful document of a tremendously promising young guy figuring out his voice." In the opinion of XXL journalist Adam Fleischer, the record reveals "its author's brain is neither lost nor useless, as he weaves together carefully constructed thoughts before spewing raps on each of the project's 16 tracks, ensuring nothing is disposable or without purpose." David Amidon from PopMatters compared Lamar to an Ice Cube early in his career, as "he's only telling us what he sees, and while he might not offer solutions as often as did, he's certainly able to paint us vivid a picture." Tom Hull said Lamar "runs a song about 'niggas and ho's' so far into the ground he can raise a flagpole in top of it, but also recalls the evils of the Reagan Era, which is pretty good for a guy who was just born as Iran-Contra piled up." Pitchfork placed the album at number 45 on its list of the "Top 50 albums of 2011". Complex named the album the 7thbest album of 2011. In honor of Section.80s fifth anniversary, Forbes columnist Ogden Payne wrote an article explaining how the album had propelled Lamar into "hip-hop royalty", deeming it "the genesis to Kendrick Lamar successfully balancing social commentary with mass appeal, while simultaneously laying the foundation for his label as King Kendrick". NME placed the album at number three on their list of "101 Albums To Hear Before You Die" in 2014.
Commercial performance
Section.80 sold only 5,000 copies in the United States, based upon digital downloads within less than a week, debuting at number 113 on the US Billboard 200, with minimal mainstream media promotion and coverage. Within a two-week period, the album sold a total of 9,000 copies in the United States. As of February 2014, Section.80 has sold 130,000 copies domestically. On April 14, 2017, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 units.
Track listing
Songwriting credits adapted from BMI and ASCAP. Notes
