Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly | (Discussion Thread) *Stream*

[CarltonJunior]

That Drake "just give it time, we'll see who's around a decade from now" bar lookin kinda funny in the light right about now

 

[Busby]

U don't see him on stage with him now do u?..

 

[CarltonJunior]

OVOXO

 

[LucaBrasi]

Can someone pass the mustard?

 

[Insensitive]

Okay so let's not give it props for the reference to different genres. It doesn't capture the essence. What good is being inspired by George Clinton if it's not funky like George? Oh I forgot - you get the aesthetic, which is important for pseudo-intellectuals.

Two of Kendrick's biggest influences are classic West coast productions and OutKast which both heavily derive from Funk. The former in literal samples and interpolations and the latter in feel. Kendrick missed the feel totally imo.

Oh please.
It captures the essence without a doubt.
The intro alone would not sound of out place on "Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow" or "Cosmic Slop".
I half expected to hear George Clinton say "FREE YO MIND AND YO ASS WILL FOLLOW"
on "Wesley's theory".

With that said the album isn't trying to BE those Genre's, it's drawing from them.
There's influence and then there's a pastiche, this album is the former, NOT the latter.

 

[Ziggiy]

nah I believe this is his illmatic. good kid is it was written. I know illmatic came first, but I feel this record is the album kendrick really wanted to drop as his debut. he had to release good kid to get that fan base though....it was a more commercially friendly album. not close to the sound of his underground shyt. this album though...this is kendrick at his core. jazzy soulful beats....conscious raps. that's always been who he was.

I think both albums are Kendrick at their "core". Kendrick has explicitly stated that GKMC was the album he's literally been planning his whole life, it's an extremely organic album and I believe that, right down to the cover art, he got to do what he wanted with that album. TPAB is the natural progression for him as an artist, the storytelling elements and experimental nature of GKMC are still present, he's just grown as a human being, more observient of current events and his own surroundings as a black male in American society, more aware of his status as a voice for a generation of fans, more determined to be seen as MORE than an MC but an orator for his experiences and environment.

The last part is what can be seen as most comparable to Nas and It Was Written. Nas has said in interviews that he was appreciative of the opportunity to show growth in his music with IWW. He said that If he would've made another album talking about "this is my hood, this is my weed, this is my street corner" then he wouldve been finished. He wanted to show growth, he wanted to show that he was aware of the world beyond Queensbridge, that his struggles were also the struggles of young black males in every ghetto of the USA.
Hence you get If I Ruled The World, I Gave You Power, and Black Girl Lost. He branches out and got a beat from Dr. Dre (first East Coast artist at the time to do so) he made universally themed hooks (EVERYBODY's looking for something) he took his lyricism to another level (Take It In Blood)

This is exactly what Kendrick has done. He's made an album that encapsulates black artistry and represents it at the highest level. He took funk, jazz, spoken word, East Coast and West Coast influences, southern influences (mainly Outkast but there's a little Cee Lo influence as well) and infused it with concepts and themes that are universally relevant to our modern day times. It's not the album that GKMC was holding him back from, it's the album that this period in TIME demanded of him, expected from him, and needed of him. It is the chapter of his career that will define him as an artist and MC for the next 3-4 years until the next cycle.

It is the genius of a Man who was unafraid to show GROWTH.

 

[AkaDemiK]

preach... @Ziggiy

 

[AkaDemiK]

Views From the Six

full of fake struggles, simp tendencies, radio friendly, pop shyt trying my best to still sound hood to sell records and to create a couple new hashtags for the gram and twitter...all while not growing as an artist or pushing the genre forward....

 

[Busby]

un just in awe breh, I just catch more and more every listen

A lot of people I talk to don't understand the album even with a the clues and interludes he giving u. I sometimes I have to explain to them what's going on while the songs playing. I don't see this album catching on wit this generation , but I'm not mad about.

I was just talking with my boy about this. "This" generation are idiots..plain and simple.

Im going on twitter and I'm seeing nikkas saying that the album "is not that deep." The same folks that are vouching for artists such as Young Thug and other artists that contribute nothing but poison to the youth's ears. I'm seriously and this thought process.

This album is just simply amazing. I didn't think that Makaveli's offspring would do it again...but HE DID IT AGAIN!

 

[Insensitive]

Dudes need to stop it with that "This generation" bullshyt.
Somebody has an opinion their opinion isn't reflective of everyone born
at the same time or after it.

 

[((ReFleXioN)) EteRNaL]

I think both albums are Kendrick at their "core". Kendrick has explicitly stated that GKMC was the album he's literally been planning his whole life, it's an extremely organic album and I believe that, right down to the cover art, he got to do what he wanted with that album. TPAB is the natural progression for him as an artist, the storytelling elements and experimental nature of GKMC are still present, he's just grown as a human being, more observient of current events and his own surroundings as a black male in American society, more aware of his status as a voice for a generation of fans, more determined to be seen as MORE than an MC but an orator for his experiences and environment.

The last part is what can be seen as most comparable to Nas and It Was Written. Nas has said in interviews that he was appreciative of the opportunity to show growth in his music with IWW. He said that If he would've made another album talking about "this is my hood, this is my weed, this is my street corner" then he wouldve been finished. He wanted to show growth, he wanted to show that he was aware of the world beyond Queensbridge, that his struggles were also the struggles of young black males in every ghetto of the USA.
Hence you get If I Ruled The World, I Gave You Power, and Black Girl Lost. He branches out and got a beat from Dr. Dre (first East Coast artist at the time to do so) he made universally themed hooks (EVERYBODY's looking for something) he took his lyricism to another level (Take It In Blood)

This is exactly what Kendrick has done. He's made an album that encapsulates black artistry and represents it at the highest level. He took funk, jazz, spoken word, East Coast and West Coast influences, southern influences (mainly Outkast but there's a little Cee Lo influence as well) and infused it with concepts and themes that are universally relevant to our modern day times. It's not the album that GKMC was holding him back from, it's the album that this period in TIME demanded of him, expected from him, and needed of him. It is the chapter of his career that will define him as an artist and MC for the next 3-4 years until the next cycle.

It is the genius of a Man who was unafraid to show GROWTH.

But to me. This album isn't anything new for kendrick...his underground material is full of jazzy funk influenced music. To me this was a return. That's why I don't understand why some people are so confused by this album. If anything GKMC was the departure from his normal sound not this one. But now he just had the resources and budget to make a project on a much grander scale. Lyrically speaking good kid is every bit as good as this one. But musically it was definitely more appealing to the commercial crowd. Which is why I said it was the album that needed to be released first to attract the fanbase. For him to have that platform where he could take a chance like this one. This album took guts. For a guy to be on top of the game. To have the whole world waiting on you to release another good kid. And drop something completely opposite....something so anti mainstream. I was afraid he would never get back to that. So you're right....this album is definitely growth. Growth from a style he had already mastered.

 

[DAlbert]

But to me. This album isn't anything new for kendrick...his underground material is full of jazzy funk influenced music. To me this was a return. That's why I don't understand why some people are so confused by this album. If anything GKMC was the departure from his normal sound not this one. But now he just had the resources and budget to make a project on a much grander scale. Lyrically speaking good kid is every bit as good as this one. But musically it was definitely more appealing to the commercial crowd. Which is why I said it was the album that needed to be released first to attract the fanbase. For him to have that platform where he could take a chance like this one. This album took guts. For a guy to be on top of the game. To have the whole world waiting on you to release another good kid. And drop something completely opposite....something so anti mainstream. I was afraid he would never get back to that. So you're right....this album is definitely growth. Growth from a style he had already mastered.

Right?!?!? absoul's outro and rigamortis are the first hing to come to my mind

although this album had a lot more sounds going at the same time, jazz isn't anything new except for the turn up crowd

 

[Pinyapplesuckas]

Kendricks flow at the start of the 3rd verse of You Ain't Gotta Lie, I know I've heard it before does anyone know where?

What do you got to offer?
Tell me before we off ya, put you deep in the coffin
Been allergic to talkin', been a virgin to bullshyt
And sell a dream at the auction, tell me just who your boss is
nikkas be fugazi, bytches be fugazi
This is for fugazi nikkas and bytches who make habitual lyin' babies, bless them little hearts
You can never persuade me
You can never relate me to him, to her, or that to them
Or you, the truth you love to bend
In the back, in the bed, on the floor, that's your ho
On the couch, in the mouth, I'll be out, really though
So loud, rich nikkas got low money
And loud, broke nikkas got no money
The irony behind it is so funny
And I seen it all this past year
Pass on some advice we feel:

Rigormortis by Kendrick Lamar

 

[((ReFleXioN)) EteRNaL]

i know someone is gonna pop up any second and make a post about letting nas be nas and kendrick be kendrick but its just making interesting parallels. i dont think its any harm done..on one hand your right..but on the other like someone said good kid can remind you of a westcoast illmatic but with compton instead of queensbridge

may be too early to say this but i would not be surprised if the next album is gonna follow in the same direction

speaking of albums kanye's so help me god is gonna be wack as hell and i cant wait for the shytstorm

Yea I'm one of those people. I definitely understand people comparing kendrick to nas. It's only natural. We do it in sports as well. Comparing kobe to jordan...Bron to jordan. We are always dying for a new cat to come through and live up to the goats. And kendrick is the closest we've gotten...its just the excitement in us as hip hop fans. Personally I feel this album shouldn't be compared to IWW not only because they are two very different albums in every aspect, but because I personally feel this kendrick album is flat out better than IWW. It was written never gave me the feeling this album has. This album is truly a masterpiece. That's just my opinion though.

 

[Mike Otherz]

how long before taylor swift start wearing dashikis. she feeling that radical black content