NEW J Cole via his blog: Clouds

[Apollo Creed]

Thats probably my most played album ever, but this nowhere near kendrick's best, that title def goes to TPAB. gkmc probably ranks among his weakest efforts actually. Still a masterpiece though but it's more of a "rap album" whereas most of his other albums are musical masterpieces that transcended hip hop. Gkmc never did that, it remained a rap album that really didn't get any praise outside of the rap community.

I`m a nikka, I don't care about that extra shyt. GKMC IMO was the perfect blend of Easy to Listen to +Theme/ Story. It's an album I feel I can listen to anywhere, at the crib, driving, the gym, etc. the other work for the most part I gotta put myself in the mood to listen to.

 

[verhonggen]

Don't think I've ever come across a single rapper having gkmc as kendrick's best...and that shyt is an all time classic, really speaks volume on the quality of his catalog

yeah, here on the West everybody agrees gnx is kendrick's best album, from artists to rap fans, gnx is that #1 album from Dot, then it's DAMN

I do agree that TPAB is generally considered as Kendrick's magnum opus when you talk with die hard music fans and all that shyt, but here on the west we ride with GNX

 

[Apollo Creed]

oh

yeah, here on the West everybody agrees gnx is kendrick's best album, from artists to rap fans, gnx is that #1 album from Dot, then it's DAMN

I do agree that TPAB is generally considered as Kendrick's magnum opus, but here on the west we ride with GNX

I feel GNX is recency bias, but we will see if it stands the test of time.

 

[Ike omad]

I'll speak for myself in saying

GKMC was legit like watching a Movie via audio, like no skips and you are intune and he found a way to make it an easy listen which can be very difficult for albums with substance/with a theme.

TPAB I can see why people like it, as sonically it is solid but for me personally it felt fake deep.

All his other work TBH were one and done listens to me. GNX had some stuff I added to my playlist, Damn was mid to me, and Mr.Morale I honestly can't even remember.

It's ok, that's your experience fam, but as far as I'm concerned it's the opposite. All his other albums are flawless to me, but but gkmc only got 2 tracks that I kept. I skip the whole thang lol.
shyt just sounds like an album he needed to make in order to master his craft for future albums...I'm glad he made it though cuz it allowed him to improve and give us gnx, morale and damn

 

[verhonggen]

I feel GNX is recency bias, but we will see if it stands the test of time.

Nah doubt it, there hasn't been an album this hot here since Doggystyle. I still hear people bump the whole album in the streets.

 

[Nuuko]

It's ok, that's your experience fam, but as far as I'm concerned it's the opposite. All his other albums are flawless to me, but but gkmc only got 2 tracks that I kept. I skip the whole thang lol.
shyt just sounds like an album he needed to make in order to master his craft for future albums...I'm glad he made it though cuz it allowed him to improve and give us gnx, morale and damn

Thats what Talib Kweli said few weeks ago...when tpab came out it instantly became kendrick's best album, and even though he still hasn't been able to top it, he still surpassed gkmc with each and ever new release .

But ask anybody their favorite kendrick album, you'll never get the same answer.

-Mainstream will always go with DAMN or GNX
-West coast rap fans will go with GNX
-Music fans, musicians, artists, will always go with Tpab or Morale
-Underground fans will always go with s80

And rap fans outside of the west will be split.

And all of them have the universal critical acclaim.

There's only 3 other artists that managed to get that kind of discussion around their music, thats Kanye and Outkast. You can't have a consensus on what their definite #1 album are

 

[VegetasHairline]

I don't care what these bots say. Damn is not better than GKMC.

 

[Korang]

It's not about it being Kendricks best storytelling track. It's more about the level of introspection and perspective that Kendrick is able to achieve in his writing. And I think this is one of the best examples. To me great writing isn't just about being clever or witty. It's not even about bringing it all together(which Kendrick is great at). It's about your ability to get the reader(or listener) to actually feel the emotions that your characters are feeling. And I think this song does a masterful job at that.

And it's something that Cole has never really been great at. He can tell a story for sure. But he's not able to create the same level of atmosphere that Kendrick does. He's not able to build that tension and make you lose yourself in the world he created. Kendricks stories leave you feeling immersed in them. They evoke something in you. Coles stories do not(imo). And that's a difference in their writing ability. You can tell Kendrick is much more attached to the stories and characters he writes than Cole is.

Kendrick is a master storyteller. But when telling a story, what i look for is conflict, motivations, goals and aspirations, what can be lost if goal isnt meant,etc.

The rapping on the song was good. The overall meaning of the story isn't moving to me. It's like a story that I've heard in the Bible study while I was kid.

I believe there are much more complexities that can looked at psychologically past a religious outlook, when it comes to examining greed and how it can dehumanized the the abuser and the abused. A better example imo is Luoe Fiasco's the Cool with songs like "Put You On Game" or even "The Cool" on F&L.

Now If you saidnl Duckworth, I would understand. But Cole has good songs imo like let go of my hand, and Three wishes that I resonate with

 

[Ziggiy]

If you know your rap shyt, then you know, Kendrick last album is his best, and an all time classic west coast album

Its a great album i’m not putting it above GKMC thats one of music’s all time greatest concept albums. FLAWLESSLY executed from beginning to end.


We need to put into context how much of an achievement Good Kid M.A.A.D City truly is. On his FIRST at bat for a mainstream solo album Kendrick put out a PERFECT concept album. Thats insane

 

[derro13]

Its a great album i’m not putting it above GKMC thats one of music’s all time greatest concept albums. FLAWLESSLY executed from beginning to end.


We need to put into context how much of an achievement Good Kid M.A.A.D City truly is. On his FIRST at bat for a mainstream solo album Kendrick put out a PERFECT concept album. Thats insane

And he surpassed it with TPAB...making the PERFECT album with PERFECT musical composition, that influenced the likes of David Bowie, Prince, Herbie Hancock, George Clinton....that's even more insane

And then surpassed it later with his other releases

 

[krulesweatshirt]

Music is nostalgic so everyone has a different favorite album, specially with an artist like Kendrick that never missed once when it comes to studio albums.

But gkmc is not seeing TPAB from a pure quality angle.

And I'm not mad at the gnx > gkmc argument...I can see it...two different albums but gnx is better at what it does than gkmc.

 

[Korang]

It's not about it being Kendricks best storytelling track. It's more about the level of introspection and perspective that Kendrick is able to achieve in his writing. And I think this is one of the best examples. To me great writing isn't just about being clever or witty. It's not even about bringing it all together(which Kendrick is great at). It's about your ability to get the reader(or listener) to actually feel the emotions that your characters are feeling. And I think this song does a masterful job at that.

And it's something that Cole has never really been great at. He can tell a story for sure. But he's not able to create the same level of atmosphere that Kendrick does. He's not able to build that tension and make you lose yourself in the world he created. Kendricks stories leave you feeling immersed in them. They evoke something in you. Coles stories do not(imo). And that's a difference in their writing ability. You can tell Kendrick is much more attached to the stories and characters he writes than Cole is.

I'll also, music is very subjective, so depending on where your at in your life, different stories can touch you differently. Sometimes on a spiritual level or earthly level. So I cant knock your opinion and I think it's a good analysis

 

[Apollo Creed]

Nah doubt it, there hasn't been an album this hot here since Doggystyle. I still hear people bump the whole album in the streets.

you know better than me. We will see

 

[tysigna]

I'll also, music is very subjective, so depending on where your at in your life, different stories can touch you differently. Sometimes on a spiritual level or earthly level. So I cant knock your opinion and I think it's a good analysis

Hard to knock @((ReFleXioN)) EteRNaL opinion, even when he says spliz is a casual with shyt takes on music

​

 

[spliz]

I’m not counting pockets but cmon now. Cole doesn’t have the burden of putting up stats Drake and Kendrick have and continue to do. This shyt is a business. What is Cole doing to feed people?

nikka what? Cole wasn’t even far from Kendrick sales wise up until last year. wtf are yall even talking about in here?