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

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his Progressive rap, progressive musical styles and Social consciousness, socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most infl ...

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

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

-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 American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on October 22, 2012, through Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Record ...

'', 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 ''Section.80'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on July 2, 2011, by Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). In the years leading up to its release, Lamar previously produced various mixtapes under the moniker K ...

'', 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 The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

musician and a "street" rapper. On ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'', Jordan Sargent referred to "Cartoons & Cereal" as the work of two artists who "have an anti-social streak that runs through their music". "Cartoon & Cereal" is one of Lamar's most popular songs; ''Complex'' magazine, which listed it as the second best song of 2012, wrote "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 Kendrick Lamar songs Gunplay (rapper) songs Songs written by Kendrick Lamar Unreleased songs Progressive music