Cartoon and Cereal
2012 song by Kendrick Lamar featuring Gunplay
| "Cartoon & Cereal" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Song by Kendrick Lamar featuring Gunplay | |
| Released | February 14, 2012 (2012-02-14) |
| Recorded | 2012 |
| Studio | TDE Red Room (Carson) |
| Genre | Progressive rap[1] |
| Length | 6:49 |
| Label | Top Dawg Entertainment |
| Composer(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | THC[2] |
"Cartoon & Cereal" is a song by American rapper and songwriter Kendrick Lamar, released for digital download on February 14, 2012. Collaborating with Florida-based rapper Gunplay, Lamar originally intended to include the song on his major-label debut album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, but was discarded due to sampling issues and the track being leaked online beforehand.[3]
Critical reception
Jack Law, writing for Fact magazine, described experimentation that Lamar demonstrated on his album Section.80, released a year prior: "Kendrick's verse is predictably tricky to penetrate, full of multi-layered imagery and word-play, and will doubtless reward further study".[4] Law further emphasized the unexpected collaboration between Lamar and Gunplay - a collaboration with an avant-garde musician and a "street" rapper.[4] On Pitchfork, Jordan Sargent referred to "Cartoons & Cereal" as the work of two artists who "have an anti-social streak that runs through their music".[2]
"Cartoon & Cereal" is one of Lamar's most popular songs; Complex magazine, which listed it as the second best song of 2012, wrote "the best song ['Cartoon & Cereal'] that Kendrick Lamar released this year didn't even make the album [Good Kid, M.A.A.D City]".[5] Music critic Niyah Nel reflected: "the 'inner voice' like approach on 'Cartoons & Cereal' made just the right impact to lead fans into wondering what to expect from his debut album, and it definitely boosted his ranking as an unmatched lyricist".[6]
References
- ^ Skelton, Eric; Diaz, Angel; Tharpe, Frazier; Ortiz, Edwin; McKinney, Jessica; Thompson, Paul; Weiss, Jeff (November 18, 2019). "The Best Rappers of the 2010s". Complex. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
- ^ a b Sargent, Jordan. "'Cartoon & Cereal' [ft. Gunplay]". Pitchfork. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ G. Lucas. "Inside Kendrick Lamar's Unreleased Classic, "Cartoons & Cereal"". DJ Booth. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ a b Law, Jack. "Kendrick Lamar feat. Gunplay – 'Cartoon & Cereal'". Fact magazine. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ "The 50 Best Songs of 2012". Complex. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ Nel, Niyah. "REVISITING A CLASSIC: KENDRICK LAMAR'S 'CARTOONS & CEREAL' & its impact TODAY". EDL.com. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- v
- t
- e
Kendrick Lamar songs
- Discography
- Songs
- "A.D.H.D."
- "HiiiPoWeR"
- "Sherane a.k.a Master Splinter's Daughter"
- "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe"
- "Backseat Freestyle"
- "Money Trees"
- "Poetic Justice"
- "M.A.A.D City"
- "Swimming Pools (Drank)"
- "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst"
| Deluxe |
|
|---|
- "For Free? (Interlude)"
- "King Kunta"
- "These Walls"
- "Alright"
- "The Blacker the Berry"
- "I"
- "Blood"
- "DNA"
- "Yah"
- "Element"
- "Feel"
- "Loyalty"
- "Pride"
- "Humble"
- "Lust"
- "Love"
- "XXX"
- "Fear"
- "God"
- "Duckworth"
- "All the Stars"
- "King's Dead"
- "Pray for Me"
- "N95"
- "Die Hard"
- "We Cry Together"
- "Silent Hill"
- "Auntie Diaries"
- "The Heart Part 5"
- "Hood Gone Love It"
- "I'm On 2.0"
- "Fuckin' Problems"
- "Let Us Move On"
- "YOLO"
- "How Many Drinks?"
- "We Up"
- "Memories Back Then"
- "Collard Greens"
- "Fragile"
- "Forbidden Fruit"
- "Give It 2 U"
- "Radioactive (Remix)"
- "Nosetalgia"
- "It's On Again"
- "Control"
- "1 Train"
- "Autumn Leaves"
- "Never Catch Me"
- "Bad Blood (Remix)"
- "Classic Man (Remix)"
- "Easy Bake"
- "Holy Key"
- "No More Parties in LA"
- "The Greatest"
- "Freedom"
- "Really Doe"
- "Don't Wanna Know"
- "Sidewalks"
- "Goosebumps"
- "New Freezer"
- "Dedication"
- "Tints"
- "America Has a Problem"
- "Like That"
- "Cartoon and Cereal"
- "The Heart Part 4"
- "Under the Sun"
- "Family Ties"
- "Range Brothers"
- "The Hillbillies"
