I don't get this. It's the same critique that people give Lupe - and we destroy it every time.
A conceptual album SHOULD NOT be digested in one sitting. In fact, anyone buying the album expecting to listen to it less than 10 times in the first day should just leave the album alone. You should expect to listen to this over and over and over again. You should expect to invest time in this. Once you understand the concepts, it no longer becomes music that you have to interpret. Once you get the metaphors and themes, you don't need to "listen" because your understanding is second nature.
Think of it as learning a new language. When you're first learning it, everything is super complex and all words/syllables are confusing and just a bunch of clusterfukks. Once you're comfortable with it, you're able to respond naturally and speak fluently. Once you become familiar with certain words and concepts, listening is no longer a burden.
You shouldn't need to learn a new language to enjoy music.
Surely you understand that? If an album is ever a "burden" - that's surely a negative? Ice Cube's Death Certificate was never a burden at any point not It Takes a Nation..
I agree, you're not going to digest an album like this quickly. I said that from jump. It's a painstakingly written and produced album. But it's perfectly valid to be off-put by that. Not all albums are this dense, so obviously not everyone is going to dig it.
The one true problem I have with the record is the way he tries to spell everything out with some of the long skits and interludes.
I don't get this. It's the same critique that people give Lupe - and we destroy it every time.
A conceptual album SHOULD NOT be digested in one sitting. In fact, anyone buying the album expecting to listen to it less than 10 times in the first day should just leave the album alone. You should expect to listen to this over and over and over again. You should expect to invest time in this. Once you understand the concepts, it no longer becomes music that you have to interpret. Once you get the metaphors and themes, you don't need to "listen" because your understanding is second nature.
Think of it as learning a new language. When you're first learning it, everything is super complex and all words/syllables are confusing and just a bunch of clusterfukks. Once you're comfortable with it, you're able to respond naturally and speak fluently. Once you become familiar with certain words and concepts, listening is no longer a burden.
You shouldn't need to learn a new language to enjoy music.
Surely you understand that? If an album is ever a "burden" - that's surely a negative? Ice Cube's Death Certificate was never a burden at any point not It Takes a Nation..
I agree, you're not going to digest an album like this quickly. I said that from jump. It's a painstakingly written and produced album. But it's perfectly valid to be off-put by that. Not all albums are this dense, so obviously not everyone is going to dig it.
The one true problem I have with the record is the way he tries to spell everything out with some of the long skits and interludes
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.
This is a damned lie b. Like I mentioned before - all of Funkadelic's work has this immense sense of freedom in all of the music and lyrics. Just grooving and funking out. Even a powerful record like "March.." has such deep grooves and guitar solo's. You could not listen to the words on Cosmic Slop (title track - extended version preferrably) and just wig out to the funk and guitars. Cosmic Slop is one of my favourite records ever. This might sound arrogant but negus can't test me Funkadelic. This K dot album isn't nearly as immediately as
enjoyable, fun, funky, make you want to get up and dance or play air guitar. Like I say every OutKast album feels immediately fun and enjoyable that's the George Clinton spirit. This album has some of he markers but none of the spirit in the music. Lyrically the spirit is there. But the literal funk? Nope. What good is funk sounds without actually being funky?
explicit version please
I laugh every time I hear King Kunta since someone pointed out the female on it is his girl. Too real. 