Lil B’s still around and making OK-but-not-great music.

“Good kid, mAAd City” is not trap, and WHAT.
So “Backseat Freestyle” isn’t nasty enough for you? Fuck man. What!

I don’t understand how “The Art of Peer Pressure” can not send a jolt down the spine of anyone who hears it. Is it “mellow?” Sonically... for the most part. But listen hard, and it’s fucking INTENSE.

It’s not a perfect 10, but it’s a really well thought-out album and story

Not gonna lie, you get some hate for this comment. ;)

I guess because I'm mostly a lyric guy, I find Kendrick really intense. Sometimes it's almost unbearable. I'm not ashamed to say that one or two of his songs almost bring me to tears because they reflect a sad reality so well.



I know!

Didn't he say somewhere that college kids and the unemployed are the only people who listen to his stuff because they're the only ones with enough free time to fully grasp it?

If so, I find it odd that college kids and the unemployed buy so many fucking records.

Thank god. Yes. This is it. Thank you.

I was reflecting yesterday on what it would be like to have me for a friend — an overbearing music/movie/book-recommendation fiend who forced shit down people’s throats — and I know I’m irritating as hell sometimes, but if my recommendations contributed at ALL to this kind of reaction (the reaction one should have to Kendrick’s music) then it’s worth it.

Many of his lyrics, like Kanye’s music, have brought me near or two tears. The end of “The Blacker the Berry” hits hard. And I can’t even really relate to that subject matter, but I can feel the pain and frustration in his voice.
[/quote]


I think his point was that the album sucks. He can’t believe good kid, which he thinks is bogus, would be popular.

Remember that his first few albums really didn’t sell that much. Barely platinum after Billboard changed the rules to allow streaming to count for album sales.

DAMN. is the only one that really sold a lot of units, but again, that’s a lot of “streaming era” units. Still, it’s the only one that was, like, a *hard* no. 1.

I see. I thought he meant because KL is politically explosive and musically very weird, one would think he wouldn't get much attention.

---

You didn't shove KL down my throat. I came across "Money Trees" on my own, and I was like "Who is this fellow?" You might've given some guidance, but if KL didn't deliver, recommendations would've been for naught.

btw, here's an entire book on "Blacker the Berry."

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...berry-the-book

So basically I get full credit for introducing you to this thing you love?

Cool. :cool:

Ranking Kendrick’s albums is now impossible for me. Just like Kanye’s. I used to think I had it all figured out, but now... nah. With time, the music gets better.

Section.80 has two of my absolute favorite Kendrick tracks ever, and several others that I love, but isn’t on the level of the others.
Good kid is nonstop awesomeness except for the Drake appearance, and has hooks that are lacking on TPAB, and a more fleshed-out depth than is present on DAMN’s hooks, but I never want to skip a song. TPAB, I want to skip a few, but when I listen to it from start to finish it’s like a musical rebirthing. Seriously incredible.
DAMN. is weird. It was hard to like some of the tracks at first, specifically “Loyalty” and “Love,” but the rest of the record more than made up for it. Now I like every song, and an atmosphere has constructed itself around the thing. Hell of a record.

Really impossible to rank. I guess untitled, unmastered. is at the bottom by default. I never listen to that thing, but it’s good.

Uhhh that’s not what i said.

I know good kid is not trap. I can’t believe how popular it is because of how smart it is. I thought it would be assumed here that good kid is not stupid music or trap. Maybe i was wrong...

I mentioned the trap stuff in reference to lil Peep. I’ve got no problems with stupid music that is all aesthetic but i take offense when it is deemed artistic or trailblazing (just like lil Peep).

I post on my phone. I also mentioned I had a few drinks. Apologies if it didn’t come out right. It was one of those nights.

Not gonna lie, you get some hate for this comment ;)

Ha! was honestly always a closet fan until Yeezus. The SNL performances of New Slaves and Black Skinhead finally convinced me I had nothing to be ashamed about. 808s is not perfect but it is my favorite. Just love that sound of. Strings and 808s. Produced perfectly.

Oh I thought you were like, “it’s boring and overrated” because that’s how Rob feels about it. If he’s bothered to listen yet. (Goddamn you Rob)

Maybe it was my communication error and not yours (full disclosure: I was sitting in gridlock when I read your post and replied).

But yeah, I I can’t believe it’s as popular as it is either. I *especially* can’t believe that DAMN is as popular as *it* is, because that fucker has outsold eeeeeverybody this year. Even Fake n’ Bake Drake, and that’s not only a challenging listen lyrically, it’s also a loaded work politically. Might have some bangin’ hooks, but it starts on the sentence it ends on (Finnegan's Wake!”) and contains buried narratives and decidedly anti-populist lyrics.

Kendrick’s part of an elite club now.

It’s SO RARE that a positive correlation exists between popularity and quality. I mean, like, big time popularity (not cult/scene/indie popularity). It’s even more rare that the MOST popular artists are also the HIGHEST quality ones.

Only a few times in pop culture history has this happened. It happened with the Beatles. Maybe Nirvana. I sincerely believe it happened with Kanye West at least two or three times in his career. And in 2017 Kendrick is, aside from the virus that is Taylor Swift, basically the biggest name in music, and he’s making the year’s best music. Fuckin amazing.

Oh, it also happened with Seinfeld. Definitely Seinfeld.

Man I’m a weird guy.

I love the sound too. Strings, yes (though they’re sampled). The choir on “Say You Will.” That album has a mythos and legacy all its own.

Yeezus is like its mirror image... its equal opposite. There’s a certain glorious symmetry to it.

Then Pablo is the blow-it-all-to-hell “White Album” of the bunch. Goddamn I love that shit.

I wish I could assemble a group of intelligent, adult Kanye West fans to talk about Kanye with. Tried social media... 99% morons.

faggot

---

Really digging Rapsody - Laila's Wisdom.

---

Some knowledge of Kenye's life really enhances my appreciation of some of MBDTF. I didn't realize "Gorgeous" was THAT autobiographical. It sort of bothers me that I have to do some homework before understanding what he's on about, but I guess that's my fault for not paying attention to anything.

"Monster" is an evil song. It's so goddamn obnoxious, but it gets stuck in the ear. I'm like, "Fuck off" but it won't. Nicki kicks ass tho.

... hilarious...


For sure. That’s a great record!


Yeah, Kanye’s somewhat notorious for rapping about shit that the average person would have no reason to know about. See the name drops in “Big Brother” ... song must sound like gibberish to someone who doesn’t know industry figures at Def Jam/Rocafella.

And yeah, Nicki owns “Monster.”
Ever seen a career begin, peak, and end in a minute and a half? Well, I guess you have if you’ve heard “Monster.” Nicki has *never* rapped anywhere near as well as she did in that song, the song that launched her career.

“Gorgeous” is what I play for people who say Kanye can’t rap. He’s no Kendrick, but his delivery on that thing is insane. Not sure he’s ever rapped so steadily or seamlessly in his career, not that rapping is really that important to him.

I can't rank Kanye's albums. Easier with Kendrick but still a bit confusing.

New Miguel album is OUT NOW! You guys should know he's one of my favorite artists by now.. and of course I'm excited as fuck.

This and Brent Faiyaz' "Sonder Son" are my favorite R&B albums of the year.

At least until Frank comes through with the mastered version of "Endless". Speaking of.. Sev, did you pre order it like myself? ;)

No I didn’t pre-order Endless, but I will definitely buy it. I thought it was only available on vinyl and I don’t reallt fuck with vinyl right now. But I’ll totally buy it when it’s out. Shit yeah.

Wish he’d CD release fucking Blonde on an *affordable* non-limited edition CD. Man. It’s like $280 on Amazon.

Just watchdd the Needle Drop review of Blonde, and, as always, even when I agree with that dude, he has to say something ridiculous. Like “the only song (he) didn’t really care for us ‘Futura Free’” ... WHAT.

Yeah, and Spiderland’s great, except Good Morning Captain, right? Madness!!

What the hell??

By the way, you can still buy the CD/DVD package for $25 from his site. :) It'll be $280 on Amazon, just like Blonde, if you don't do it now.

This and TLOP are at the top of my wishlist.

I was making fun of Anthony Fantano. He always says the best songs are the worst. “Futura Free” is obviously the most next-level of all the next-level shit on Blonde.

I was just saying he probably likes Spiderland but doesn’t like “Good Morning Captain” ... also a great album with a final song that is next-level awesome. Y’dig?

He also dissed on Burial’s Rival Dealer EP, but he thought all the songs were okay except for “Come Down to Us,” which is the most transcendent thing Burial’s ever made. He thinks it’s like Burial’s worst song. So I was just kidding.

Obviously I fucking love “Good Morning Captain.”


Wait, the cd/dvd of Blonde? Or of Endless?

No I got it. I was just surprised about Fantano. Didn't know it was possible not to be blown away by "Good Morning Captain".

And that's Endless.