Overly Dedicated
Overly Dedicated (stylized as O(verly) D(edicated)) is the fourth solo mixtape by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, released on September 14, 2010, via Top Dawg Entertainment. The album features guest appearances from Dash Snow, Jhené Aiko, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Ash Riser, Dom Kennedy and Murs, among others. The album's production was handled by several TDE in-house producers, including King Blue, Sounwave, Tae Beast and Willie B; other producers such as Tommy Black, Jairus "J-Mo" Mozee, and Wyldfyer, also contributed production.[1] The mixtape had sold a total of 12,000 copies as of October 2012.[2]
Overly Dedicated | ||||
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Mixtape by | ||||
Released | September 14, 2010 | |||
Recorded | 2010 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 59:18 | |||
Label | Top Dawg | |||
Producer |
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Kendrick Lamar chronology | ||||
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Background
On September 4, 2010, Lamar unveiled the cover art for Overly Dedicated, which was designed by ASTHTC.[3] On September 14, 2010, the music video for "P&P 1.5", a song taken from Overly Dedicated, featuring his Black Hippy cohort Ab-Soul, was released.[4] On September 14, Lamar also released Overly Dedicated to digital retailers under Top Dawg Entertainment, the label that signed Lamar after he released his first mixtape, when he was 16.[5] On September 23, it was released for free download online.[6]
Overly Dedicated includes a song titled "Ignorance Is Bliss", in which Lamar glorifies gangsta rap and street crime, but ends each verse with "ignorance is bliss", giving the message "we know not what we do".[7][8] It was this song specifically that made fellow West Coast rapper and legendary hip hop producer Dr. Dre, want to work with Lamar, after watching the song's music video on YouTube.[9] This led to Lamar working with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg on Dre's Detox album and him considering signing to Dre's label, Aftermath Entertainment.[10][11][12] On the topic of the project's genre, Lamar called it "human music".[13][14]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Tom Hull | A–[16] |
Vice (Expert Witness) | A–[17] |
Writing for Vice, Robert Christgau gave Overly Dedicated an "A–" and found it to be as good as Lamar's first official album Section.80 (2011): "Only three classics: the besotted "Alien Girl," the merely sexed-up "P&P 1.5," and "Average Joe," a position paper for the gangsta realism to follow. But the many cameos document a party-crashing crew utterly delighted by how good they are at this shit. There’s a sense of fun and antic possibility here Lamar abjured on his road to iconicity. In pop music, that’s a spiritual resource there’s never enough of."[17] Mikey McCray of Creative Loafing wrote: "Compton, Calif. emcee takes his place among the best of the new West," however also wrote: "A couple tracks felt out of place. 'Michael Jordan' had a Weezy flow and Jeezy beat but the weak chorus was far from a MJ fadeaway. Don't know who was imitating Bilal on the 'ROTC (Interlude)' but they killed an otherwise stellar track with a cover fail of Common's 'The Light.'"[18]
Track listing
No. | Title | Producer | Length |
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1. | "The Heart Pt. 2" (featuring Dash Snow) | The Roots | 4:54 |
2. | "Growing Apart (To Get Closer)" (featuring Jhené Aiko) | Tae Beast (of Digi+Phonics) | 3:41 |
3. | "Night of the Living Junkies" | Sounwave (of Digi+Phonics) | 3:32 |
4. | "P&P 1.5" (featuring Ab-Soul) | King Blue (of Sore Losers) | 6:02 |
5. | "Alien Girl (Today, W/ Her)" | Sounwave | 4:00 |
6. | "Opposites Attract (Tomorrow, W/O Her)" (featuring JaVonté) | Willie B (of Digi+Phonics) | 4:32 |
7. | "Michael Jordan" (featuring Schoolboy Q) | Sounwave | 5:51 |
8. | "Ignorance Is Bliss" | Willie B | 3:28 |
9. | "R.O.T.C. (Interlude)" (featuring BJ the Chicago Kid) | Jairus "J-Mo" Mozee | 2:43 |
10. | "Barbed Wire" (featuring Ash Riser) | Sounwave | 4:26 |
11. | "Average Joe" | Wyldfyer | 4:16 |
12. | "H.O.C" | Drop | 5:17 |
13. | "Cut You Off (To Grow Closer)" | Tae Beast | 6:04 |
14. | "Heaven & Hell" (featuring Alori Joh) | Tommy Black | 3:12 |
No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
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15. | "She Needs Me (Remix)" (featuring Dom Kennedy & Murs) | Sounwave | 3:16 |
16. | "I Do This (Remix)" (featuring U-N-I, Skeme & Brown (of Sore Losers)) | Sounwave | 4:08 |
Sample credits
- "The Heart Pt. 2" contains a sample of "A Peace of Light" as performed by The Roots.[19]
- "Growing Apart (From Everything)" contains a sample of "On the Way" as performed by Bobby Cook and The Explosions.[20] The song also contains a sample of "Hangin'" as performed by Stylus.[21]
- "Night of the Living Junkies" contains an interpolation of "The New Workout Plan", written by Kanye West.[22]
- "P&P 1.5" contains a sample of "Vibrate" as performed by OutKast.[23] The song also contains an interpolation of "Give It to Me Baby", written by Rick James.[24]
- "Ignorance Is Bliss" contains a sample of "Alright" as performed by D'Angelo.[25]
- "R.O.T.C. (Interlude)" contains an interpolation of "Open Your Eyes", written by Bobby Caldwell.[26]
- "H.O.C" contains a sample of "Galaxy" as performed by Mass Production.[27]
- "Cut You Off (To Grow Closer)" contains a sample of "Harlem Love Theme" as performed by J. J. Johnson and Bobby Womack.[28]
- "Heaven & Hell" contains a sample of "Believe" as performed by Bobby Lyle.[29]
Charts
Chart (2010) | Peak position |
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US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[30] | 72 |
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[31] | 46 |
References
- "Kendrick Lamar – O.D. (Mixtape)". 2DopeBoyz. 2011-09-23. Retrieved 2012-05-28.
- Meadows-Ingram, Benjamin (October 22, 2012). "Kendrick Lamar: The Story Behind 'good kid, m.A.A.d city'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
- "Kendrick Lamar - O.D. (Artwork)". 2Dopeboyz. Complex Music. September 4, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- "Kendrick Lamar – P&P 1.5 f. Ab-Soul (Video)". 2Dopeboyz. Complex Music. September 14, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- "Overly Dedicated [Explicit]: Kendrick Lamar". Amazon.com. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
- "Kendrick Lamar – O.D. (Mixtape)". 2Dopeboyz. Complex Music. September 23, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- Hanna, Mitchell. (2010-09-27) Mixtape Release Dates: Kendrick Lamar, K-Os, Terrace Martin, Sheek Louch | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales. HipHop DX. Retrieved on 2011-05-03.
- Double G News Network: GGN Ep. 2 - Special Super Hard Hitting Interview with Kendrick Lamar. YouTube. Retrieved on 2011-08-28.
- Jacobs, Allen. (2010-12-17) Dr. Dre Says In 2011, He's Focusing On West Coast Hip Hop – Kendrick Lamar, Slim da Mobster | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales. HipHop DX. Retrieved on 2011-05-03.
- Graham, Nadine. (2011-01-06) Kendrick Lamar: The West Coast Got Somethin' To Say | Rappers Talk Hip Hop Beef & Old School Hip Hop. HipHop DX. Retrieved on 2011-05-03.
- Paine, Jake. (2010-12-25) Kendrick Lamar Reacts To Dr. Dre's Cosign, Considering Aftermath | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales.
- Kendrick Lamar Says J. Cole Collabo Mixtape is Gonna “Shock The World”. Xxlmag.Com. Retrieved on 2011-05-03.
- "Video: Kendrick Lamar Interview w/ Lu Parker". Nah Right. 2011-03-31. Archived from the original on 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2013-11-27.
- "Kendrick Lamar talks J Cole, XXL Freshmen, Kid Cudi, Human Music". YouTube. 2010-12-31. Retrieved 2013-11-27.
- Reeves, Mosi (July 14, 2017). "Mixtape Primer: Reviewing Kendrick Lamar's Pre-Fame Output". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- Hull, Tom (March 30, 2016). "Rhapsody Streamnotes". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- Christgau, Robert (March 18, 2016). "West Coast Warriors: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau". Noisey. Vice. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
- McCray, Mikey (2010-09-23). "EP Review: Kendrick Lamar's Overly Dedicated". Clclt.com. Retrieved 2017-04-08.
- "Kendrick Lamar's The Heart Pt.2 sample of The Roots' A Peace of Light". Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- "Kendrick Lamar's Growing Apart (To Get Closer) sample of Bobby Cook and The Explosions' On the Way". Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- "Kendrick Lamar's Growing Apart (From Everything) sample of Stylus' Hangin'". Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- "Kendrick Lamar's Night of the Living Junkies sample of Kanye West's The New Workout Plan". Retrieved 15 April 2013.
- "Kendrick Lamar's P&P 1.5 sample of OutKast's Vibrate". Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- "Kendrick Lamar's P&P 1.5 sample of Rick James' Give It To Me Baby". Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- "Kendrick Lamar's Ignorance Is Bliss sample of D'Angelo's Alright". Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- "Kendrick Lamar's R.O.T.C. (Interlude) sample of Bobby Caldwell's Open Your Eyes". Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- "Kendrick Lamar's Ignorance Is Bliss sample of Mass Production's Galaxy". Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- "Kendrick Lamar's Cut You Off (To Grow Closer) sample of J. J. Johnson and Bobby Womack's Harlem Love Theme". Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- "Kendrick Lamar's Heaven & Hell sample of Bobby Lyle's Believe". Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
- "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2017.