Kendrick Lamar: Songs With a Statement

Racism, sexism, poverty, mental illness, substance abuse, police brutality: no topic is off-limits for Kendrick Lamar, who can make an indie-rap polemic feel like a hook-laden pop anthem, and a personal excoriation feel like a new age koan. Full of brash funk, dexterous jazz and cutting-edge rap maximalism, these tracks are stuffed with hard-won knowledge and drama.