Sounding like a mid 90s bill laswell produced pfunk jawn.
Ive really made the effort to get in to his stuff - only standout on MAAD city for me was Swimming Pools.
I just need more hi impact rapping and production from a rap record. Its too all over for me. [strong]Lack of spittage[/strong].
I dont have the patience for this.
Never been a big fan of the multi persona / voice mc (black elvis / matthew - kool keith never did it for me either).
Attempts at spanning too many genres dilutes imo. So nah.
Not bad, very ambitious in scope and production - but as a fan of rap I'm personally filing this under non essential - crossover.
The rest of the world can have fun with it though.
This is a dark record. But dark needs beats to keep me into it, and this ain't Schooly D's Welcome to America. I like King Kunta, the rest needs some percalatin... don't know if it'll get the time to do so tho.
I'm feeling King Kunta, but it needed a verse from Quik on it assuming he produced it? Sounds 100% like a Quik beat. He even sampled Get Nekkid drums..
Haven't listened to the rest yet.
"King Kunta" is probably the best track not produced by Drake's dude, and yet it still lacks that certain something (moog?) that would put it over the top. The album is a ("ugly") throwback in the sense that it's like those rap albums from second half of the 90's that you bought on the strength of a previous album or a single and was disappointed to hear a bunch of tepid tracks. My biggest fear is that he likes these kind of Project Blowed meets Dogg Pound beats and will follow in Nas' footsteps--an outstanding lyricist with questionable taste in beats. I blame Dre; you know he's holding out on actual good beats for his album while indulging Kendrick's worst musical instincts knowing that schitt will sell acceptably on the strength of the names involved.
I'm feeling King Kunta, but it needed a verse from Quik on it assuming he produced it? Sounds 100% like a Quik beat. He even sampled Get Nekkid drums..
Haven't listened to the rest yet.
Its a Sounwave beat. He's done stuff for School Boy Q and Ab Soul aside form Kendrick.
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
Beyond The Blacker the Berry and King Kunta, How Much a Dollar Cost is really good and same goes for You Ain't Gotta Lie...regardless of any style adjacent to hip-hop Kendrick might be trying to incorporate. I'd agree with many that such a strained effort is exactly what makes this album as a whole somewhat of a mess (U, Institutionalized, Complexion, Wesley's Theory, Mortal Man...shoot, most of the album is a mess). But Kendrick still manages to make it work at times.
Also, I see many parallels to D'Angelo's album. I very much like Black Messiah and To Pimp a Butterfly as companions to each other. There is a common aesthetic out there that serious soul-minded artists are trying their darnedest to attain. And they haven't quite reached it yet. This is obviously an experimental stage in the evolution. So I'd say bear with them as they continue to push through.
Also, I see many parallels to D'Angelo's album. I very much like Black Messiah and To Pimp a Butterfly as companions to each other. There is a common aesthetic out there that serious soul-minded artists are trying their darnedest to attain. And they haven't quite reached it yet. This is obviously an experimental stage in the evolution. So I'd say bear with them as they continue to push through.
I'm pretty much with your whole statement above. I think I still have a lot more digestion of both of these albums before I try and accurately rate them in the pantheon of rap/soul music. But as it stands --- tl;dr "I like both of them a lot"
R*bert -- I know i'm tap dancing on a landmine with this question -- but do you see any similarities (influences) to the Good Life/Blowed era music on this Kendrick album? In my infant listens to the album, I feel like I see the influence....maybe it's just an easy comparison with the kinda free jazzy feel to a few of the songs, but was wondering if you heard any similarities.
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
jlee said:
R*bert -- I know i'm tap dancing on a landmine with this question -- but do you see any similarities (influences) to the Good Life/Blowed era music on this Kendrick album? In my infant listens to the album, I feel like I see the influence....maybe it's just an easy comparison with the kinda free jazzy feel to a few of the songs, but was wondering if you heard any similarities.
I dunno. The impression that I have is that while Project Blowed dudes, namely Freestyle Fellowship, were thoroughly schooled in jazz, regularly collaborated with jazz luminaries including Horace Tapscott and Billy Higgins, and actually came up with their own twist on what jazz could be as run through a hip-hop treatment, Kendrick just seems to be throwing out a loose allusion to jazz with various tracks on his new album. I don't really get a strong bebop (nor hard bop) feel from Kendrick's ish the way I always did when the Fellowship did their thing. As evidenced by the following 2 songs, Kendrick seems to be doing more of a pantomiming of the now-stereotypical flows of the Last Poets than coming up with his own conception of jazz-rap...
Then again, I can see where someone could think they are both coming from the same place. It's all in the eye of the beholder, I suppose...
Also, I see many parallels to D'Angelo's album. I very much like Black Messiah and To Pimp a Butterfly as companions to each other. There is a common aesthetic out there that serious soul-minded artists are trying their darnedest to attain. And they haven't quite reached it yet. This is obviously an experimental stage in the evolution. So I'd say bear with them as they continue to push through.
Wasnt Erykah on this already w/ the last couple of albums?
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
batmon said:
HarveyCanal said:
Also, I see many parallels to D'Angelo's album. I very much like Black Messiah and To Pimp a Butterfly as companions to each other. There is a common aesthetic out there that serious soul-minded artists are trying their darnedest to attain. And they haven't quite reached it yet. This is obviously an experimental stage in the evolution. So I'd say bear with them as they continue to push through.
Wasnt Erykah on this already w/ the last couple of albums?
I haven't really tuned in to anything of hers in recent years except for that one video that had her stripping naked in Dealey Plaza.
Going back into my west coast section. Mid eighties to late nineties west coast, oh mannn.
Honestly for all his straining nothing on Lamars new record is fucking with this - musically, lyrically, emotionally, vibe-ically or production wise. 1991. SMH
Also, I see many parallels to D'Angelo's album. I very much like Black Messiah and To Pimp a Butterfly as companions to each other. There is a common aesthetic out there that serious soul-minded artists are trying their darnedest to attain. And they haven't quite reached it yet. This is obviously an experimental stage in the evolution. So I'd say bear with them as they continue to push through.
Yeah this was my feeling on first listen. I've only had a chance to listen through it twice so far and, while I appreciated it more on second listen, it's still not really, really, wowing me as a whole.
I think I'm struggling a bit with the earnestness and jazzy vibes of the production, wishing there was some more rap on there that was, I dunno, less obviously concious sounding? Like, wild out a bit more with some angry music.
I just personally don't think anything that has come out since Cartoons & Cereal has made that kind of emotional impact on me.
I admire it but don't know at this stage how much i actually enjoy it or will be revisiting.
I wonder if its fair to judge this as a Hip Hop album.
It reminds me of when Kanye got more adventurous like on My Beautiful Dark whatever, which has more rappin'.
These dudes arent makin 15 rap songs w/ crazy production like some Divine Styler shit.
Its too open/expansive to look at it as str8 Rap, it seems.
I just personally don't think anything that has come out since Cartoons & Cereal has made that kind of emotional impact on me.
Hard to argue with that.
"and actually came up with their own twist on what jazz could be as run through a hip-hop treatment, Kendrick just seems to be throwing out a loose allusion to jazz with various tracks on his new album."
To be fair, Kendrick and Terrace Martin have been collabo'ing over all of his albums/tapes to bring the jazz and the hip hop together. I'm not a fan of what they usually come up with, tho - it's rarely transcendent.
I do love how they use the jazz on Alright (not Terrace-R).
I wonder if its fair to judge this as a Hip Hop album.
It reminds me of when Kanye got more adventurous like on My Beautiful Dark whatever, which has more rappin'.
These dudes arent makin 15 rap songs w/ crazy production like some Divine Styler shit.
Its too open/expansive to look at it as str8 Rap, it seems.
I loved the last record in a way I hadn't loved a full rap album in years, and this one is certainly more difficult. And, "expansive," as Batmon said... But, damn am I glad he made it, as Johnny said.
And, for one more SS citation...
In the Good Kid, Maad City thread, Doc McCoy talked about how refreshing it was just to hear incredibly good young rappers rapping and getting a ton of love for it. It felt less about their "brand," or building to an acting career- just being great at rapping and fucking doing it. I loved that comment.
This feels like Kendrick knows he can rap- what else can he do? How far can he push production? How loose can he structure an album, while it still coheres? It's self-indulgent at times, but if I'm willing to let anyone indulge at this point, it's him.
I listened to the WTF interview with Paul Thomas Anderson recently, and he talked about being young, and an empowered artist, and he made Magnolia, the most self-indulgent and loved/hated 3-hour movie imaginable.
This is less divisive, but it feels like a 27-year old got the power to do whatever he wanted, and got 'final cut,' on the whole project and just said, "Here it is." He's forcing people to come to him, not the reverse, and that frankly feels as exciting as the album itself.
Opening track is killer
King Kunta hits like a bomb
Hood Politics, How Much A Dollar Cost --> End is as good a run as I've heard on any album in a long time. 'i' comes in at the right time for the album- much better in the context of the album than as a single.
Tupac interview is a little meh, but he's earned the right to do whatever he wants.
Good for Kendrick for doing it.
There's been such a volume of bad writing about this album that in and of itself makes it important.
Yet, and maybe this is because people only have a digi copy with tini artwork, it seems like not enough has been written about the Cover. Homies doing more than #ICantBreath-in on the lawn of the White House!
Happened to recatch Kendrick's verse on the last Flying Lotus and it's cool to see each artist, yes along with D'Angelo, taking their sounds to this specific early-to-mid-'70s jazz/funk sound. I guess everybody is just gonna go through that phase and happy they got the $$$ to record it with some nice prod. values. I could have never predicted we'd be hearing that on the Charts in 2015.
Also, P.T. Anderson is an interesting comparison. I found myself trying to build a case for Inherent Vice to a friend a few days ago - stoner, unfunny comedy that maybe does try to push away the audience in a crisp, paranoid 1970s setting. Not all that different from To Pimp a Butterfly although according to some of the press Kendrick isn't really smoking right now.
Going back into my west coast section. Mid eighties to late nineties west coast, oh mannn.
Honestly for all his straining nothing on Lamars new record is fucking with this - musically, lyrically, emotionally, vibe-ically or production wise. 1991. SMH
Based off this thread/comment, I went back and listened to this record yesterday, and I think this comment is the height of old-school nostalgia blinding your ears.
I came up loving that West Coast stuff, Da Lench Mob and Cube in particular. But Kendrick's record is so much more evolved from a production standpoint as to render this comparison pointless. The rapping is so different too... Shit, I get old man ears all the time listening to new rap music, but his flows are so much more intricate than anything on "Ain't A Damn Thing Changed."
thinking about giving this a listen
only rapp i've listened to this year has been blue dream and lean 2
what say you rashied and other people whose rapp opinions i trust
the sax player on this album (kamasi washington) is very talented and is dropping a solo on brainfeeder soon. definitely worth checking if you're into forward thinking jazz.
Comments
Bullseye! Post-Hip Hop©
The Quasimodo-ish voice thing is ehh.
Haven't listened to the rest yet.
i was trippin when i wrote that. but i think they're under-appreciated.
(what are the great production collectives in hip hop history?)
I really like Swimming Pools. Unable to find a WAV/Flacc which got me wondering - is there a good website for buying hip-hop digitally?
Its a Sounwave beat. He's done stuff for School Boy Q and Ab Soul aside form Kendrick.
http://www.soundcloud-download.com/
Also, I see many parallels to D'Angelo's album. I very much like Black Messiah and To Pimp a Butterfly as companions to each other. There is a common aesthetic out there that serious soul-minded artists are trying their darnedest to attain. And they haven't quite reached it yet. This is obviously an experimental stage in the evolution. So I'd say bear with them as they continue to push through.
I'm pretty much with your whole statement above. I think I still have a lot more digestion of both of these albums before I try and accurately rate them in the pantheon of rap/soul music. But as it stands --- tl;dr "I like both of them a lot"
R*bert -- I know i'm tap dancing on a landmine with this question -- but do you see any similarities (influences) to the Good Life/Blowed era music on this Kendrick album? In my infant listens to the album, I feel like I see the influence....maybe it's just an easy comparison with the kinda free jazzy feel to a few of the songs, but was wondering if you heard any similarities.
I dunno. The impression that I have is that while Project Blowed dudes, namely Freestyle Fellowship, were thoroughly schooled in jazz, regularly collaborated with jazz luminaries including Horace Tapscott and Billy Higgins, and actually came up with their own twist on what jazz could be as run through a hip-hop treatment, Kendrick just seems to be throwing out a loose allusion to jazz with various tracks on his new album. I don't really get a strong bebop (nor hard bop) feel from Kendrick's ish the way I always did when the Fellowship did their thing. As evidenced by the following 2 songs, Kendrick seems to be doing more of a pantomiming of the now-stereotypical flows of the Last Poets than coming up with his own conception of jazz-rap...
Then again, I can see where someone could think they are both coming from the same place. It's all in the eye of the beholder, I suppose...
Wasnt Erykah on this already w/ the last couple of albums?
I haven't really tuned in to anything of hers in recent years except for that one video that had her stripping naked in Dealey Plaza.
She's definitely of the wavelength though.
Honestly for all his straining nothing on Lamars new record is fucking with this - musically, lyrically, emotionally, vibe-ically or production wise. 1991. SMH
Yeah this was my feeling on first listen. I've only had a chance to listen through it twice so far and, while I appreciated it more on second listen, it's still not really, really, wowing me as a whole.
I think I'm struggling a bit with the earnestness and jazzy vibes of the production, wishing there was some more rap on there that was, I dunno, less obviously concious sounding? Like, wild out a bit more with some angry music.
I just personally don't think anything that has come out since Cartoons & Cereal has made that kind of emotional impact on me.
I admire it but don't know at this stage how much i actually enjoy it or will be revisiting.
It reminds me of when Kanye got more adventurous like on My Beautiful Dark whatever, which has more rappin'.
These dudes arent makin 15 rap songs w/ crazy production like some Divine Styler shit.
Its too open/expansive to look at it as str8 Rap, it seems.
Hard to argue with that.
To be fair, Kendrick and Terrace Martin have been collabo'ing over all of his albums/tapes to bring the jazz and the hip hop together. I'm not a fan of what they usually come up with, tho - it's rarely transcendent.
I do love how they use the jazz on Alright (not Terrace-R).
this
And, for one more SS citation...
In the Good Kid, Maad City thread, Doc McCoy talked about how refreshing it was just to hear incredibly good young rappers rapping and getting a ton of love for it. It felt less about their "brand," or building to an acting career- just being great at rapping and fucking doing it. I loved that comment.
This feels like Kendrick knows he can rap- what else can he do? How far can he push production? How loose can he structure an album, while it still coheres? It's self-indulgent at times, but if I'm willing to let anyone indulge at this point, it's him.
I listened to the WTF interview with Paul Thomas Anderson recently, and he talked about being young, and an empowered artist, and he made Magnolia, the most self-indulgent and loved/hated 3-hour movie imaginable.
This is less divisive, but it feels like a 27-year old got the power to do whatever he wanted, and got 'final cut,' on the whole project and just said, "Here it is." He's forcing people to come to him, not the reverse, and that frankly feels as exciting as the album itself.
Opening track is killer
King Kunta hits like a bomb
Hood Politics, How Much A Dollar Cost --> End is as good a run as I've heard on any album in a long time. 'i' comes in at the right time for the album- much better in the context of the album than as a single.
Tupac interview is a little meh, but he's earned the right to do whatever he wants.
Good for Kendrick for doing it.
There's been such a volume of bad writing about this album that in and of itself makes it important.
Yet, and maybe this is because people only have a digi copy with tini artwork, it seems like not enough has been written about the Cover. Homies doing more than #ICantBreath-in on the lawn of the White House!
Happened to recatch Kendrick's verse on the last Flying Lotus and it's cool to see each artist, yes along with D'Angelo, taking their sounds to this specific early-to-mid-'70s jazz/funk sound. I guess everybody is just gonna go through that phase and happy they got the $$$ to record it with some nice prod. values. I could have never predicted we'd be hearing that on the Charts in 2015.
Based off this thread/comment, I went back and listened to this record yesterday, and I think this comment is the height of old-school nostalgia blinding your ears.
I came up loving that West Coast stuff, Da Lench Mob and Cube in particular. But Kendrick's record is so much more evolved from a production standpoint as to render this comparison pointless. The rapping is so different too... Shit, I get old man ears all the time listening to new rap music, but his flows are so much more intricate than anything on "Ain't A Damn Thing Changed."
This feels like Get Off My Lawn criticism.
only rapp i've listened to this year has been blue dream and lean 2
what say you rashied and other people whose rapp opinions i trust
the sax player on this album (kamasi washington) is very talented and is dropping a solo on brainfeeder soon. definitely worth checking if you're into forward thinking jazz.