What was the joke? Him not being on my radar or mentioning his potential of releasing a "good album"?
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Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly |OT| It's The American Dream
- Thread starter CountBlack
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I just edited my post, but I think he was joking on the possibility of him releasing an album that's considered in the running for AOTY
Just wanna say that I appreciate your posts here, thanks
no thank you haha. I sometimes can't properly explain myself and get my thoughts to translate to what I'm typing
here's a longer write-up that I did. fair warning I'm no english grad but this coupled with the other article that was posted should make the narrative pretty clear.
Wesley’s Theory
At first, I did love you
But now I just wanna fuck
Late night thinkin' of you
Until I got my nut
Tossed and turned, lesson learned
You was my first girlfriend
this sets the stage for the story that is about to take place. it is the story of kendrick's first love, Lucy. now at first he thought he was courting something different but by the middle of the album he realized that all of his fantasies were him essentially wanting a relationship with Lucy.
When I get signed, homie I'mma act a fool
this explains his mindset before he got famous
For Free
this is Kendrick before GKCM. He has a chip on his shoulder about making it and his worth. Lucy wants nothing to do with him. She wants a “baller ass, boss ass nigga” and implies that she has other people she can get with instead of him. This will come back in For Sale? These two songs go together. They are two sides of the coin. In For Free Kendrick has a chip on his shoulder about making it. He wants Lucy’s love but she wants nothing to do with him and would rather let Uncle Sam fuck him up, aka have him stay in the hood.
The ending line leads right into King Kunta. “You ain’t no king.” The implication here is that when Kendrick is a king his relationship with Lucy has begun.
King Kunta
this is Kendrick post-GKMC. He has made it and his relationship with Lucy has begun. Note this line “I made it past 25 and there I was.” Later on in For Sale? Kendrick talks about how his relationship with Lucy began around the age of 26. also he talks about having the "yams" which is power. Kendrick will later abuse his power that he gained.
Institutionalized
Kendrick realizes that even though he made it out of the hood there are still evils inside of him. He is still very much imprisoned by the life he led.
If I was the president
I'd pay my mama's rent
Free my homies and them
Bulletproof my Chevy doors
Lay in the White House and get high, Lord
Who ever thought?
This is him trying to have his cake and eat it too. he wants to indulge under the guise that he's helping other people. Also “who ever thought?” is him realizing that all those years of wanting to make it he may have bitten off more than he could chew. He always wanted to make it and “act a fool” never realizing that all those years he was essentially wishing for a relationship with the devil.
God bless the kid
God and Lucy are two major players in this story
These Walls
This is Kendrick abusing his power. This could also be seen as the time where Kendrick and Lucy were mutually fucking, so to speak. Kendrick was willingly engaging in these evil activities. He was acting on the hate in his heart instead of the love.
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this is Kendrick hitting rock bottom. He has realized that his relationship with Lucy is eating him up inside and only making things worse. This is also where he starts to turn the blame inward. Instead of looking negatively at all the rich people that are around him with their fancy watches (like in Institutionalized) or hating the dude who killed Dave in GKMC (like in These Walls) he now looks negatively at himself.
Alright
This is Kendrick realizing that his relationship with lucy is over and how he needs to start one with God.
What you want, a house or a car
40 acres and a mule, a piano, a guitar?
Anything, see my name is Lucy, I'm your dog
Motherfucker, you can live at the mall
I can see the evil, I can tell it I know when it's illegal
I don't think about it, I deposit every other zero
He sees through Lucy at this point but as we will come to find out he still has a long way to go before courting god. Also that line is a reference to one from Wesley’s Theory:
What you want you? A house or a car?
Forty acres and a mule, a piano, a guitar?
Anything, see, my name is Uncle Sam on your dollar
Motherfucker you can live at the mall
This hints at the fact that Lucy works through a lot of different avenues including the government. as we'll see later in For Sale? Lucy has a "million stories" of her relationships and exploits.
For Sale?
This is Kendrick “breaking up” with Lucy. Kendrick is no longer hypnotized by Lucy so she sounds much different. She sounds ugly and demonic. Kendrick also reminisces about their relationship together and portrays himself as young and stupid for going along with it.
Whats wrong nigga?
I thought you was keeping it gangsta?
I thought this what you wanted?
This is Lucy wondering why Kendrick wants to end their relationship. She has given him everything he ever dreamed of before he was famous.
Roses are red violets are blue but me and you both pushing up daisies if I (want you)
This is Kendrick realizing that if he doesn’t end this relationship he will die.
Than you spit a little rap to me like this
When I turned 26 I was like oh shit
You said this to me
I remember what you said too, you said
"My name is Lucy, Kendrick
You introduced me Kendrick
Usually I don’t do this
But I see you and me Kendrick
Lucy give you no worries
Lucy got million stories
About these rappers I came after when they was boring
Lucy gone fill your pockets
Lucy gone move your mama out of Compton
Inside the gi-gantic mansion like I promised
Lucy just want your trust and loyalty
Avoiding me?
It's not so easy I'm at these functions accordingly"
This shows that his relationship with Lucy did indeed begin somewhere before or during King Kunta, seeing as how he admits he was 26 when it began and in King Kunta he had made it past 25 meaning he was 26 there as well. “Usually I don’t do this” could be referring to Lucy fucking with someone with artistic integrity. Usually someone like that wouldn’t make it like Kendrick did and therefore Lucy would have no reason to pursue him. Also Lucy alludes to the fact that she has been with many men before. This goes back to For Free when Lucy tells Kendrick that she has another dude who “is on” while Kendrick “is off”. Then Lucy talks about the wants that Kendrick had before he was famous and how she is responsible for giving them to him. Basically Kendrick realizes that when he wanted to get famous and “act a fool” he was really wanting a relationship with Lucy and he got exactly what he wanted.
ok so that's all I've got right now, I've got to try and work some today haha ;p
basically the rest of the album is Kendrick trying to get right with himself, the things he struggles with, and God. in Momma Kendrick is like "ok so I'm done with Lucy and want to accept God. that's it right? I'm good right?" and the answer to that is a resounding "no".
I don’t see Compton, I see something much worse
The land of the landmines, the hell that’s on earth
the notion here is that too many people in the country are sleeping with Lucy and if we would all just take care of ourselves then maybe this evil will go away. with so many people in the country giving in to their evil temptations it has essentially brought hell to the earth.
i is the realization of the album and Kendrick hopes that by sharing his personal story he can inspire others to essentially love themselves and get right with whatever higher power they associate with and quit succumbing to their own personal evils. Lucy can court anyone, she's done it a million times before. he's also saying there is a lot of evil out there in the world but we can't do a damn thing about it until we get right ourselves.
Well, he is the first mainstream rapper in years to actually have something to say.
Oh. Yeah it seems slim for him anyway.
pokeystaples
Banned
We're in a kendrick thread, why do you have to bring killer mike into this
Not quite.
We're in a kendrick thread, why do you have to bring killer mike into this
Sorry but in a year of Killer Mike/Drake/Lupe/Kendrick/Kanye/Bronson, the idea of Macklemore getting more recognition than all of them is pretty much nonsense. That said, TBAP certainly has things to say.
For context, I'm a 32-year-old black man that grew up in Inglewood which is largely considered a first cousin to Compton for so many unfortunate reasons...
About 4 full spins in, it is hard articulating the feelings this new Kendrick Lamar album is pulling out of me. Haven't heard something that takes me on such a range of conflicting emotions ranging from rage, sadness, melancholy, empathy, and even pride.
Kendrick spectacularly captures the pain and guilt that comes with "making it" in a backdrop where so many don't make two cents, much less make "it." I can definitely relate in the realization of what success means in the face of so many people you grew up with struggling or even being six feet under due to senseless violence.
The album has me thinking about relative and absolute truth, and who decides what's what. What end on, for now, is that K Dot not only took the red pill, he downed the whole f'n bottle, and we are seeing the implications of that thru this ART.
About 4 full spins in, it is hard articulating the feelings this new Kendrick Lamar album is pulling out of me. Haven't heard something that takes me on such a range of conflicting emotions ranging from rage, sadness, melancholy, empathy, and even pride.
Kendrick spectacularly captures the pain and guilt that comes with "making it" in a backdrop where so many don't make two cents, much less make "it." I can definitely relate in the realization of what success means in the face of so many people you grew up with struggling or even being six feet under due to senseless violence.
The album has me thinking about relative and absolute truth, and who decides what's what. What end on, for now, is that K Dot not only took the red pill, he downed the whole f'n bottle, and we are seeing the implications of that thru this ART.
Does a great job of explaining his score. Hits all the right beats in the review as to what details/themes/pieces of music make such a dense album so special.
It was just a joke, i don't even know how macklemore sounds.
Grover Cleveland
Member
From Top Dawg
Sounds like Azalea fucked up the bread going at Kendrick's neck last year over those Ferguson comments.
Sounds like Azalea fucked up the bread going at Kendrick's neck last year over those Ferguson comments.
It's always really hard to tell if anyone actually takes Macklemore seriously or if it's all some big in-joke.
pokeystaples
Banned
We're in a kendrick thread, why do you have to bring killer mike into this
WHOOSH! Seriously, I never think of that damn tweet. My bad, fam.
CountBlack
Member
From Top Dawg
Sounds like Azalea fucked up the bread going at Kendrick's neck last year over those Ferguson comments.
Burning bridges before they even arise
well Kendrick did bring him up in his song.
From Top Dawg
Sounds like Azalea fucked up the bread going at Kendrick's neck last year over those Ferguson comments.
smh...one day she's going to know when to shut up sometimes :/.
Battersea Power Station
Member
That's one of her least offensive Twitter tirades. Both her and Kendrick's viewpoints on the matter are valid.
What's wrong with that? Not every album needs to have non-stop bangers.
PhoenixDark
Banned
To be fair he said mainstream rapper. That eliminates Killer Mike, Bronson etc. He's dismissing Kendrick, Kanye, Cole (since we're calling him mainstream now), and that's literally about it...
Macklemore has more to say than most mainstream rappers, I won't deny that. But saying he's the only one with something to say strikes me as typical great white hope shit. It's the equalivent of sports broadcasters constantly saying white players are smart whereas black players are athletic.
More than that Macklemore just sucks.
Honestly his stuff before The Heist isn't half bad, but that album was pretty wack as a whole. Only songs on it I liked were White Walls ft Q and Wings.
He did it! Based Fantano.
Putyouinmyoven
Member
Listening now for the first time. Pretty cool!
this album man. this album is special. it's all falling into place.
it's more him snapping out of Lucy's spell and realizing who she was all along. all those years he was working towards making it and being famous, never realizing who he was really courting.
it's more him snapping out of Lucy's spell and realizing who she was all along. all those years he was working towards making it and being famous, never realizing who he was really courting.
Yeah I heard his earlier work is ok. Of course in some occasions mixtapes>>>>albums.
I guess thats the whole point of the concept. It's a constant battle to avoid Lucy regardless of being done with her (or it). Temptation and deception can cause corruption of the soul in a instant if you don't have your guard up.
A well put together album usually tells some sort of story. The interludes are there to help connect the story. Sometimes it's a very straight forward story, like in GKMC, but other times it is up to the listeners to decipher what is really trying to be said, as is the case with this album.
I know, right? Dude has a different opinion than you, so he is CLEARLY insane!
I decided to listen some old Kendrick songs I didn't give enough attention, so I checked Cartoon & Cereal and... Oh my god, did Gunplay, I repeat, GUNPLAY, just renegade Kendrick? That last verse was way too good to be true, specially coming from a mediocre rapper like Gunplay.
The song as a whole is fucking good, but I'm shook .
The song as a whole is fucking good, but I'm shook .
:lol easy breh. My post was about as serious as this one. Deep breaths.
Yea Gunplay did murder Kenny on his own shit. Shame the song wasn't on GKMC, it would have fit the theme of the album to a Tee.
lol @
although I think he's underselling the narrative here. the way GKMC was billed as a short film, well this is an evolution of that idea. the narrative in TPaB is even stronger because the music is working hand-in-hand with the narrative, more so than with GKMC. also the narrative spans the entire album.
although I think he's underselling the narrative here. the way GKMC was billed as a short film, well this is an evolution of that idea. the narrative in TPaB is even stronger because the music is working hand-in-hand with the narrative, more so than with GKMC. also the narrative spans the entire album.
All because of the sample right? Damn shame.
I love that song. Can you imagine if that shit made the standard version of GKMC? Shit would have put it over the top.
yep that damn Warner Bros sample
.Potential banger to be ruin by one part of the song.
PhoenixDark
Banned
Yea they couldn't clear the cartoon samples.
Lan Dong Mik
And why would I want them?
King Kunta is tight. First few songs are strange as hell haha.
It's okay, this is the same day Lupe Fiasco put that girl on blast. Dude was like the Mayweather of twitter that day. Get ethered by Lupe Fiasco brehs...
I just love him because his devotion to Anthony really shines through in his reviews. I can't believe he's been featured in his videos for so long.
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