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Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city |OT| No Beats By Dre

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CountBlackule said:
J. Cole buying a dozen good kid m.A.A.d city cd's at the Compton signing

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Mad props to Cole, great guy
 
GremlinFool said:
Specifically, I want you to explain in excruciating detail how Kendrick's lyricism (which has been touted as this album's strong suit) is explicitly better than the lyricism in any of the albums I posted on the last page from this year alone. Clearly, Kendrick isn't particularly a technical maestro and no one is lauding this album for its extraordinary beats, so I think distilling this argument to lyrical prowess would be prudent. What do you find interesting about GKMC's story and lyrics?
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Kendrick is a technical maestro. He's not the reincarnation of Big L or Kool G Rap, but he's clearly the most technically gifted rapper of the new generation. Not a single of the albums you listed in comparison has the variety of flows nor the speed raps that Kendrick lets out in his catalogue. I don't find GKMC's story that interesting (but i dont care about lyrics much period), I do however find his attempt to communicate emotion and stories more successful than any of the albums you listed except for Killer Mikes (which is also AOTY quality music). I love the other albums you listed except for Aesop Rock who is unbearably corny and Death Grips which I dont like thinking of as hip hop. Billy Woods joint is alright, and production wise is pretty nice, but flawed.

It should be noted that El-P, Billy Woods, Aesop Rock, Death Grips, and Killer Mike all released albums holistically better in my opinion and with objectively better production. Your argument hinges in large part on Kendrick's lyrics, so please, let's harp on this point of contention.
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You need to stop using the word objective when things are not objective. I like the style of many of these albums beat-wise, but on many of these projects the production completely overpowers the emcee. Cancer 4 Cure, History Will Absolve Me, and Death Grips all have this issue for me.

It basically just seems to me like you want the most abstract and sonically experimental music you can get your hands on, because you think that it has some intrinsically superior musical weight. I recommend you unclench your ass, lean back into your chair, listen to something thats not trying to show off how smart it is, and relax.
 
Reading the previous page, and, damn, no one has Real in his top 5 list. That song is my favorite message of the whole album, and I'm also a sucker for an artist being able to embody various points of view.
 
Battersea Power Station said:
Reading the previous page, and, damn, no one has Real in his top 5 list. That song is my favorite message of the whole album, and I'm also a sucker for an artist being able to embody various points of view.
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Yeah, just said how I really think that song is underrated. As most people seem to put it at the bottom of the list.

Poetic Justice is a lot better than I thought it would be.
 
Battersea Power Station said:
Reading the previous page, and, damn, no one has Real in his top 5 list. That song is my favorite message of the whole album, and I'm also a sucker for an artist being able to embody various points of view.
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The chorus kills it for me. For the most part, the whole album does well not coming off cheesy but once it hits that song that chorus is just ugh. I like the verses though.
 
BIG GHOST PRESENTS THE GOOD KID MAAD CITY REVIEW

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5. Money Trees ft Jay Rock - I dont kno who DJ Dahi is but he muthafuckin fool for this beat son. Kendrick talmbout all the shit that done happen so far on this shit for his verse. Then the hook come in n its some fly shit...even tho what he sayin gotta lotta substance to it. Like when you hear the track son seems like jus on some regular ol disrespectful shit. Like he jus stuntin on you for no reason nahmean. Fact is son actually droppin jewelz on this shit while he disrespectin whoever. Then Jay Rock pops up on this shit... Or more like Jay Rock possessed by the ghost of a nigga that can really really rap pops up on this shit. Its like son wasnt comfortable wit slidin down to the bottom of the Black Hippy totem pole ever since Soul done evolved into some deep thinkin ass muthafucka n Q became THAT dude.... Almost like he thinkin SO IMMA JUS BE THE TONY YAYO OF THIS CREW ALL A SUDDEN? NAWWWW... So he been workin on his flow a little. Rock wasnt ever no wack nigga tho...he jus wasnt on par wit the other niggas in the crew. But he definitely sound like he caught wind of that little message n decided he was gon step his shit up. Whatever works b.
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BIG GHOST THE GAWD
 
Eschaton said:
BIG GHOST PRESENTS THE GOOD KID MAAD CITY REVIEW

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BIG GHOST THE GAWD
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"4. The Art of Peer Pressure - This shit got basically two parts. The first minute is jus son on some singin shit wettin the paint on his brush before he paints that next story. The beat is like some fly grown man shit. Almost toooooo grown man...like the shit that Puffy might got playin in his crib in the Hamptons while he kickin it wit old ass white dudes sippin Ciroc outta some shit wit umbrellas n mad fruit in it"

Damn I lost it :lol
 
I'm digging all the tracks except Real. The hook mainly.

And as for bonus tracks, I don't like Now or Never. At all. Other than that.. Damn solid album. Fav of the year.
 
His Conan performance was horrible but his Fallon one was the best thing I've ever seen him do live. It was almost better than the studio version.
 
Really like this album on the first few listens. More rappers rapping over Beach House samples!!

EDIT: everything aside from these dumb ass jesus skits.
 
Cancer 4 Cure will remain my favorite rap album of the year, this is really really close (Cancer 4 Cure will get even better when the instrumentals hit). Lots of good shit this year. I don't think this is anywhere near Dirty Projectors, Matthew Dear, Frank Ocean, or Beach House. Great debut LP though.
 
Got a hold of some of the bonus tracks (sorry Kendrick, ain't buying four versions of your shit).

County Building Blues is real nice. Smooth as fuck. On the flipside, the Mary J. track is pretty boring. Not necessarily because of Kendrick, but Mary J. Blige just does nothing for me at this point.
 
I finally got to download this album this morning and oh my god, I'm in love the album (Money Trees, Good Kid, and Compton have some of the best beats ever)
 
Had to edit this post after listening to the album on repeat all week.

One of the best albums I've heard in a very very long time.
 
neptunes said:
I know how black boy fly doesn't fit the album's current narrative, but it was planned to be a part of the album at one point right? What's the meaning behind the song? Who is he referring to throughout it? A high school friend who made it out through basketball?
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Aaron Afflalo. He was a dope ass college basketball player.

Hipster Runoff is the dumbest shit ever. It gives a voice to the retarded WWE 4chan audience who learned everything they know about music searching you tube. so annoying.
 
wasnt really feeling this release at first, but i just left it on while working and its really clicking with me

"bitch dont kill my vibe" and "money trees" are just so chill. "maad city" is also great. i was one of those guys that didnt enjoy section.80 much but GKMC is pretty solid.
 
HiiiLife said:
I just wanna hear Collect Calls already lol.



This too.
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cacophony said:
who does the female vox on money trees?
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Sad that so many people still don't know Beach House. This is probably like the 4th song that basically sampled an entire Beach House track. It also saddens me that so many people are used to standard top 40 rap that something with a couple skits constitutes a concept album. I grew up in the Prince Paul era where the actual concept actually informs the actual music. This is a great debut but rap fans should demand a lot more from artists.
 
see5harp said:
Sad that so many people still don't know Beach House. This is probably like the 4th song that basically sampled an entire Beach House track. It also saddens me that so many people are used to standard top 40 rap that something with a couple skits constitutes a concept album. I grew up in the Prince Paul era where the actual concept actually informs the actual music. This is a great debut but rap fans should demand a lot more from artists.
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The concept does influence the music hence there isn't really anything you can call a real west coast banger on it, Kendrick is portraying a different side to Compton and the west coast. Dre obviously pumped the bass when mixing but this isn't that lowrider music the west is famed for. The skits aren't the only thing that makes this a concept album the sound is extremely cohesive almost as if there are no tracks and its just one long soundtrack. I was actually going to compare this to A Prince Among Thieves, I think it will eventually get an annual play from me. Prince Paul can also take the concept too far I've heard half of his new album is just skits.
 
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