I had the pleasure of seeing Kendrick in Brooklyn about 2 weeks ago with Corey (Mr. B&B himself); and he killed it.  He knew how to get the crowd hype and ran through a great set.  Unfortunately, the concert came pre-#Section 80 announcement so we didn’t get to here “Ronald Reagan” or “Hol’ Up”, his newest release off of his upcoming debut on Top Dawg (TDE).  Running off of great production from Soundwave, Kendrick displays an enlightened and old-school flow while still retaining his hand in the streets through his lyrics and adhering to the ear of the more casual, common hip-hop listener of  today.  On top of Dr. Dre’s co-sign, XXL had it right when they named Lamar as a 2011 Freshman of the Year, along with the likes of Mac Miller, Big K.R.I.T., Diggy, YelaWolf & Meek Mill, to name a few. Look for big things from the “next” Compton all-star in 2011. Also check out Kendrick’s TDE label-mate, and fellow west-coast beast, Jay Rock who recently dropped “Hood Gone Love It” (featuring Lamar) off of his much anticipated and oft-delayed debut, Follow Me Home.

Download: Kendrick Lamar – “Hol’ Up” (prod. Soundwave)

Download: Jay Rock feat. Kendrick Lamar – “Hood Gone Love It” (prod. J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League)