"Cartoon & Cereal" is a song by American rapper and songwriter

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...

, released for digital download on February 14, 2012. Collaborating with

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

-based rapper Gunplay, Lamar originally intended to include the song on his major-label debut album, ''

Good Kid, M.A.A.D City ''Good Kid, M.A.A.D City'' (stylized as ''good kid, m.A.A.d city'') is the second studio album by the American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on October 22, 2012, by Interscope Records, Top Dawg Entertainment and Dr. Dre's Aftermath Enter ...

'', but was discarded due to sampling issues and the track being leaked online beforehand.

Critical reception

Jack Law, writing for ''Fact'' magazine, described experimentation that Lamar demonstrated on his album '' Section.80'', released a year prior: "Kendrick's verse is predictably tricky to penetrate, full of multi-layered imagery and word-play, and will doubtless reward further study". Law further emphasized the unexpected collaboration between Lamar and Gunplay - a collaboration with an

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

musician and a "street" rapper. Writing for ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'', Jordan Sargent referred to "Cartoons & Cereal" as the work of two artists who "have an anti-social streak that runs through their music". ''Complex'', which listed it as the second best song of 2012, wrote that "the best song Cartoon & Cereal'that Kendrick Lamar released this year didn't even make the album 'Good Kid, M.A.A.D City''. Music critic Niyah Nel reflected: "the 'inner voice' like approach on 'Cartoons & Cereal' made just the right impact to lead fans into wondering what to expect from his debut album, and it definitely boosted his ranking as an unmatched lyricist".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cartoon And Cereal 2012 songs Gunplay (rapper) songs Kendrick Lamar songs Progressive music Songs written by Kendrick Lamar Unreleased songs