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GAF-Hop |OTXVI| Build a Wall (of Better Top 20 Albums)

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Bronx-Man

Banned
Definitely sounds like something new and not going back to his old sound at all. Surprised that you got that from this.

Like, net saod I really like this as an anti response to TPAB.

From his post TPAB stuff I got the impression that Kendrick didnt want to get trapped by TPAB and be expected to continue with that sound.

I mean he definitely is trying some new stuff on this LP. God feels more pop than any track he's ever made before. There's a lot of R&B/Urban Soul type of tracks on this.

But the vibe in general really feels like he's trying to scale things back to Section .80 after how big his last two full-length albums were.
 
I mean he definitely is trying some new stuff on this LP. God feels more pop than any track he's ever made before. There's a lot of R&B/Urban Soul type of tracks on this.

But the vibe in general really feels like he's trying to scale things back to Section .80 after how big his last two full-length albums were.
I'm on Fear currently, and as far as I can tell this is more unorthodox/a harder listen than any of Kendrick's projects thus far, sounds very experimental.

Don't see how this would be a step down from TPAB, it sounds like he's looking at the TPAB sound and jumping as far away as he can from it.

I don't even know how to describe it.
 
There are too many experimental crazy tracks​ on this to make me think that Kendrick's scaling anything back to s.80 levels. Outside of HUMBLE/loyalty/love there arent too many mainstream tracks, maybe GOD? Idk that shit is weird. Even DNA sounds like some MBDTF/Yeezuz shit in terms of production.

Even tracks like Fear/Feel/Duckworth that conceptually sound like something Kendrick's done on previous works seem so new? I cant put my finger on it but it definitely sounds like not trying recapture any of his old shit on this.

Even the narrative is by far the most abstract its ever been.
 
Just started Duckworth, so far Love and God are the weakest tracks to me, Humble is a bit better than them so I'll just call it the third weakest.
 

riotous

Banned
This Carti is rough; love the production but the rapping is just garbage tier to me. So repetitive.

And with 3 play throughs including a ride in my car I am really liking DAMN.
 
Man I really wish I wasn't spoiled on the
Top Dawg
thing, but it was still an incredible ending, the whole song was incredible, might be my favorite Kendrick outro.
 

Kelsdesu

Member
Just finished my first listen of Damn.



What I got from this album is that, apparently To Pimp A Butterfly ended up being more ambitious than even Kendrick was expecting. Don't get me wrong, there are some fucking bangers on here. DNA is a song of the year candidate. Loyalty and Love are pretty dope too. Then there's tracks like XXX and Fear that have some really good ideas to them.

But there's something about this that makes it feel like Kendrick got shook by TPAB. Yeah, it got praised by Pitchfork and Fandango and all us hip-hop heads but there was still your main young raps that didn't really fuck with it cause it was a funky jazzrap project in an age where Future, Thug, and Migos were doing shit with trap no one could dream of. DAMN gets me the feeling that Kendrick didn't really like how those guys weren't fucking with it.

What did those guys mostly fuck with? Section .80 & GKMC, so he gave us a album going back to that sound. But that's what gets me about it. Going back.

Think about it like this. Y'all remember how niggas trashed 808's when it came out for being auto-tuned crooning instead of being y'know, rap? Imagine if instead of following up 808s with MBDTF, Kanye went "Fuck it, lemme give these people the College Dropout shit they wanted." That would sound dope as fuck! But it wouldn't be the growth he needed.

This could've been Kenny's MBDTF moment and he settled for revisiting College Dropout. I'm giving this thing a buncha re-listens, but right now this feels like his weakest for sure.

I didn't get the Sectiom 80 or GKMC vibe at all from this. (Please believe thats what i wanted).

DNA is the only track I can see most people out here fucking with.

This album feels about as experimental as TPAB with the exception of DNA.

Edit: it is also my opinion that Kanyes biggest mistake was not circling back to that sound that he helped develop.
 

Bronx-Man

Banned
I do appreciate how this is the easiest listen out of all his albums. As much as I loved TPaB, it was such a stuffed album. Especially at the end with the Tupac interview going on and on.
 
Earlier today Pitchfork put up an article with Zacari on the song LOVE. He was literally saying that it sounded like a new genre of music. I was curious all day about it.

Has he literally never heard of alternative music? The hyperbole goddamn lol. Love the song, but fuck man.
 
Love definitely goes in same trash bin as These Walls/Real/Poetic Justice/No Makeup.

Best love song kendrick's​ made remains untitled 06.


Edit: also going to expecting another album on sunday
m2nBjvT.jpg

This is wrong. These Walls give me life.
 
Yah gonna have to play Damn about 20 times before I can remotely have an opinion on it, I had no real strong emotional reactions to any of the album and could barely follow the instrumentals/rapping, it feels a lot more unorthodox to me than TPAB and is without a doubt not something I can just put on and spin through like TPAB, GKMC, or UU, not an easy listen at all, and strangely I don't even have the urge to play it again.
 
Yah gonna have to play Damn about 20 times before I can remotely have an opinion on it, I had no real strong emotional reactions to any of the album and could barely follow the instrumentals/rapping, it feels a lot more unorthodox to me than TPAB and is without a doubt not something I can just put on and spin through like TPAB, GKMC, or UU, not an easy listen at all, and strangely I don't even have the urge to play it again.

TPAB and Untitled are anything but "throw on and listen to" albums imo. Certain tracks sure, but there's abrasion, and skits, and DICK AIN'T FREE stuff you can't just always be in the mood for. DAMN is way easier to play front to back imo. That doesn't take anything away from those projects either, I just don't see them being easy listens. Not background music, basically (not that the new album is)

There is an underlying darkness to DAMN hiding in a way it wasn't on his previous albums though, which gives it a strange vibe. The repeated use of reversed bars and music, the eerie psychedelic Americana vocals that pop up a few times, the DJ tags hyping up tracks in the middle of an introspective (sometimes subtly apocalyptic) album, the way the whole thing loops back to the intro. The tracklist name order probably plays into this somehow too.
 
TPAB is NOT a "throw on and listen to" album.
Meh, people are talking about how this album is more repayable but I don't see how these static-y tracks intercut with clips and generally off kilter production and more abstract rapping is more repayable than King Kunta, These Walls, Alright, or Hood Politics at minimum.
 
Meh, people are talking about how this album is more repayable but I don't see how these static-y tracks intercut with clips and generally off kilter production and more abstract rapping is more repayable than King Kunta, These Walls, Alright, or Hood Politics at minimum.

Ah, I see what you are saying? TPAB demands my attention and deserves it, eveytime, if that's more clear.
 

Hitta93

Banned
Untitled Unmastered is probably Kendrick's most replayable album in general.

Only go back to Money Trees, Swimming Pools, and Sing About Me on GKMC. The skits on TPAB are much more tolerable with every song for the most part being an easier listen.

I'll listen to DAMN and the new Carti later when I'm not as sleepy.
 

Nibel

Member
So y'all been listening to an unfinished leak or what

I'm very nice to people I like

Can confirm <3

So basically I was right with my five second hot takes

jmon

still haven't heard it with headphones

jmon will never catch on, stop it slime


The production on this ain't too shabby
leonh0sqg.png

But Logic being the one rapping on this makes the entire song insufferable

Love definitely goes in same trash bin as These Walls/Real/Poetic Justice/No Makeup.

Best love song kendrick's&#8203; made remains untitled 06.


Edit: also going to expecting another album on sunday
m2nBjvT.jpg

1) Poetic Justice a summer blassic
2) Ain't TDE just poking fun at Future by saying there's more to come?

[/irish]
 

Blackthorn

"hello?" "this is vagina"
Death weighs heavy on DAMN. Not like it did in GKMC with the death of his peers or in TPAB with death of black people, but his own death - "what happens on earth stays on earth."

The opening and close make it seem like some sort of end-of-life reflection, with each song taking him through all the layers of his soul.

Any idea what the blind woman could be referring to? I'm assuming it's some sort of afterlife myth, but nothing comes to mind. Could just be justice.
 

Exodust

Banned
Damn. was pretty good on first listen. God/Loyalty/Love all wack but those are the only tracks that I found to be weak, Humble grew on me but still is pretty meh.

Also lol acting like Kendrick didn't have skippable tracks before, who here listens to Real, No Make Up, Poetic Justice, Ab-Soul Outro, For Free, i?

In spite of being more down on TPAB than others without outright think it's a weedplate on the other spectrum, it's hard for me to really compare the two and see what I consider to be better. As both have some highs for me, few wack tracks, and others I'll probably skip because I don't vibe with them too much. Then again, I'm the weirdo who thinks S.80 is his best work so there's that.
 
After a few listens I fucks heavy with DAMN.

Seems like his most personal project which makes it rather unsettling at times, especially if you take some of the stuff on TPAB at face value. It's definitely more approachable from a musical perspective, not sure about the subject matter. Gonna need more time to digest.

DNA is certified flames. 5/5 fire emojis etc.
 
Damn. was pretty good on first listen. God/Loyalty/Love all wack but those are the only tracks that I found to be weak, Humble grew on me but still is pretty meh.

Also lol acting like Kendrick didn't have skippable tracks before, who here listens to Real, No Make Up, Poetic Justice, Ab-Soul Outro, For Free, i?

In spite of being more down on TPAB than others without outright think it's a weedplate on the other spectrum, it's hard for me to really compare the two and see what I consider to be better. As both have some highs for me, few wack tracks, and others I'll probably skip because I don't vibe with them too much. Then again, I'm the weirdo who thinks S.80 is his best work so there's that.
All great,
Real isn't bad either.
 
It's his weakest album perhaps but it's also much easier to listen to front to back than tpab. Also a couple tracks are skip worthy but still much better than this dick ain't freeeeeuh

What I'm really digging though about this album is how dark it is. When you really listen to it this sounds like the kind of project an artist on the verge of suicide records &#128064;

Hope he's ok.

I appreciate how it's more song to song while his last album there wasn't too much I was really interested in listening to individually. Also bless up in making great use of a u2 feature without venturing into corniness like we expected.

Gonna listen to it again a few times over the weekend to see where I stand on it overall but those are just initial thoughts
 

Helmholtz

Member
This Carti is rough; love the production but the rapping is just garbage tier to me. So repetitive.

And with 3 play throughs including a ride in my car I am really liking DAMN.
That's kind of just how he is, love it or hate it. I think it makes for good danceable shit that you can just throw on and know the production's going to be amazing.
I already find myself going back to Carti's more than Kendrick's haha.
This fucking guy
 
This Carti is rough; love the production but the rapping is just garbage tier to me. So repetitive.

And with 3 play throughs including a ride in my car I am really liking DAMN.
Carti is pretty garbage. His repetitive rap style doesn't work 90% of the time but when it does, damn he sounds good. TBH I'm surprised he actually bothered releasing a tape. I feel like he really had something going with not releasing one plus who really trying to hear a hour plus of his incredibly repetitive flow
 
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