Kendrick Lamar’s ‘good kid, m.A.A.d city’ Becomes First Hip-Hop Studio Album To Spend 700 Weeks on Billboard 200

Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city has reached a historic milestone, becoming the first hip-hop studio album ever to spend 700 weeks on the Billboard 200.

Released in October 2012, GKMC was the second-highest-selling album in the USA that week, with 242,000 copies sold. Some of the top tracks from GKMC included "B**ch Don't Kill My Vibe," "Swimming Pools (Drank)," and "Poetic Justice." GKMC has also become known as one of the most ambitious and cohesive albums ever created in hip-hop, and is compared to the works of classic, renowned artists such as Tupac Shakur and Nas.

After over 13 years on the charts, this album continues to prove it's an incredible example of artists creating narrative-based works rather than simply making tracks as standalone singles. GKMC takes the listener through the story of growing up in Compton and Kendrick's coming-of-age. Peer pressure, identity, survival, and growth are among the many themes found throughout these tracks, which resonate with every generation; these themes can be discovered through streaming playlists and the algorithms used to find new music.

The 700-week run extends GKMC's lead as the longest-charting non-greatest hits hip-hop album on the Billboard 200, surpassing projects like Drake's Take Care, J. Cole's 2014 Forest Hills Drive, and Kanye West's Graduation. Despite a controversial loss to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' The Heist at the 2014 GRAMMY Awards for Best Rap Album — a snub Macklemore himself later apologized for — the album's cultural standing has only grown over time.

Since then, Kendrick has released To Pimp a Butterfly, D*MN., and, most recently, GNX, pushing each of his artistic endeavors in a new direction. Yet good kid, m.A.A.d. city has continued to be the model for Kendrick Lamar's career, providing a framework to measure against in future work and already remaining on the charts for over 700 weeks.