unempLLOYD
Member
Listening to it the second time...it's starting to grow on me.
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Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly |OT| It's The American Dream
- Thread starter CountBlack
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breakfuss
Member
"Do you hear that SHIT?! That's an artist...you've just witnessed an artist at work. Let a nigga tell me Kendrick Lamar ain't got it. Let 'em! I'm pointing to this track right there and telling you to shut yo dumb ass the fuck up."
LOLOL yo he basically spazzed on all the tracks. My favorite reaction is between U and Alright. Can't even be mad at that though as I was the same way.
aygomyownroad
Member
I have not liked rap music for a long time.
I mean I still listen to Beastie Boys, but I remember the turn of the millennium.
Xzibit, Dr Dre, Snoop Dog, Eminem, Outkast were all solid staples of my Minidisc player.
Don't know what happened, Kanye West had some good songs but never interested me, and most Rap music seems to be more geared towards rapping for a few lines followed by a Dance producer like David Guetta filling the rest of the song with a trance number stolen from 1999.
I downloaded this album on Goggle Play Music to see what it was like, see how good it was as Neogaf seemed to be going mental over it.
I am glad I did. Just an amazing album from start to finish.
I've missed Rap music.
I mean I still listen to Beastie Boys, but I remember the turn of the millennium.
Xzibit, Dr Dre, Snoop Dog, Eminem, Outkast were all solid staples of my Minidisc player.
Don't know what happened, Kanye West had some good songs but never interested me, and most Rap music seems to be more geared towards rapping for a few lines followed by a Dance producer like David Guetta filling the rest of the song with a trance number stolen from 1999.
I downloaded this album on Goggle Play Music to see what it was like, see how good it was as Neogaf seemed to be going mental over it.
I am glad I did. Just an amazing album from start to finish.
I've missed Rap music.
SyenceLabb
Member
those gifs with big quint are really not playing nice with my browser. wtf
SyenceLabb
Member
The production on Wesley's Theory is amazing. It really gets your foot tapping and helps cleanse the palate for the rest of the album.
breakfuss
Member
lol yeah, quoting it was probably overkill. Sorry about that. As a Safari user I can empathize.
Exactly. That hook was the low point of GKMC
Yaphett Kotto
Member
...booboo!
Maaaaaardy
Member
I'm English, Kendrick isn't famous here whatsoever. Literally. I've never heard of him on the radio, seen him on TV or anything else. And I wasn't really in love with the second half of MMLP2 either, not to be judged, I think this album is great. It's like me saying to you "What, you don't know Ed Sheeran!"? 2 years ago bud.
YoYo Switch
Banned
Magicgamer101
Member
I'm English and Kendrick Lamar is definitely known over here. UK Twitter blew up when his album dropped and swimming pools and bitch don't kill my vibe were overplayed on the radio stations
Maaaaaardy
Member
It's really getting even better and better with each the listen. So much heart and soul.
The first time I heard For Free? and u they were the only tracks I didn't like but now I'm enjoying those, too. It's definitely an album that suddenly clicks on the second listen. Typical for more timeless records.
The first time I heard For Free? and u they were the only tracks I didn't like but now I'm enjoying those, too. It's definitely an album that suddenly clicks on the second listen. Typical for more timeless records.
I think 'Hood Politics' is closer to the 'Backstreet Freestyle' of the album, as in Kendrick playing the part of a younger/naive person or artist.
"This dick ain't free" goes much deeper than lines like "*everythign you're in to* .... boo boo" - I'm not knocking Kendrick's right to say it like a few of you think people are. I just think the phrase is ridiculous and the pause before 'boo boo' breaks up the flow.
"This dick ain't free" goes much deeper than lines like "*everythign you're in to* .... boo boo" - I'm not knocking Kendrick's right to say it like a few of you think people are. I just think the phrase is ridiculous and the pause before 'boo boo' breaks up the flow.
yep, definitely another redemption narrative from Kendrick. this is basically his current-day gkmc dealing with a post-gkmc kendrick navigating a much different world than compton and succumbing to and eventually overcoming the evils of lucy.
You said Sherane ain't got nothing on Lucy
I said you crazy
this is a good read, re-posting for those interested.
to me Hood Politics sounds like Kendrick looking at the world around him with a new perspective. he looks back on the gang culture he grew up with a bit more cynical and jaded. he's almost insulting the life style. but then as we'll find out in How Much a Dollar Cost kendrick may been too harsh with these judgments. who is he to judge when he himself was succumbing to the evils inside of him not too long ago and also came from the life style he is judging.
You said Sherane ain't got nothing on Lucy
I said you crazy
this is a good read, re-posting for those interested.
to me Hood Politics sounds like Kendrick looking at the world around him with a new perspective. he looks back on the gang culture he grew up with a bit more cynical and jaded. he's almost insulting the life style. but then as we'll find out in How Much a Dollar Cost kendrick may been too harsh with these judgments. who is he to judge when he himself was succumbing to the evils inside of him not too long ago and also came from the life style he is judging.
Charlie0108
Member
The second half of u is incredible. This whole album is so good, so so good.
manipulate
Member
After four listens....
Maybe his weakest album, and not a patch on GKMC. I appreciate he's trying to do something completely different to GKMC, and I must say I respect that a lot. This is certainly a different direction. Unfortunately, I think it's a very bad direction. It's really undisciplined and unrefined and is screaming for a real Executive Producer. Production is hodgepodge as hell; there's nothing that ties all the tracks together. A lot of the samples are honestly kind of agitating - it's screechy and distracts from the verses. There's too much in the mix a lot of the time, and none of it sounds particularly good or catchy. MC-wise, his verses are still great, but the lack of a real executive producer is made painfully clear by how hard his ad lib game as jumped the shark. Can no-one seriously tell him that a chorus of "something something BOOBOO! something something BOOBOO!" is fucking terrible? The "get up and wash your ass" thing in the chorus of Institutionalised which is tiresome after a single listen? Can no-one say no to him anymore or something?
The Blacker the Berry is still amazing though. Song of the year easily. Tracks like Wesley's Theory are great too, but the production is just really unrestrained. In the end, a bunch of great tracks, mixed with a lot of average.
Maybe his weakest album, and not a patch on GKMC. I appreciate he's trying to do something completely different to GKMC, and I must say I respect that a lot. This is certainly a different direction. Unfortunately, I think it's a very bad direction. It's really undisciplined and unrefined and is screaming for a real Executive Producer. Production is hodgepodge as hell; there's nothing that ties all the tracks together. A lot of the samples are honestly kind of agitating - it's screechy and distracts from the verses. There's too much in the mix a lot of the time, and none of it sounds particularly good or catchy. MC-wise, his verses are still great, but the lack of a real executive producer is made painfully clear by how hard his ad lib game as jumped the shark. Can no-one seriously tell him that a chorus of "something something BOOBOO! something something BOOBOO!" is fucking terrible? The "get up and wash your ass" thing in the chorus of Institutionalised which is tiresome after a single listen? Can no-one say no to him anymore or something?
The Blacker the Berry is still amazing though. Song of the year easily. Tracks like Wesley's Theory are great too, but the production is just really unrestrained. In the end, a bunch of great tracks, mixed with a lot of average.
Love how this line is on For Sale? The production combined with the voice he uses, it's like he's already under it's influence but doesn't think he is or he's denying it unknowingly (Yo dude, I'm not drunk!). Then he spends the rest of the track talking about good Lucy is.
CountBlack
Member
Wesley's Theory has really grown on me.
Battersea Power Station
Member
What do you guys think the you in 'u' is? It feels like it's about the united States and its history with its black population.
Let's see what Macklemore comes out with.
CountBlack
Member
Himself. It's supposed to be a counterpart to 'i'.
Charlie0108
Member
Isn't it Kendrick talking to himself?
I'm pretty sure he's talking to himself.
maybe i should refresh before posting.
to me For Sale? is when Kendrick is ending his relationship with Lucy and reminiscing about it. it's also Lucy's last attempt to try and keep Kendrick hooked. For Free is when Kendrick wants Lucy but Lucy wants nothing to with Kendrick until he's a king (which is where he ends up on the next track and their relationship begins). For Sale? is when Lucy wants to keep Kendrick but Kendrick sees right through her. hence the framing of that song. Lucy sounds ugly and demonic when speaking directly and Kendrick sounds young and stupid when speaking directly.
Whats wrong nigga?
I thought you was keeping it gangsta?
I thought this what you wanted?
Lucy is wondering why Kendrick would want to end the relationship. Kendrick seemingly got everything he ever dreamed of before he was famous. notice how Lucy says similar things in For Free but sounds completely different now. Kendrick is no longer hypnotized.
also at the end of For Free when Lucy says "I'mma get my Uncle Sam to fuck you up. You ain't no king". that's pretty much what would have happened if Kendrick never made it. the ghetto is America's way of fucking him up and the implication is that the influence of Lucy is in some ways responsible.
Battersea Power Station
Member
Yeah that's the explicit theme. I'm just wondering if there's a subtler, unstated one. Probably not, though.
PolarBearsClub
Member
Album is brilliant. I guess I can see the criticism that Kendrick is too engrossed in his own idea and vision of what this is supposed to be. But self-masturbatory? The spoken word stuff is always done in a collaborative context, be it a live band or a conversation with another person.
For me, Kendrick's honest, passionate delivery (some might read as corny... can't really convince you otherwise on that point considering vocal inflections and rapping about highly personal shit has been his MO since day 1) is kept grounded by the live performance aesthetic in the production.
The music isn't subtle, but why should it be? Concept albums intrinsically can't be. Like GKMC before it, TPAB is clearly, adamantly, proudly about something. I think this is an important point that's pertinent to the criticism that people who think the whole album is perfect as-is are labeled are stans or dickriders. The album isn't perfect because it's the pinnacle of hip hop and music as we know it; it's perfect because if it were anything less or more then what the fuck is the point in calling it To Pimp a Butterfly? What's the point of the lines of poetry culminating into something amazing at the end? And don't tell me its embarrassing or corny-- that shit was the exact opposite of contrived and exactly what makes this not just an album about Kendrick thinking he knows everything and wanking his dick; the guy was conducting an interview i.e. seeking answers.
For me, Kendrick's honest, passionate delivery (some might read as corny... can't really convince you otherwise on that point considering vocal inflections and rapping about highly personal shit has been his MO since day 1) is kept grounded by the live performance aesthetic in the production.
The music isn't subtle, but why should it be? Concept albums intrinsically can't be. Like GKMC before it, TPAB is clearly, adamantly, proudly about something. I think this is an important point that's pertinent to the criticism that people who think the whole album is perfect as-is are labeled are stans or dickriders. The album isn't perfect because it's the pinnacle of hip hop and music as we know it; it's perfect because if it were anything less or more then what the fuck is the point in calling it To Pimp a Butterfly? What's the point of the lines of poetry culminating into something amazing at the end? And don't tell me its embarrassing or corny-- that shit was the exact opposite of contrived and exactly what makes this not just an album about Kendrick thinking he knows everything and wanking his dick; the guy was conducting an interview i.e. seeking answers.
I'm not worried about him. I hope he puts out a good album though.
It's fine that you don't like TPAB but I'd be shocked if this album wasn't heavily combed over before release.
yup. it even fucks with making a reply because it loads below.
I'n just gonna get the user out of my ignore list when we get to the next page.
Junior Mint
Member
lol. this reaffirms my decision on switching away from garbage ass chrome.
Jo Shishido's Cheeks
Member
TheExhaustedWalrus
Member
lastflowers
Banned
Looooooving this album. The Blacker the Berry comes on and just destroys
THE FANTANO BOMB!
Basedtano has made the right call.
Cal Chucesta is pretty much me when watching this review.
Damn.
I think that it was a joke post..
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