 In a mixed review , Hazel Sheffield of NME asserted that the album " might lack the raw appeal of " Section.80 , " but it 's a big @-@ budget reminder that [ Lamar ] hasn 't forgotten his roots . " Alex Macpherson of The Guardian criticized " Lamar 's depiction of downtrodden women " as " unnecessarily prurient and unconvincing " , but praised his " ability to pull the listener inside the action while retaining an alienated detachment " . Although he observed " some degree of self @-@ indulgence " , Andrew Nosnitsky of Spin found the album 's production " surprisingly cohesive " and commented that Lamar " manages to hold everything together in the midst of such chaos through sheer craftsmanship . " Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone felt that the album " warrants a place in that storied lineage " of " Seventies blaxploitation soundtracks and Nineties gangsta rap blaxploitation revivals " . Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune commended Lamar for giving " gangsta tropes ... a twist , or sometimes upend [ ing ] them completely " , and wrote that the album " brims with comedy , complexity and the many voices in Kendrick Lamar 's head . " Robert Christgau from MSN Music felt that its " commitment to drama has musical drawbacks " , but stated , " the atmospheric beats Dr. Dre and his hirelings lay under the raps and choruses establish a musical continuity that shores up a nervous flow that 's just what Lamar 's rhymes need . " 
