Section 80 Kendrick Lamar tracklist: Why This 2011 Project Still Hits Different

Honestly, if you weren’t there in 2011, it’s hard to describe the shift that happened when the section 80 kendrick lamar tracklist first leaked. This wasn’t just another mixtape from a Compton kid with a "K-Dot" alias. It was a manifesto. Released on July 2, 2011, Section.80 arrived as Kendrick's official debut studio album, and looking back from 2026, it remains the rawest blueprint for everything he eventually became.

The album is a messy, beautiful, jazzy exploration of what it meant to be a millennial born in the crack-addled 80s. You’ve got these recurring characters like Tammy and Keisha, these "vices" and "pains" parenthetically attached to song titles, and a production style that felt way more "project blowed" than "gangsta rap."

The Official Section 80 Kendrick Lamar Tracklist

The 16-track odyssey is structured almost like a book of short stories. Here is the sequence that changed the trajectory of West Coast hip-hop:

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1. Fuck Your Ethnicity – Produced by THC. A bold opener that basically told everyone to stop looking at skin color and start listening to the message.
2. Hol' Up – Produced by Sounwave. High-energy, jazzy, and Kendrick showing off his "rhythm-and-flow" pockets.
3. A.D.H.D – Produced by Sounwave. The anthem for a generation "born in the 80s" and numbing themselves with whatever they could find.
4. No Make-Up (Her Vice) (feat. Colin Munroe) – A polarizing track about internal beauty that takes a dark, violent turn in the final verse.
5. Tammy's Song (Her Evils) – Produced by THC. A narrative about two women finding solace in each other because they can't trust men.
6. Chapter Six – Produced by Tommy Black.
7. Ronald Reagan Era (His Evils) – Featuring uncredited vocals from RZA. This is where Kendrick addresses the political landscape that shaped his childhood.
8. Poe Mans Dreams (His Vice) (feat. GLC) – Produced by Willie B. A smooth, reflective track about the struggle for a better life.
9. The Spiteful Chant (feat. Schoolboy Q) – This track is actually missing from many streaming versions now due to sample clearance issues, but it was a cornerstone of the original release.
10. Chapter Ten – A short, atmospheric interlude.
11. Keisha's Song (Her Pain) (feat. Ashtro Bot) – A tragic story of a prostitute, often compared to 2Pac's "Brenda's Got a Baby."
12. Rigamortis – Produced by Willie B. A masterclass in technical rapping where Kendrick literally "kills" the beat.
13. Kush & Corinthians (His Pain) (feat. BJ the Chicago Kid) – Exploring the duality of being a "good" person in a "bad" world.
14. Blow My High (Members Only) – A tribute to Aaliyah and Pimp C.
15. Ab-Soul's Outro – A nearly 6-minute jazz-fusion explosion featuring his TDE label-mate.
16. HiiiPoWeR – Produced by J. Cole. The rallying cry for the movement.

Why the "Missing" Track Matters

If you go to Spotify or Apple Music right now, you might notice the section 80 kendrick lamar tracklist looks a bit shorter. "The Spiteful Chant" featuring Schoolboy Q is the "ghost" of the album. It was pulled because of a sample from Woodkid's "Iron" that wasn't fully cleared for long-term commercial use.

It’s a bummer, really. That song had a defiant energy that balanced out the heavier, more somber moments like "Keisha's Song." It was Kendrick and Q at their most arrogant, before they were superstars. If you still have the original 2011 digital download or a rare physical CD, hold onto it. That version is the "true" experience.

The Production Dream Team

While J. Cole gets a lot of the spotlight for producing "HiiiPoWeR," the real architects were the Digi+Phonics crew. Sounwave, Tae Beast, and Willie B created a sound that was "stripped-down jazz" but also felt futuristic.

• Sounwave handled the "big" hits like "A.D.H.D."
• Willie B gave us the frantic, horn-heavy "Rigamortis."
• Terrace Martin brought the heavy jazz influence on "Ab-Soul's Outro."

They recorded most of this at Top Dawg Studios in Carson, California. Kendrick has often said he wrote a lot of these lyrics in his mother’s kitchen or on the tour bus. You can feel that intimacy. It’s not "studio-polished" in the way DAMN. or Mr. Morale are. It feels like a guy in a room trying to explain his whole world to you before the window of opportunity closes.

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Decoding the Vices and Pains

The section 80 kendrick lamar tracklist is unique for its parenthetical subtitles. You see "(Her Vice)," "(His Evils)," and "(Her Pain)." This wasn't just for show.

Kendrick was trying to build a world where every character represented a different facet of the 1980s fallout. Tammy and Keisha aren't just names; they are archetypes. "Keisha's Song" is particularly brutal. Kendrick famously played it for his little sister to warn her about the dangers of the street. It ends with a knife and a cold realization that "nothing really matters." It’s a hard listen, but that’s the point.

Then you have "No Make-Up," which starts off sounding like a "self-love" anthem but ends with the reveal that the girl is covering up bruises from domestic abuse. Kendrick was already subverting expectations back then. He didn't want you to just nod your head; he wanted you to feel uncomfortable.

How to Truly Experience Section.80 Today

If you’re revisiting the section 80 kendrick lamar tracklist or hearing it for the first time, don’t just shuffle it. This is a front-to-back project.

• Listen for the "Fire" Narrator: Throughout the album, there's a crackling fire and a voice that sounds like a campfire story. It ties the "Chapters" together.
• Watch the "HiiiPoWeR" Video: It was the only official single for a reason. It established the "three fingers in the air" imagery that defined TDE’s early years.
• Compare "Rigamortis" to modern Kendrick: It’s one of the few times he goes for pure, unadulterated speed.

Section.80 wasn't a chart-topper immediately. It peaked at 113 on the Billboard 200. But it did something more important: it got the attention of Dr. Dre. Without the tracks on this list, there is no good kid, m.A.A.d city.

The album remains a time capsule. It captures a specific moment in Compton, a specific moment in hip-hop, and the exact moment Kendrick Lamar Duckworth stopped being a local hero and started becoming a legend.

Next Steps for the Listener:
To get the full context of this era, you should look for the original Section.80 digital booklet which contains the lyrics and credits often missing from streaming platforms. Additionally, tracking down the "The Spiteful Chant" on YouTube or SoundCloud is essential to hearing the album as it was originally intended in 2011.