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[Jason's Ultimatum]

To Pimp a Butterfly is HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT.

EDIT-btw, the album is up on YT. Isn't that illegal?

EDIT-I mean U is HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT.

 

[GamerSoul]

Just bought this thing. Will listen on car ride home tooday.

 

[HeisenbergLannister]

I'm not as big of a Kendrick fan as others, but even I can say, five tracks in, it's gooooood.

 

[HabeeNo]

GKMC is a rap album, made by a rapper

TPAB feels like something bigger, made by a musician - nothing else on the market sounds quite like it and I fucking love Kendrick for rapping something else than mindless materialism and shit like every other person does

PREACH

After my second listen, Complexion is my song to go now. That Rapsody verse

 

[XShadows69]

Wesleys Theory is DOPE

 

[Jigolo]

Full album on Google Play AA

 

[PhoenixDark]

Ghost of 2pac, ghost of Dilla. Momma sounds like someone went to heaven and gave Dilla his MPC again. Whew.

 

[Red_Man]

Wesleys Theory is DOPE

Seriously. I keep going back to this song, it fucking goes. What a way to start the album.

 

[Bacon]

I was just attempting to make a tier list and realized I was putting 3/4 of the album in the top tier. This shit is really fucking good. On repeat all day.

 

[Christberg]

Glad Tupac found time between holding down his hide n seek championship to drop an interview on this album.

You know, one of the "problems" with this album is it makes me wonder what kind of album Tupac would have put out had he been given the opportunity to grow into a proper man and speak about his place in the world.

Then I get pissed off.

 

[hugocésar]

I think this is really something special. An evolution of an artist, and probably the person I'll look back at 20 years from now as being the most important musician of my generation.

 

[Servbot24]

To Pimp a Butterfly is HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT.

EDIT-btw, the album is up on YT. Isn't that illegal?

There are a bazillion albums up on youtube. Yeah it's probably illegal but not much you can do.

 

[nib95]

I've not listened to an album that I greatly enjoyed almost entirely from start to finish, on first listen alone, in a long time. Well played Mr Lamar, well played.

 

[Coolluck]

I liked the album despite a lot of it sounding samey. Not understanding the love, though. Kendrick and the music just do not mesh well often, and there's some overproduction in areas that detracts from the package.

 

[chris121580]

There's just no way around it...u is a terrible track. The rest is really solid after second listen

 

[CountBlack]

There's just no way around it...u is a terrible track. The rest is really solid after second listen

One of my favourites off the album. Especially since it really reminded me of Collect Calls


Also, apparently its back up on iTunes

 

[Truant]

How Much A Dollar Cost sounds like Flying Lotus remixing Pyramid Song by Radiohead and Kendrick rapping over it.

Amazing.

 

[Xrenity]

What the hell, this sounds great. Had no idea.

 

[Bacon]

There's just no way around it...u is a terrible track. The rest is really solid after second listen

Hated it on my first listen but have liked it more and more on subsequent listens.

 

[HiiiLife]

What if I told you

Rappers are musicians

Not all rap cars.

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

There are a bazillion albums up on youtube. Yeah it's probably illegal but not much you can do.

The reason I ask is because I applied for a Homeland Security job, and one of the questions asks whether I downloaded illegal music in the past 3 years. I haven't, but I have listened to albums, videos, and songs on YT. Not sure if that qualifies now that I think about it.

 

[RP912]

So when is Pac going to break the news that he's joining TDE?

 

[Servbot24]

The reason I ask is because I applied for a Homeland Security job, and one of the questions asks whether I downloaded illegal music in the past 3 years. I haven't, but I have listened to albums, videos, and songs on YT. Not sure if that qualifies now that I think about it.

I would say it's illegal to upload but not to listen. But I'm not an expert and could easily be wrong.

 

[GWX]

Even better on second/third listen. I'm so glad I like For Free? and u: this way I don't have to skip anything =)

 

[Grover Cleveland]

Instant reaction off the first listen...it's cool. A good, but not great album. But, I feel like this is the type of record that you can only truly appreciate after multiple spins, so I'm going to hold off on grading it. There's just too much depth thematically, sonically, lyrically to consume there to grasp it all on one spin.

I do cosign the people saying earlier that it's going to be a divisive album in the mainstream, just because its different from what gets play these days. This is grown folks music.

The streets aren't gonna ride with this record.
The club ain't gonna ride with this record.
The radio might ride with a few songs off here.
I'm not even sure the hipsters and backpackers will fully embrace it.

It's that left field compared to what we expect from rap in 2015.

It'll move units just off of hype and Kendrick's name, but I have a feeling that a LOT of people are going to hear this album and be underwhelmed and disappointed. Top Dawg talkin on Twitter about selling a milli first week? Nah that wasn't happening, even before the moving up the street date.

 

[Christberg]

Has anybody spotted somewhere you can get this on vinyl? Everywhere seems to be CD only.

 

[RepairmanJack]

First listen, I've loved everything except For Sale?

So far U, King Kunta and For Free? have been my standouts.

 

[Ran rp]

.

 

[phanphare]

Has anybody spotted somewhere you can get this on vinyl? Everywhere seems to be CD only.

yeah I've been trying to find out some deetz on this too. I know section.80 and gkmc had a vinyl release so I'm hopeful.

It'll move units just off of hype and Kendrick's name, but I have a feeling that a LOT of people are going to hear this album and be underwhelmed and disappointed. Top Dawg talkin on Twitter about selling a milli first week? Nah that wasn't happening, even before the moving up the street date.

I would love to see how many clean versions of the album were sold last night haha

 

[HiiiLife]

Instant reaction off the first listen...it's cool. A good, but not great album. But, I feel like this is the type of record that you can only truly appreciate after multiple spins, so I'm going to hold off on grading it. There's just too much depth thematically, sonically, lyrically to consume there to grasp it all on one spin.

I do cosign the people saying earlier that it's going to be a divisive album in the mainstream, just because its different from what gets play these days. This is grown folks music.

The streets aren't gonna ride with this record.
The club ain't gonna ride with this record.
The radio might ride with a few songs off here.
I'm not even sure the hipsters and backpackers will fully embrace it.

It's that left field compared to what we expect from rap in 2015.

It'll move units just off of hype and Kendrick's name, but I have a feeling that a LOT of people are going to hear this album and be underwhelmed and disappointed. Top Dawg talkin on Twitter about selling a milli first week? Nah that wasn't happening, even before the moving up the street date.

Tbh.

 

[Zekes!]

Just finished my first listen. Not sure what I think quite yet. I'm definitely feeling the production and general vibe of the album, but none of the tracks had me really saying 'yo, lemme hear that again real quick'. Hoping it grows on me more with a couple additional listens.

 

[RP912]

Wish Hood Politics kept the groove going.

Same :/

After that beat switched it became "boo boo".

 

[TheBowen]

It got added onto Spotify. There is a god

Bout to give it a listen.

EDIT- After one listen, so my views can change
Amazing:
Wesley's Theory
King Kunta
These Walls
i (tbh I love both versions, but this brings life into it)
How much a dollar cost
Blacker The Berry
Complexion

Pretty Good:
Alright
Momma ( Need more listens to get it lyrically)
Hood Politics ( Wish it kept the groove at the beginning, but beat afterwards it still pretty fucking good)
You Aint gotta lie
Mortal Man


Don't Fuck with it
Institutionalised ( Not feeling it for some reason )
For Free? Interlude
u
For Sale? Interlude

 

[theignoramus]

Really, the only songs I wont fuck with on the album are the interludes and "u".
I can get behind the emotion of that particular track, I cant get behind the awkward execution. But there are 10 songs at the very least that I feel are very strong. Critics will love this shit.

 

[Tambini]

KING KUNTA

 

[SyenceLabb]

Kdot's shit ages like wine. I can go back to GKMC today and still get the feels - it takes you somewhere. I'm still digesting his latest offering, but so far I'm sold.

 

[phanphare]

Give a fuck about your complexion, I know what the Germans done


maaaannn.......this one hit me

 

[Vire]

Kdot lost his god damn mind.

I need to listen to this ten more times to fully digest it.

 

[AcridMeat]

Damn These Walls rules.

edit: Not feeling u. I like the instrumentals of it. Oh dang the switch happened.

 

[solarus]

Damn, daaaaamn, I really love the album. I was worried after seeing some mixed opinions but man I thought it was great, there weren't any tracks I hated, not even "u" *shrugs* and i'm no kendrick stan. Writing and production were both really solid.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Am I the only nerd who heard the "sneak [dissin!]" line on Complexion and immediately thought of this. lol

 

[Grover Cleveland]

I would love to see how many clean versions of the album were sold last night haha

Interscope was reall slick with that, trying to get people to double dip. I think most people just chose to wait out for the explicit release though.

Saleswise, Phoenix is right. Like it or not, Aubrey is the undisputed sales king of the new school. In the very best circumstances (great singles, great word of mouth, big promo) I couldn't see Kendrick outselling NWTS at 660k first week. And these aren't the best circumstances (i never really popped off, not that much promo, and word of mouth will be much more divided than GKMC).

I think he settles right under gold at 470-490k first week.

 

[deli2000]

How Much A Dollar Cost sounds like Flying Lotus remixing Pyramid Song by Radiohead and Kendrick rapping over it.

Amazing.

Glad I'm not the only one who heard Pyramid Song in that.

This album is dense as hell and all over the place, gonna need to re-listen a couple more times because first impressions probably won't do this thing justice.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

Wesley's Theory is really good. Not feeling the rest yet. I wonder if there's a "Money Trees" hidden anywhere.

edit: King Kunta is awesome as well.

 

[mooooose]

Wesley's Theory and For Sale are my favorite songs.

 

[hidys]

So apparently Lamar sampled Sufjan Stevens' All For Myself from The Age of Adz on Hood Politics.

Didn't pick up on that.

 

[Pinko Marx]

King Kunta

 

[Ranger Taffles]

I'm on board with taking more time around it. My intial impressions however are terrific. The production has such a great depth throughout and executes the narrative flow fittingly. Kendrick's lyrical play shines gloriously too, taking the different themes in all sorts of subjects. The final track hits the hardest though, delivering a very memorable ending note. Impressive stuff overall, probably a grower over more listens.

 

[SoundsOfScience]

First impression: Its gonna be so fun to really dive into this album. Lots of stuff going on, lots of great lines. I wasn't too big into his earlier stuff, I liked it but it wasn't something I'd spin regularly, but this is really fantastic.

 

[Fry]

Best song of the year is still Blessings even after this album