I can. There wasn't.
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly |OT| It's The American Dream
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I can. There wasn't.
you really don't have to be black to appreciate this album. at all. you just have to appreciate music and be in touch with your own spirituality. the race message that he lands on was because of the soul searching he did prior. I think that's the important part. before you can land on a message and try to help your community you've got to get right with your own personal demons.
I am neither black nor Christian and this album still speaks to me.
You don't think Kendrick has the ability to make a great song to bump in da whip that also conveyed his message?
I think he's more than capable of that. And the best part about it would be that if he did have a more mainstream appeal song the message would be spread even further.
Pinko Marx
Banned
I don't know how you can say King Kunta or Blacker the Berry or Alright doesn't bump.
But besides all that, trying to chase the mainstream ears only dilutes the music and the message. Time and history have showed that.
So? If Kendrick had tried to make some bangers and radio hits and failed, that's a valid criticism, but he clearly was going for something entirely different.
I'm not taking anything away from the album. I believe this album will stand the test of time.
Because if it spoke to you, regardless of race or beliefs, I'm sure you could appreciate how it might not be the same for someone else who doesn't fit the afrocentric demographic.
So then why are you listening to a hip hop album?
I'm not a fan of King Kunta but Blacker the Berry and Alright are my two favorite songs on the album. I don't know if what you're saying is necessarily true. GKMC shows he is capable of conveying his message while also appealing to the masses.
You're right, he did. And that's okay.
But you should be able to view the other side of the coin where this type of album might not appeal to everyone.
Lan Dong Mik
And why would I want them?
The Blacker the Berry hits so hard. Probably my favorite song on the album. Dat beat
Thornton Reed
Member
you most definitely could
This isn't a commercial record 'i' is probably the closest thing you're looking for and he totally turned that on its head
Isnt the majority of the american music listening market white?
that doesnt mean anything.
It's fun to pretend.
Every single hip hop album touches on the same subjects as TPAB?
I think you're overselling the racial aspect though. honestly it's probably more of a generational thing with the music specifically. younger people, regardless of race, might not be familiar with the genres that Kendrick is pulling from.
That kid reviewing the album was clearly not even trying to meet this album on it's own terms. He wanted bangers and when Kendrick gave him something different, he dismissed it.
I absolutely understand someone not liking this album or being disappointed in the direction Kendrick took, but that review offered no real criticism other than "it's not what I expected so it's bad."
Thornton Reed
Member
hmmmmm
come on kendrick got totally shit on for making the points he makes in blacker the berry. No one is coming out saying what he is on that track
Pinko Marx
Banned
Hahaha. Are you seriously saying the majority of Kendrick's fanbase isn't white? Dude I dare you to go to a hip-hop concert of any mainstream artist and tell me what you find.
That's not my point. You are listening to a Hip Hop Album so when you say you don't fit into the Afrocentric demograph. Even if you are not black you are interested in the culture because of your choice of music, so why not find an appreciating to hip hop roots with funk/jazz/soul mix?
Yes, Kendrick can make some empty radio hit just to give people to blindly nod their heads to with a catchy hook and a heavy bass beat but that takes away heavily from the narrative and Kendrick is not that type of artist. Hell, the song you speak of, "Bitch don't kill my Vibe" explains that. Read some Kendrick interviews and you will see that.
Discotheque
Banned
lmao chill. watch some spike lee movies or something.
There are ~6 white people in America for every black person. Something has to have very limited appeal to have a black-majority fanbase.
In other words, Kendrick Lamar would need to be 6x more popular with black people than he is with white people just to have the fanbase be a 50/50 split between those two groups.
it feels like a play in 2 acts for me, with an epilogue on top
wesley's theory is the overture, for free -> alright is the first act, for sale -> i is the second act and mortal man serves as the epilogue. sort of kendrick challenging the audience after being enlightened through the journey of the play.
You're absolutely right about that. I'm not co-signing this kid at all, but he does touch on some of thoughts in my head when listening to this. I think this is a great album and the time is right for more people to speak on the fact that black lives matter. As a fan though, I'm still waiting on the other side of Kendrick that spits hot fire. But it's just me being impatient.
Sure, that could definitely be part of the reason. When I was that kids age I thought I knew everything and I didn't know shit.
My point is that if you think all these white fans are going to just blindly get behind this album, I wouldn't count on it.
I know that Kendrick is definitely not the type of guy to sell out for mass appeal and I respect and hold him in higher regard for that.
I just feel that he could have hit on a lot of the same points while also putting out a more conventional hip hop album.
Obviously that's not what he chose to do. So I'll just keep it moving.
GKMC pushed nearly 1.5m and went plat in the US not even counting the shitload sold overseas. "i" picked up a Grammy of all things. Dude has a wide demographic, that's not even a question.
Anyway regardless of sales, it's getting touted up by critics as stellar. Just a matter of sitting and waiting to see what the broader reactions from here on out.
Anyway regardless of sales, it's getting touted up by critics as stellar. Just a matter of sitting and waiting to see what the broader reactions from here on out.
Enjoying the album for the most part.
I don't really "relate" to much or any of the music I listen to; that's not what music is about for me personally. Most importantly is how pleasing it sounds to me.
In that sense.. love the groovy feel to this album. And there are a couple of bangers too that Kendrick does a good job of fitting into the flow of the album.
And while I can't relate to his lyrics I do find the content fairly interesting.. but I listen to a lot of music while coding or doing something else where I'm mostly just bobbing my head and feeling the mood of the songs.. and there's plenty of that for me here.
I do find some of the comments in this thread sort of bitter and insulting to the vast majority of music and music listeners. Let's not pretend that music has to be deep to be enjoyed; for centuries music barely ever had lyrics or singing to it even.
Some comments in this thread are acting like this is some modern thing.. "Kids these days just want something they can listen to, plebes the lot of them!" Get the hell over yourselves.
I don't really "relate" to much or any of the music I listen to; that's not what music is about for me personally. Most importantly is how pleasing it sounds to me.
In that sense.. love the groovy feel to this album. And there are a couple of bangers too that Kendrick does a good job of fitting into the flow of the album.
And while I can't relate to his lyrics I do find the content fairly interesting.. but I listen to a lot of music while coding or doing something else where I'm mostly just bobbing my head and feeling the mood of the songs.. and there's plenty of that for me here.
I do find some of the comments in this thread sort of bitter and insulting to the vast majority of music and music listeners. Let's not pretend that music has to be deep to be enjoyed; for centuries music barely ever had lyrics or singing to it even.
Some comments in this thread are acting like this is some modern thing.. "Kids these days just want something they can listen to, plebes the lot of them!" Get the hell over yourselves.
Christberg
Member
It's like this: think of TPAB is a full, multi course, home cooked meal that somebody poured a whole lot of love into.
Then your friends come over and are upset because they were expecting to hit the McDonald's drive through.
There's nothing wrong with liking fast food and eating it on occasion or even preferring it to regular food. But nobody ought to be just eating it 3 meals a day. And nobody should be listening to McBangers all day either.
SolidSnakesMyStepDad
Member
There is a large white audience that has grown over time but I have been to three Kendrick concerts and around 70% of the people there were black. I know that's just one example but it's safe to say its no childish gambino fanbase.
I don't know what you're trying to say here but instrumental music is in most cases deeper than music with singing and lyrics.
also music doesn't have to be deep to be enjoyed but sometimes it adds to that enjoyment, especially for certain types of listeners. apologies if some of my posts come off like it has to be one way or the other.
BravesCountry
Banned
Music can be deep without lyrics or singing...
Forgot about XXX, such a great album. I knew Tyler tied things together but and I'd have to listen to The Cool again.
I guess Kendrick just really raises the bar because it just feels everything little thing on the albums ties so well together.
I'll have to check out '12 reasons to die' and some other recs people are mentioning.
I'm specifically addressing the lyrical content and deep messaging.
Instrumental music does not have deep messaging, it has no message. Conveying a mood is not the same thing; and not what I was discussing.
I'm specifically addressing the discussion about the lyrical content and how people have repeatedly insulted almost all other music in this thread. You can praise this album without doing that.
anderyoung
Member
Finally got my amazon cd order of this to put on a proper sound system. So much better than spotify. King Kunta bangs hard
God damn this album is incredible. Only on Alright so far and I am digging the sound so much, I love the funk and soul influence. The production doesn't seem like your average chopped up sample stuff and helps to push into it's own lane. Kendrick said fuck the radio with this record.
Kendrick's skits are better than most rappers albums.
Kendrick's skits are better than most rappers albums.
GuitarAtomik
Member
Done with my first listen through and not really feeling it at all. "i" is literally the only song I'm kind of in to. Kendrick (ie the rapping) is on point. Hell the lyricism in here is the best I've heard in a loooong time. But the songs themselves are kind of whatever. It's not bad, I'm just not in to it. I guess it doesn't help that my expectations were set by the Untitled song he did on Colbert which was fucking fire and it turns out it's not even on the album. Pretty disappointed.
pokeystaples
Banned
I think you mix fan base up with concert goer. There are more white people so it is safe to wager there will be more white fans. How much more is up for debate.
Yaphett Kotto
Member
King Kunta, Alright, Hood Politics, and Blacker the Berry are all similar to what you're asking for.
Like, those tracks alone are accessible and can be listened to casually and still be enjoyed.
all you have to do is listen to the music to see how well crafted everything on Yeezus is. and All Day is better than anything on TPAB
You ain't gotta lie
joke post eh
Yaphett Kotto
Member
Stahp.
good one bruv
CassidyIzABeast
Member
I was referring specifically to deep messages; an instrumental can invoke a deep emotional response but it's a stretch to say that instrumental music sends a specific message.
There's nothing really superior about wanting that in your music as well; someone might spend a lot of time actually having deep conversations with people, reading important works of art, etc. but not develop a taste for super meaningful hip hop for whatever reason.
They may even outright not want it or dislike it as a format for conveying deep messages, and it doesn't make their taste better or worse. They might be a shallow in general person, they might not be. An someone who finds deep meaning in this Kendrick album might be a more shallow person overall than someone who doesn't.
Only point being some of the comments are pointlessly insulting to both other music as well as music listeners.
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