Kendrick Lamar called good kid, m.A.A.d city a short film himself, and that is how it plays: a single day in the Compton of his teenage years, told in the first person and stitched together with skits and voicemails from his parents. It originally came out in 2012 as his major-label debut, with production from Sounwave, Hit-Boy, Just Blaze, Pharrell Williams, and Dr. Dre. Swimming Pools (Drank), Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe, Poetic Justice with Drake, and M.A.A.D City with MC Eiht became its best-known tracks. When the album lost the 2014 Grammy for Best Rap Album to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, the argument ran so hot that Macklemore texted Lamar afterwards: "You got robbed".

This edition is a 2-LP with alternate artwork.