A.D.H.D (Kendrick Lamar song)

"A.D.H.D" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kendrick Lamar, taken from his debut studio album, Section.80 (2011). The song was produced by frequent collaborator and Top Dawg in-house producer Sounwave, of Digi+Phonics.

Background and theme

The song's name refers to Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It addresses the high drug and medication tolerance of people born during the 1980s,^[2] who are referred to as "crack babies" in the song due to the crack epidemic that was notable during that period. Gabrielle Domanski of the Canadian music magazine exclaim! called it a "lethargic, drug-infused track."^[3]

Critical reception

"A.D.H.D" received critical acclaim from music critics upon release. In his review, Pitchfork's Jordan Sargent wrote "There's the Based God's paranoia, Drake's singing/rapping fluidity, the soothing synthscapes of Wiz's mixtapes, and, of course, an obsession with drugs." He noted its simplicity, but added that "Lamar's individuality and skill as a rapper shine through" the song.^[4] Complex named "A.D.H.D" the 13th best song of 2011. The magazine wrote that "it captures the mood of today's lonely, drugged-out youth who seem more interested in Bay Area Kush and Purple Label tags than anything else."^[5] The song was also featured in Grand Theft Auto V soundtrack station in Radio Los Santos.

In his 2012 review of Lamar's second album, Dan Jackson of cmj.com called "A.D.H.D" Lamar's best song prior to the release of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.^[6] In 2013 San Antonio Current wrote that "A.D.H.D" and the album's lead single "HiiiPoWeR" were hits that put Lamar into the national spotlight in 2011.^[7] In 2014 NPR writer Eric Ducker called "A.D.H.D" one of Lamar's three best songs.^[1]

Music video

The music video for the song was released on August 23, 2011. It shows Lamar with his friends "cruising through a bodega and an empty office, and it gets over on pure kids-having-fun atmosphere."^[8] He said about the music video: "I wanted the video to illustrate the emotion he paints with words, while avoiding gratuitous shots of any substance. Despite the song’s title and content, the focus isn't the drugs, but rather, that basic human experience of apathetic youth. That simple mood of emptiness which we choose to either address or self-medicate."^[9] The video was directed by Vashtie Kola (Va$htie), who wrote: Inspired by "A.D.H.D."s dark beat and melancholy lyrics which explore a generation in conflict, we find Kendrick Lamar in a video that illustrates the songs universal and age-old theme of apathetic youth. Shot in New York City during the sweltering July Summer heat, "A.D.H.D" is the third video to be released from Kendrick Lamar's debut album Section.80. As of March 2016 the video has almost 40 million views on YouTube.^[10]

Live performances

Lamar performed the song live on October 23, 2011 at CMJ^[11] and on November 11 at a Sneaker Pimps event,^[12] both in New York City. Lamar performed the song again on July 20, 2014 at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago. exclaim! writer Stephen Carlick wrote that it was "a perfect reminder that Kendrick Lamar was Kendrick Lamar before he became a Good Kid, and that the man who would be king is now firmly seated in the throne."^[13]

References