Concept Albums Explained (short summaries/analysis that's easy to digest)

[Deltron]

Nas can go outside without a disguise. Eminem is damn near MJ status. He can't do normal shyt at all. There is nothing to ground him. Nas still goes to Queensbridge from time to time.

Plus he doesn't even like going out..he's a god damn hermit

 

[A Pimp Named Slickback]

Nas can go outside without a disguise. Eminem is damn near MJ status. He can't do normal shyt at all. There is nothing to ground him. Nas still goes to Queensbridge from time to time.

Fair point. Take a rep and listen to the last Eminem song he made that moved me



Conceptual. Bad Guy was a spiritual sequel to Stan. And it was deeper than Stan as a whole. Last verse was a mea culpa about his conscience, career, legacy as a bully, and karma. These are his thoughts as he's crashing into the ocean

He's in the car with Matthew Mitchell (stans brother) and Matthew is doing to Em what Stan did to his girl. The women hating, all of that shyt comes back to "haunt" him in this track

This is the self-awareness and innovation that isn't in his music anymore

 

[TripleAgent]

Fair point. Take a rep and listen to the last Eminem song he made that moved me



Conceptual. Bad Guy was a spiritual sequel to Stan. And it was deeper than Stan as a whole. Last verse was a mea culpa about his conscience, career, legacy as a bully, and karma. These are his thoughts as he's crashing into the ocean

He's in the car with Matthew Mitchell (stans brother) and Matthew is doing to Em what Stan did to his girl. The women hating, all of that shyt comes back to "haunt" him in this track

This is the self-awareness and innovation that isn't in his music anymore

Also, the rejection of Revival likely killed him trying to be deep or whatever. More Rick Rubin's fault than his IMO, but ehh. You need FIRE beats to make an album like that.

 

[A Pimp Named Slickback]

Also, the rejection of Revival likely killed him trying to be deep or whatever. More Rick Rubin's fault than his IMO, but ehh. You need FIRE beats to make an album like that.

Rick Rubin is one of the main people to blame. Rick, Skylar, Alex Da Kid, and Paul Rosenburg

Dre and Just Blaze would've set him straight. But Em would rather be comfortable than great to be completely honest. This is what I've observed as a fan of his since like 6 years old

Had Rick not been involved with MMLP2, it would've been very different. Same with Skylar and Alex

But mainly Rick. Berzerk is hard to listen to. That homage shyt has sentimental value but it's not good  music. Rap is a sport to some degree. But Eminem lost sight of the balance he used to have in his prime

He was an elite lyricist while making good music. Superman is probably the only good song he has about romance with women. And it's true to himself. Inspired by Mariah and his groupies

Rick fukked up Em's vision. It came to its peak on Revival. That's why he finally cut Rick loose

I don't care about Rick's legacy as it relates to Em. Eminem had way too much respect for him, to the point where he went as far as relying on his outdated production to create inorganic nostalgia

If Em kept Dre and Just Blaze around. shyt maybe illmind. Sid Roams was fire. Keeping those types of producers from the jump would've made his music better too

But Em runs in circles looking for the answer. The answer is inside of him. Who made the magic happen in the first place. Dre should've kept him grounded

Hopefully he doesn't make an album as bad as Revival. Even though I might not listen to his next album in full, I hope he makes good music for his legacy. He's a legend who fell off and doesn't know how to get up again. Nas did. Jay did. So many others did. Em might be able to do the same

 

[TripleAgent]

Rick Rubin is one of the main people to blame. Rick, Skylar, Alex Da Kid, and Paul Rosenburg

Dre and Just Blaze would've set him straight. But Em would rather be comfortable than great to be completely honest. This is what I've observed as a fan of his since like 6 years old

Had Rick not been involved with MMLP2, it would've been very different. Same with Skylar and Alex

But mainly Rick. Berzerk is hard to listen to. That homage shyt has sentimental value but it's not good  music. Rap is a sport to some degree. But Eminem lost sight of the balance he used to have in his prime

He was an elite lyricist while making good music. Superman is probably the only good song he has about romance with women. And it's true to himself. Inspired by Mariah and his groupies

Rick fukked up Em's vision. It came to its peak on Revival. That's why he finally cut Rick loose

I don't care about Rick's legacy as it relates to Em. Eminem had way too much respect for him, to the point where he went as far as relying on his outdated production to create inorganic nostalgia

If Em kept Dre and Just Blaze around. shyt maybe illmind. Sid Roams was fire. Keeping those types of producers from the jump would've made his music better too

But Em runs in circles looking for the answer. The answer is inside of him. Who made the magic happen in the first place. Dre should've kept him grounded

Hopefully he doesn't make an album as bad as Revival. Even though I might not listen to his future album in full, I hope he makes good music for his legacy. He's a legend who fell off and doesn't know how to get up again. Nas did. Jay did. So many others did. Em might be able to do the same

Alchemist is his tour DJ!!!!!

 

[A Pimp Named Slickback]

Alchemist is his tour DJ!!!!!

And you already know the beat he picked for his first ever collab with Alchemist on a studio album


Maybe Em just doesn't trust his own ear. Relapse had amazing production. That backlash fukked up everything

 

[A Pimp Named Slickback]

I really wanted to do The Cool by Lupe next




That's gonna have to wait until this weekend

 

[A Pimp Named Slickback]

My Krazy Life by YG

Basically has a movie narrative similar to but more straightforward than GKMC

Album was dope. Some consider it a classic for the era. I'd agree

 

[A Pimp Named Slickback]

J. Cole's KOD was a very important album. For the music industry as a whole, the artists, and its consumers. The masses. Everyone

It was a concept album basically about the ills of addiction and how to cope with them. Healthy coping skills and the unhealthy. Choose wisely

The title KOD has 3 acronyms
Kill Our Demons
King OverDose
Kids On Drugs

I made a thread about it a couple years back. I'm in a place in life right now where I could articulate and explain everything way better than I did in the past. Especially for that thread. I'll probably expand on it in the future

https://www.thecoli.com/threads/kod-is-one-of-most-important-albums-of-this-generation.841604/

 

[A Pimp Named Slickback]

Imma post more albums in the future. This thought just popped in my head talking to this uber driver

To Pimp A Butterfly's title is similar to To Kill A Mockingbird

Harming innocence. Taking away from something pure (murder or exploitation-pimping)

Catepillar - "N word hard R", slave
Butterfly - Negus, king, black excellence, potential for greatness,  star

 

[A Pimp Named Slickback]

Cadillactica was a concept album about a planet of the same name. It's conception, happenings, and demise

Modern day Southern classic imo. KRIT is one of the greatest to ever do it






shyt was like a movie. The Mt. Olympus reprise and Lac Lac were like movie credits

 

[PlayerNinety_Nine]

It's going back some ways, but one of the concept albums that always stuck with me was 'Tricks Of The Shade' by The Goats.

Although largely touted as a theme album with a backstory following the two characters Chicken Little and Hangerhead as they make their way through Uncle Scam’s Federally Funded Welfare & Freakshow to find their mother who was jailed for attempting an illegal abortion, Tricks of the Shade features politically charged lyrics. It takes aim at such figures as then-US President George H. W. Bush,[5] Christopher Columbus, and Daryl Gates

 

[A Pimp Named Slickback]

Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers is a double disc concept album. It's in theatrical play form, hence the "steps" and tap dancing, and Acts (session 10: breakthrough)

It's about Mr. Morale. Morale is who Kendrick feels like he is. The savior. The superhero of the world, saving the world and his environment through his music "One man standing on 2 words: heal everybody"

1st disc is about his shortcomings and the pitfalls of the "steppers". The venting in his therapy sessions



2nd disc is his processing in his therapy sessions. His healing. We as humans never fully heal. There will always be things we deal with in life. Life doesn't stop until it does



Kendrick puts himself first on the last track. And the last track reflects to the first one. It was designed this way (United in Grief/Mirror, Worldwide Steppers/Mr. Morale, etc)

He's been depressed for 1855 days ("tell them you're d-------. This is what that lady probably said in the intro). He might still be depressed. Which is why Keem was major for Kendrick. He needed a vehicle to drive away from the heavy music he's made as a result of his troubles that he touched on in this album

Even in this new track The Hillbillies, he said he eats Caviar when he's depressed.


Regardless, no matter how he heals, his gift is to touch lives and restore hope. He does it even in this album while healing his "savior complex". Mother I Sober is about him having that burden of saving the world as a kid. The heaviest song of his career

At the end of this song, he has one of the most moving statements ever to me. Those last few bars. Then says "As I set free all your abusers, this is transformation"



Even when he processes his grief and trauma in song with this being the main goal, he still helps his listeners do the same. Mr. Morale is Kendrick. Kendrick is a Big Stepper (Im a killer hes a killer shes a killer)

Regardless, Kendrick will keep stepping. He doesn't choose the King's throne. He doesn't choose to be Jesus. He chooses himself

 

[A Pimp Named Slickback]

Tetsuo And Youth​

Lupe has at least 4 concept albums. None of them I can explain fully with confidence

Go to Harvard to be a Lupe stan



Two-sided album pre-DAMN from Kendrick. Lupe is one of the greats for a reason. Tetsuo and Youth can be played forward and backwards

A story of life to death played backwards in the tracklists sequence. Death (nirvana) to life (birth) played in it's original sequence

Yall just have to listen to this yourselves

Nothing Lupe makes can be dumbed down. GOAT shyt







This quoted post from reddit is pretty much my exact sentiment when it comes to this album. This is why Lupe is a college professor

One theory I read and I'm sure other T&Y fans will say is obvious, is that the album is about Birth/Life/Death and the cycle starts over. T.R.O.N being the birth/reincarnation/ressurection and Mural being death. I also heard that many people say when you die your life flashes before your eyes and this is why Mural is SOO all over the place as far as life experiences. I can definitely see all these things since I've been listening to this album for 3 years. I could be totally wrong too but its just a theory. Lupe could possibly have a whole different meaning.

This is why I made this thread. Intelligent movement

 

[A Pimp Named Slickback]

Because The Internet
​

This was a concept album by Childish Gambino. Complete with acts and an entire accompanying screenplay. It was genius and aged very well











Here's the screenplay:

Because The Internet Screenplay – Dissect

dissectpodcast.com