Sample Flips: Kendrick Lamar – “Celebration” (Prod. by Sounwave)

Kendrick displayed immense potential on his debut EP.

Debut projects tell you a lot about where an artist is potentially headed in the future. On December 31st, 2009, Kendrick Lamar released his debut self-titled EP, The Kendrick Lamar EP. Featuring production from Sounwave, Black Milk, and Jake One, with features from Black Hippy members Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock, the EP showcased a future brimming with promise. I think “Celebration” has all of the parts of Kendrick’s music that we’ve grown to appreciate. The passion is there and the lyricism is on point. Rhyming over a sample-based Sounwave production, Kendrick puts together a solid three minute track. He even delivers a line, “Good Kid, Mad City, evil in my heart” early in his first verse, which foreshadows the title of the album he goes on to release three years later. The immense potential Kendrick displayed on “Celebration” set the tone for all of his future work.

The music and video below is presented here for the purpose of scholarship.

Kendrick Lamar – “Celebration” (Prod. by Sounwave)

Roy Ayers – “Hummin'”