Yeah it should. Motherfuckers out here comparing Friday After Next to Roots and shit, talking about I didn't enjoy all the whipping and drama, but Mike Epps was hella funny in Friday tho.
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GVF-Hop l0 13l La Soulja Nostra
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PhoenixDark
Banned
wut?
Just a hyperbolic analogy obviously...
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
TPAB is Roots now? Jesus Christ. Not like, the billion other Afro-centric albums before Kenny sat down and had a make-believe conversation with a dead rapper? That's the fucking pillar of your world?
Between that and Cudder loving that piece of hill people jug music Yela album and I think this thread has officially lost its collective fucking mind.
Between that and Cudder loving that piece of hill people jug music Yela album and I think this thread has officially lost its collective fucking mind.
PhoenixDark
Banned
You know know on this forum breh. I know there was a Friday thread yesterday, I thought you meant cacs were in there making the comparison.
It's just like when GKMC invented get out of the hood concept albums breh. Keep up.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
It's been a long day.
I don't think you guys understand how analogies work.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
That ain't it.
PhoenixDark
Banned
how the hell isn't he permabanned by now? Dude is a riot lol.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
Does anyone here know of any production companies for music videos?
Also the downplaying of TPAB's brilliance and complicated yet poignant messages because it wasn't the first afro centric album or because it doesn't really bump in the whip is quite dismaying. How many strong afro centric rap albums are still being made today? How many rap albums attempt what Kendrick attempts on TPAB? People seemed willing to ride for Pinata even though it didn't really bump like his past work and Gibbs didn't attempt to touch on even a fraction of the intricate social and religious issues that Kendrick does. I mean I shouldn't even be mad, as I've stated earlier understanding all of the deep rooted cultural issues and characteristics of the black community and zeitgeist has a large bearing on one's enjoyment of TPAB. For example, just a simple sounding song like These Walls might be misinterpreted as being a song about sex and pussy when in fact it's much much deeper than. These walls is a microcosm of the relationship black have had with America after slavery. It's a love hate relationship to be exact. Loving a country, but also feeling trapped by its cultural dominance, like a great moist vagina on an abusive controlling woman. The dillemma of whether to give into her dominance and assimilate losing sight of one's individuality or to break out rebel is supremely poignant and relevant. Most of the songs on TPAB have that amount of depth...
jakefromstatefarm
Member
this. I'm really digging the production on Barter 6, that has me hooked enough to keep me engaged; outside of Blacker the Berry, I didn't get that from TPaB
Does his movies not suck?
Last movie I enjoyed from him was Happy Gilmore. But he's making money somehow so I can't be too mad at him
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
I'm not really sure if you're just playing around or whatever, but the album wasn't this massively deep, hard to fathom thing. Anybody who has had any exposure to Afrocentrism or black American culture over the past 15-20 years likely "got" it, unless they're just not, you know, able to tie their shoes without some government assistance. I don't hate it because at some point, everybody has to be introduced to the concepts for the first time and some 16 year olds out there probably think TPAB was just he deepest thing ever, but anybody else should acknowledge it for what it was and move on. It's an album for a younger generation to dip their toes into deeper waters.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Well, which is it, is it complicated and easily misunderstood or easy to understand? I mean, I'm not hating on the album. It has its place. It's just not this deep, nuanced album. It's extremely on the nose and handled with pretty much zero subtlety. Which is fine. But when people start talking about the thing that was smashing into your face all album long as if it was some hidden, secret thing only seen by those with X amount of whatever, that's when the bullshit starts to pile up.
sandler failing
I think TPaB has a lot of great songs and moments. Mortal Man probably still the best track of 2015 aside from the 2pac interview (fuck off kendrick). moments of brilliance and cringe, but the good shines through for me.
Contentious/notable points for this perspective:
1) No one brought up whether it bumps in the whip or not. Irrelevant nonfactor, as is the comparison to Pinata because people liked those albums for way different reasons (though I'll take this as a counter-troll). I actually warmed up to the pacing a bit, as it sort of drowns out and becomes physically exhausting in the second half, perhaps Kendrick's genius extends to eliciting a physiological response to complement the content by way of the nontraditional pacing (begins with uptempo kicks to the face and progressively gets slower and slower).
2) Inherent bias towards a moral high ground in content divorced from quality of songs/music. You can have a deep/meaningful song I don't want to listen to, word to every conscious artist we clown here and the sticker we gave Kendrick but not them. Shit, I might prefer the standard boom bap backpacker sound over Kendrick's jazz fusion, and perhaps moreover feel like it's a more appropriate vessel to deliver such a message in (and can easily flip your critique and say it's not brilliant because it wasn't cognizant of this possibility/result). You can be brilliant without being able to communicate it. You can be experimental and fail. Word to Top Gear as well.
3) Previous point hinges on a novelty/privilege, as you mentioned. I wouldn't know, for obvious reasons, but it's not hard to assume that one cannot truly understand or receive Kendrick's message unless they are in the shoes of an African American. In which case, is he a messenger or a preacher to the choir? Someone who sheds light on something or one who keeps his own eye adjusted in the darkness? I'm squarely in the latter. People aren't doubting Kendrick had something he wanted to say, but people do doubt whether he was ruminating or able to package something that is measurably effective. I think Kendrick had trouble convincing me to both engage in the album and care, and I think I'm a bit more attuned to racial perspectives than many, many others may be.
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All trolling aside, it's not a terrible album, but it relies on that moral/content high ground way too much for me to give Kendrick the benefit of the doubt and ignore pretty much all of it's other failings. Didn't touch my soul, was outright annoying at times, the annoying parts end up being the most memorable moments of the entire album, etc. I make a playlist of my favourite songs ever year and I've been planning to go back, if not for a review, to TPAB to give it another shakedown for more than Wesley's Theory and These Walls to be on that list, but even as I have nothing new to listen to right now I can't bring myself to power through the album once more. Hard not to qualify that as a failure in some respect when you have to try and force yourself to like something out of the respect of the artist. No dice.
I do, Toronto based.
PhoenixDark
Banned
Zero subtlety? So why are people constantly mischaracterizing multiple themes from the album, from For Free to other tracks?
I understand and have no problem with people disliking the album. That's your right, obviously art is subjective. But I'll agree with HRD in the sense that I find it asinine that some people straight up dismiss it because it doesn't "bump in the whip" or have modern sounds. Yall don't listen to enough repetitive shit daily to have room for something different? Fuckouttahere. I wouldn't aim that criticism at anyone here (except Enzo of course), I'm moreso talking about more casual reactions to the album.
At the end of the day I think it's brilliant, and it's the album I clamored for throughout 2014. I'm glad it's being hailed as a masterpiece. But as Common said, if you don't like it you don't like it, it doesn't mean you're hating.
I understand and have no problem with people disliking the album. That's your right, obviously art is subjective. But I'll agree with HRD in the sense that I find it asinine that some people straight up dismiss it because it doesn't "bump in the whip" or have modern sounds. Yall don't listen to enough repetitive shit daily to have room for something different? Fuckouttahere. I wouldn't aim that criticism at anyone here (except Enzo of course), I'm moreso talking about more casual reactions to the album.
At the end of the day I think it's brilliant, and it's the album I clamored for throughout 2014. I'm glad it's being hailed as a masterpiece. But as Common said, if you don't like it you don't like it, it doesn't mean you're hating.
Jug music *dead*
NipplesAndToes23
Member
What's the actual name of the company? Googling that gave me wedding cakes.
It's both. It's all pretty well nuanced, but because of some of the language and Kendrick's attempts to create enjoyable songs it can all be easily passed over or misinterpreted like Swimming Pools on his last album. I just don't get the whole attempt to downplay its successes and make it seem like it's only good inside of this little bubble. Like I get you're the resident dusty dude, but the greatness of the afro centric albums in the past doesn't diminish the greatness of Kendrick. It's nearly impossible to reinvent the wheel every time. I like how Kendrick's musical choices also play a part in reinforcing the albums concept. I really think it works well when listened to as a whole. It offers this little glimpse into black history and how the culture has influenced and sculpted American music over time.
Syph Medwes
Member
For Free notwithstanding, TPAB is AOTY so far, don't kid yourselves.
sremm life tho 
Good luck with finals (I assume).
yeah for that, but it will be a bit longer
I want to get a good start on summer and not just camp in gaf discussion all day
Be safe in the real world breh.
Rastafarian42
Member
For Free notwithstanding, TPAB is AOTY so far, don't kid yourselves.
sremm life tho
Yeah no doubt I still listen to it from time to time but there's been a bunch of other dope stuff that came out that's in rotation as well.
I feel ya. Don't lurk too much.
PhoenixDark
Banned
The idea that the album levitates on some moral high ground is laughable. The constant undercurrent of Kendrick's faults, mistakes, and hypocrisy dead that argument. Kendrick, like Nas/Pac/etc, has always avoided that pitfall that snares so many holier than thou backpack rappers *cough Lupe Fiasco*.
I don't think you have to be well versed with black culture to understand the album conceptually, although it certainly helps. There are things on the album that I understand that a white person might not get, and all I have to do is check Rap Genius to confirm that. From a music perspective the album is rather dense sonically, literally touching on every genre of "black music." It's not done in a stale, generic way either (see: Janelle Monae). The jazz basis of the album is really fucking good, from Robert Glasper to Kamasi Washington to Terrace Martin. Sonically it's simply really good, period.
I don't think you have to be well versed with black culture to understand the album conceptually, although it certainly helps. There are things on the album that I understand that a white person might not get, and all I have to do is check Rap Genius to confirm that. From a music perspective the album is rather dense sonically, literally touching on every genre of "black music." It's not done in a stale, generic way either (see: Janelle Monae). The jazz basis of the album is really fucking good, from Robert Glasper to Kamasi Washington to Terrace Martin. Sonically it's simply really good, period.
Syph Medwes
Member
merry christmas
I have to say I generally don't care for the long form metaphor concept type song in my rap music, and TPAB does it a lot. It sort of reminds me of a lot of the songs Nas was making in the 00s that his stans go gaga over but nobody gives a shit about (but better for a number of reasons). It just doesn't vibe with my 'ideal' of rap music. I prefer my rap to always have that soul of a street griot off the top feel rather than this ivy league English/Sociology major looking for a pop music outlet bait. It's just always felt too longwinded and on the nose, and sort of looses the organic dudes rapping on a corner freestyle feel i long for. Rap to me is first and foremost a form of folk music, that's how i like mine.
That being said: I still really like TPAB despite it doing this a lot. People like to talk about how Yeezus deserves credit off the strength of being so sonically "progressive"mjlol of a release for a mainstream artist. If that's the case, then I think Kendrick deserves all the more credit for what he's done with the album. In an era dominated by praise for the simplest of simple punchlines and adlibs for emotional effect, Kendrick went all in on rapping. When was the last time you heard any commercially salient artist use the tools of an emcee and a writer so thoroughly? Not just in terms of skill, but in range and moments of experimentation too? For me, I don't care too much about the sonic 'risks' he's taking. I think that's overstated by the loudest advocates of the album. People are into the revival shit right now. When people say it's not popular, i'd like to point to the success of Bruno Mars, Janelle Monae, all those pharrell and daft punk songs etc etc. It's certainly not unpopular, with the exception of the for free scat poop and some of the jazz material. There hasnt been a more lucrative time to make culture vulture funk for a minute.
Where Kendrick deserves the credit imo is for exhibiting the talents of a real thoroughbred lyricist in an era where that's not oft seen. And that's why I appreciate the album as sort of a breath of fresh air, even if the execution isn't always 1:1 to my personal ideals and aesthetic preferences.
And no enzo, i don't care if you think he's off beat.
That being said: I still really like TPAB despite it doing this a lot. People like to talk about how Yeezus deserves credit off the strength of being so sonically "progressive"
mjlol of a release for a mainstream artist. If that's the case, then I think Kendrick deserves all the more credit for what he's done with the album. In an era dominated by praise for the simplest of simple punchlines and adlibs for emotional effect, Kendrick went all in on rapping. When was the last time you heard any commercially salient artist use the tools of an emcee and a writer so thoroughly? Not just in terms of skill, but in range and moments of experimentation too? For me, I don't care too much about the sonic 'risks' he's taking. I think that's overstated by the loudest advocates of the album. People are into the revival shit right now. When people say it's not popular, i'd like to point to the success of Bruno Mars, Janelle Monae, all those pharrell and daft punk songs etc etc. It's certainly not unpopular, with the exception of the for free scat poop and some of the jazz material. There hasnt been a more lucrative time to make culture vulture funk for a minute. Where Kendrick deserves the credit imo is for exhibiting the talents of a real thoroughbred lyricist in an era where that's not oft seen. And that's why I appreciate the album as sort of a breath of fresh air, even if the execution isn't always 1:1 to my personal ideals and aesthetic preferences.
And no enzo, i don't care if you think he's off beat.
To be fair, I still think the jazz/funk based risk Kendrick took is worth noting only because jazz as a genre has been on a steady decline in the US, where it's now the least popular genre in the country. Although most of the time I don't think it's amazing instrumentally, and at worst simply serviceable, it may be entirely possible we'll see more of these types of albums in hip-hop, even maybe at just an underground level. It's definitely refreshing and commendable.
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