Drake's input is negligible, although the track wouldn't suffer without him.
plus, it's really worth hearing Scoop's production on it.
incidentally, i mentioned earlier how i initially thought it was an aaliyah sample, and the reason i got excited was because i thought it might have been a product of drake's access to her archival material... and a much better one than 'enough said'. but yeah, that project is probably still doomed...
was not the hugest Kendrick Lamar fan going in, but like Day mentioned above this shit is striking a chord. Pretty amazing record IMO. I held out until I got the vinyl so I'm late. The way it's broken up on there is interesting - so side 2, for instance: "Money Trees", "Good Kid" and "M.A.A.D City" punctuated only by "Poetic Justice" is a pretty thrilling listen. Then you have to flip to get "Swimming Pools" into "Sing About Me". That whole string of songs from "Good Kid" on is just brutal. But side 4 is a little unfortunate - "Compton" is a let down, "The Recipe" seems like an unnecessary "roll the credits" type pick me up after a pretty gut wrenching album, "Black Boy Fly" is great but seems ill-placed, and isn't Mary J old enough to be Kendrick's mother? I am henceforth picking the needle up before that starts/leaving it off the iphone.
Beyond all that, it's been sticking in my craw since I first played it and will probably go down as an era-defining record. I can kinda see the Illmatic comparison, but I think that's more because kids these days have so little with which to compare it.
To touch on the 'Kast sidebar upthread, yes Aquemini is not their best record, and I think a more fitting comparison w/r/t GKMC might be ATLiens. Much more of a sense of time passing, changing and growth/maturation on that record.
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
It's funny you say that, because it was you who first put him on my radar when you posted a YouTube of that Look Out For Detox freestyle a couple of years back.
Having now lived with it for about a month to the exclusion of just about everything else (as I did with Ab-Soul's album), I can now confidently state that I haven't heard a better record all year, even if it does sag a little right at the end. What has set the last few Black Hippy-related releases apart from a lot of the stuff I've heard this year is the level of care and thought that's gone into them at the most detailed level. GKMC is pretty much the zenith of that approach. This shit is gonna hold up.
yeah, that freestyle was some shit... but I felt like I wasn't sure if the kid could hold up his own weight. I had heard some marginal stuff and got a little jaded about it.
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
Also, I'd like to add how refreshing I personally find it to hear a bunch of kids whose principle area of interest doesn't currently extend any further than being really good rappers, as opposed to singers, actors, celebrities, heads of Fortune 500 companies, clothing manufacturers, etc, etc.
as opposed to singers, actors, celebrities, heads of Fortune 500 companies, clothing manufacturers, etc, etc.
All in good time maybe? Atleast he won't be signed to a esophagus eating energy drink.
I like this album, it does dull out at the end like most say. The Compton song is weak, beat and all.
(tidbit) --- Anyone listen to Sound Opinions,show out of Chicago, on your local public radio channel? They were both split on the album.
One loved it, and the other thought it was trash. I don't think either dudes are rap fans.
Dude's writing isn't the best, but it's a great breakdown of the album's storyline. I didn't realize that the two guys with Sherane were the ones who "snatched him out the van" and beat his ass.
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
Dude's writing isn't the best, but it's a great breakdown of the album's storyline. I didn't realize that the two guys with Sherane were the ones who "snatched him out the van" and beat his ass.
That's quite a good read, and it kinds of underlines my belief that one of the album's strengths lies in how considered it is in terms of what it's trying to put across. I don't think that how good a rap album is at making A Big Statement should become the future benchmark of how good a rap album is or anything, but I like the idea that there are rappers - and young rappers at that - who aren't afraid to attempt something that's ambitious in a different kind of way.
I felt Aubs's contribution didn't really disrupt this song too much when the album dropped, but somehow he manages to be a much more irritating presence in the video. I really do struggle to think of a rapper, especially a very successful one, so utterly untroubled by self-awareness as Drake.
Jay Rock's verse on Money Trees is one of the best things I've heard all year. Of all the Black Hippy dudes, he gets the least shine, but I think he's a fucking fantastic rapper.
Gotta chime in this morning to say I was listening to this album last night while cooking, and this verse just stopped me dead in my tracks, had to rewind it immediately.
Any recommendations for where to start on Jay Rock?
K-dot >>>> rock > sq >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ab soul.
K-dot >>>> rock > sq >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ab soul.
Comments
pass.
Drake's input is negligible, although the track wouldn't suffer without him.
plus, it's really worth hearing Scoop's production on it.
incidentally, i mentioned earlier how i initially thought it was an aaliyah sample, and the reason i got excited was because i thought it might have been a product of drake's access to her archival material... and a much better one than 'enough said'. but yeah, that project is probably still doomed...
was not the hugest Kendrick Lamar fan going in, but like Day mentioned above this shit is striking a chord. Pretty amazing record IMO. I held out until I got the vinyl so I'm late. The way it's broken up on there is interesting - so side 2, for instance: "Money Trees", "Good Kid" and "M.A.A.D City" punctuated only by "Poetic Justice" is a pretty thrilling listen. Then you have to flip to get "Swimming Pools" into "Sing About Me". That whole string of songs from "Good Kid" on is just brutal. But side 4 is a little unfortunate - "Compton" is a let down, "The Recipe" seems like an unnecessary "roll the credits" type pick me up after a pretty gut wrenching album, "Black Boy Fly" is great but seems ill-placed, and isn't Mary J old enough to be Kendrick's mother? I am henceforth picking the needle up before that starts/leaving it off the iphone.
Beyond all that, it's been sticking in my craw since I first played it and will probably go down as an era-defining record. I can kinda see the Illmatic comparison, but I think that's more because kids these days have so little with which to compare it.
To touch on the 'Kast sidebar upthread, yes Aquemini is not their best record, and I think a more fitting comparison w/r/t GKMC might be ATLiens. Much more of a sense of time passing, changing and growth/maturation on that record.
Having now lived with it for about a month to the exclusion of just about everything else (as I did with Ab-Soul's album), I can now confidently state that I haven't heard a better record all year, even if it does sag a little right at the end. What has set the last few Black Hippy-related releases apart from a lot of the stuff I've heard this year is the level of care and thought that's gone into them at the most detailed level. GKMC is pretty much the zenith of that approach. This shit is gonna hold up.
All in good time maybe? Atleast he won't be signed to a esophagus eating energy drink.
I like this album, it does dull out at the end like most say. The Compton song is weak, beat and all.
(tidbit) --- Anyone listen to Sound Opinions,show out of Chicago, on your local public radio channel? They were both split on the album.
One loved it, and the other thought it was trash. I don't think either dudes are rap fans.
Dude's writing isn't the best, but it's a great breakdown of the album's storyline. I didn't realize that the two guys with Sherane were the ones who "snatched him out the van" and beat his ass.
That's quite a good read, and it kinds of underlines my belief that one of the album's strengths lies in how considered it is in terms of what it's trying to put across. I don't think that how good a rap album is at making A Big Statement should become the future benchmark of how good a rap album is or anything, but I like the idea that there are rappers - and young rappers at that - who aren't afraid to attempt something that's ambitious in a different kind of way.
I felt Aubs's contribution didn't really disrupt this song too much when the album dropped, but somehow he manages to be a much more irritating presence in the video. I really do struggle to think of a rapper, especially a very successful one, so utterly untroubled by self-awareness as Drake.
I enjoyed that write up on the album because I hadn't quite pieced the whole story together.
Yeah, that was actually the first thing I noticed, strangely enough. Seen a few other rappers rockin' leather strides recently.
Gotta chime in this morning to say I was listening to this album last night while cooking, and this verse just stopped me dead in my tracks, had to rewind it immediately.
Any recommendations for where to start on Jay Rock?
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