Much will be written this week about Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d. city, which celebrates its five year anniversary on Oct. 22. The album first proved that the TDE rapper could bring his unique brand of conscious Compton hip-hop to the mainstream. From its effect on his career to its influence on a range of artists, there’s a lot to be said. However, good kid, m.A.A.d. city is—more than any other Kendrick project—an intensely autobiographical story about a kid coming of age in a world stacked against his success. To honor this narrative while celebrating good kid, m.A.A.d. city’s five-year anniversary, Genius put together a walkthrough of the project based largely on Kendrick’s own annotations, which he first posted to Genius in 2013.

Unlike the chaotic “Wesley’s Theory” or gunshot-punctuated “BLOOD.,” which respectively kick off To Pimp a Butterfly and DAMN., good kid, m.A.A.d city begins with the understated “Sherane a.k.a. Master Splinter’s Daughter.” The track, produced by Tha Bizness, is essential world-building for the story to come. It’s packed with details about where he was at this stage in his life and who he was surrounded by:

He even recalls what song was playing at the party he’s describing:

Although it’s not typically cited amongst the album’s best tracks, “Sherane a.k.a. Master Splinter’s Daughter” is a fantastic piece of scene-setting, constructing the world in which good kid, m.A.A.d. city will take place. While good kid is often noted for its narrative arc, Kendrick actually begins the album in the middle of the larger story. On the track, he recounts his relationship with Sherane, his status in his neighborhood, and him borrowing his mother’s van (which appears on the album cover and will be frequently lamented in a series of voicemails throughout the project):

Grab my momma’s keys, hopped in the car, then oh boy

So now I’m down Rosecrans in a Caravan

Passin' Alameda, my gas meter in need of a pump

I got enough to get me through the traffic jam

At least I hope ‘cause my pockets broke as a promise, man

Soon after, Kendrick transitions into “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe,” the first time we see how the Compton native relates to the surroundings he’s just described. He gets to the heart of the matter early in the first verse:

However, unlike the majority of other songs on the album which are rooted in Kendrick’s mid-2000s adolescent experiences, “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” seemingly takes place in the present day with Dot’s “new life” as an emerging rap star. Kendrick expresses a deep desire to better himself, but he’s also conflicted and frustrated that his talent won’t get him there:

This idea leads right into “Backseat Freestyle,” a song that shows off both Kendrick’s remarkable delivery and unique knack for storytelling. He manages to weave a standalone piece of turn-up music perfectly into the project’s narrative, serving as something like a skit while still managing to become one of the album’s most popular songs:

If “Backseat Freestyle” is young Kendrick at his most jubilant, the project’s fourth song “The Art of Peer Pressure” shows exactly what he’s up against. A dark track about the TDE MC getting caught up with these same friends he’s trying to impress just one song before, “The Art of Peer Pressure” finds Kendrick riding around, getting into trouble, and eventually becoming involved in a home invasion robbery:

I hit the back window in search of any Nintendo

DVD’s, plasma-screen TV’s in the trunk

We made a right, then made a left, then made a right

Then made a left, we was just circlin' life

My mama called: “Hello? What you doin'?” — “Kickin' it.”

I shoulda told her I’m probably ‘bout to catch my first offense

With the homies

The skit that follows the song finds Kendrick smoking a blunt laced with angel dust, something he raps about later on “m.A.A.d. city.” It’s also why the “m,A.A.d.” acronym has two meanings—"My Angry Adolescence Divided" but also “My Angels on Angel Dust.” For his part, Kendrick demurred about giving too much detail about the night in question, but he summed it up succinctly:

He finds himself reflecting on the dual paths set in front of him on the next track, “Money Trees”:

Kendrick’s fellow TDE labelmate Jay Rock ponders a similar idea on his guest verse:

Of course, the vice rears its head on the Drake-assisted “Poetic Justice,” which is built around a sample of Janet Jackson’s “Any Time, Any Place”:

Of good kid, m.A.A.d. city’s two title tracks, “m.A.A.d. city” is certainly the more famous one, but “good kid” is really the heart of the album. Kendrick explains as much in an annotation:

It serves as the album’s thesis, laying out exactly the challenges that he’s up against in broad terms and expressing the frustration and uncertainty of life as a teenager in Compton:

For the record, I recognize that I’m easily prey

I got ate alive yesterday

I got animosity buildin', it’s prob'ly big as a buildin'

Me jumpin' off of the roof is me just playin' it safe

But what am I ‘posed to do when the topic is red or blue

And you understand that I ain’t

But know I’m accustomed to just a couple that look for trouble

And live in the street with rank

If “good kid” is him speaking in the abstract, “m.A.A.d. city” is him vividly recounting horror stories of the streets. “good kid” is his diary, but “m.A.A.d. city” is a reality show. On the song’s first verse, he raps:

Later on, he tells another story about how he nearly got caught up by street life:

Still, he sees this song as one of hope:

The album’s biggest hit “Swimming Pools (Drank)” immediately follows this, and while it stands out for being a radio hit, many fans initially missed the song’s dark message about how sins of the previous generation trickle down to the next:

Things come into perspective with “Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst,” a two-part track that remains perhaps the greatest songwriting accomplishment of Kendrick’s career. Over the course of 12 minutes, Kendrick tells the stories of two of his Compton associates: the brother of his friend Dave, who was killed in the skit at the end of the previous song, and the sister of Keisha, the murdered teenage prostitute who Kendrick rapped about on Section.80’s “Keisha’s Song (Her Pain).” Although both verses tell very specific stories, they also relate back to Kendrick; on the third verse, he reflects on how everything that he’s rapped about throughout the album has come to define who he is and where he found himself at this point in his life:

It’s the constant specter of death, and the way that Kendrick tries to process and overcome it, that fuels the narrative of the album:

By the time “Real” rolls around, Kendrick is still trying to figure out how to move forward with his life:

Ultimately, the song is about Kendrick’s journey of self-discovery, figuring out who he is and how he wants to use his voice to better his situation and uplift his community:

good kid, m.A.A.d. city’s final track “Compton” is the only song Kendrick opted not to explain on Genius, and it seems fitting. Many critics at the time of its release called it unnecessary and overblown, but “Compton” serves as a victory lap, allowing Kendrick to step away from the dense narrative that he’s spun throughout the project and celebrate just how far he’s come:

Now everybody serenade the new faith of Kendrick Lamar

This is King Kendrick Lamar

King Kendrick and I meant it, my point intended is raw

It’s certainly hard to remember a time when people were unsure of Kendrick’s sales potential, but back in 2012, cynics viewed the song as a way to shoehorn Dr. Dre onto the project to increase its commercial appeal. However, Dre serves as more than just a big name—he’s also there to pass the torch. Teaming up with his protege, Dre makes it abundantly clear that Kendrick is here to stay and gives him the layup of greatness that Kendrick slam dunks:

Roll that kush, crack that case, ten bottles of rosé

This was brought to you by Dre

Now every motherfucker in here say:

“Look who’s responsible

For taking Compton international

I make ‘em holla”

good kid, m.A.A.d city proved a lot. It showed that Kendrick could take his signature brand of hip-hop and sell it to the masses. It proved that he could score radio hits without compromising his lyricism. Most importantly, it showed the world what Kendrick was truly capable of, and that he was ready to come for the rap industry’s crown. Looking back, after the Platinum plaques, the Fox News outrage, and the “Control” uproar, it’s easy to view Kendrick as an inevitable superstar. Back in 2012, however, this future was far from certain. good kid, m.A.A.d. city’s legacy is Kendrick slitting the throat of expectations and showing the world exactly who he was on his own terms.

Read all of Kendrick Lamar’s verified lyrics an annotations for good kid, m.A.A.d. city on Genius now.