2011 song by Kendrick Lamar
"A.D.H.D" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar from his debut studio album, Section.80 (2011). The song was produced by frequent collaborator and Top Dawg in-house producer Sounwave, of Digi+Phonics.
Background and theme
The song's name refers to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It addresses the high drug and medication tolerance of people born during the 1980s,[2] who are referred to as "crack babies" in the song due to the crack epidemic that was notable during that period. Gabrielle Domanski of Exclaim! called it a "lethargic, drug-infused track."[3]
Critical reception
"A.D.H.D" received critical acclaim from music critics upon release. In his review, Pitchfork's Jordan Sargent wrote "There's the Based God's paranoia, Drake's singing/rapping fluidity, the soothing synthscapes of Wiz's mixtapes, and, of course, an obsession with drugs." He noted its simplicity, but added that "Lamar's individuality and skill as a rapper shine through" the song.[4] Complex named "A.D.H.D" the 13th best song of 2011. The magazine wrote that "it captures the mood of today's lonely, drugged-out youth who seem more interested in Bay Area Kush and Purple Label tags than anything else."[5] The song was also featured in Grand Theft Auto V soundtrack station in Radio Los Santos. The song was nominated to the 2013 Spike Video Game Awards for Best Song in a Game.[6]
In his 2012 review of Lamar's second album, Dan Jackson of cmj.com called "A.D.H.D" Lamar's best song prior to the release of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.[7] In 2013, San Antonio Current wrote that "A.D.H.D", and the album's lead single "HiiiPoWeR", were hits that put Lamar into the national spotlight in 2011.[8] In 2014, NPR writer Eric Ducker called "A.D.H.D" one of Lamar's three best songs.[1] In 2018, Billboard ranked the song number eight on their list of the 20 greatest Kendrick Lamar songs,[9] and in 2021, Rolling Stone ranked the song number six on their list of the 50 greatest Kendrick Lamar songs.[10]
Music video
The music video for the song was released on August 24, 2011. It shows Lamar with his friends "cruising through a bodega and an empty office, and it gets over on pure kids-having-fun atmosphere."[11] He said about the music video: "I wanted the video to illustrate the emotion he paints with words, while avoiding gratuitous shots of any substance. Despite the song's title and content, the focus isn't the drugs, but rather, that basic human experience of apathetic youth. That simple mood of emptiness which we choose to either address or self-medicate."[12] The video was directed by Vashtie Kola (Va$htie), who wrote: Inspired by "A.D.H.D."s dark beat and melancholy lyrics which explore a generation in conflict, we find Kendrick Lamar in a video that illustrates the songs universal and age-old theme of apathetic youth. Shot in New York City during the sweltering July Summer heat, "A.D.H.D" is the third video to be released from Kendrick Lamar's debut album Section.80. As of August 2023, the video has 91 million views on YouTube.[13]
