Kendrick Lamarr
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CrowleyHead
Well-known member
Ugh, no, this verse was fucking terrible.
I was complaining about this to someone recently, but Kendrick is the most blatant attention whore when he goes to other people's albums. He insists on dominating the listener's attention and simply works out a way to become a spectacle to himself so that anyone who's so Kendrick leaning a listener will forget about whomever the song was. Its 'fine' if you're a Pusha T or Big Sean, who are making entirely disposable rap songs to begin with under the guise of being 'artistic' in quality because Kanye spends money on art design that your average record label might, but if you're YG or someone, you think you're getting a big feature, but instead you're giving up album space to some other guy's insistent need to be a star at ALL TIMES. Its as if that big showcase on Drake's "Take Care" has disabled his ability to stand outside himself and think what's going to benefit the artist who's hosting him as well as himself. He even does it to his fellow TDE artists, which shows he's become the most egotistical of rappers, constantly thinking "Step aside mortal men, it is me, the rap god, known as Kendrick Lamar."
I was complaining about this to someone recently, but Kendrick is the most blatant attention whore when he goes to other people's albums. He insists on dominating the listener's attention and simply works out a way to become a spectacle to himself so that anyone who's so Kendrick leaning a listener will forget about whomever the song was. Its 'fine' if you're a Pusha T or Big Sean, who are making entirely disposable rap songs to begin with under the guise of being 'artistic' in quality because Kanye spends money on art design that your average record label might, but if you're YG or someone, you think you're getting a big feature, but instead you're giving up album space to some other guy's insistent need to be a star at ALL TIMES. Its as if that big showcase on Drake's "Take Care" has disabled his ability to stand outside himself and think what's going to benefit the artist who's hosting him as well as himself. He even does it to his fellow TDE artists, which shows he's become the most egotistical of rappers, constantly thinking "Step aside mortal men, it is me, the rap god, known as Kendrick Lamar."
interesting take. What is an example of a feature that meets these criteria of benefiting the main rapper?
The only features by him im familiar with are that drake one and one on a fredo santana track, I would agree with you re: both
Also, I'm lost on the references you're using here - is your racial group white? and what would he be "providing confirmation" of?
CrowleyHead
Well-known member
Mixed white and Latin-American, but its mostly white so hey.
I don't even know what I meant by providing confirmation per se? Its been a couple days and my head's been all over this week. But essentially in regards to the antiblackness, he doesn't need to be playing weird games where he's acting like black on black crime is a bigger issue than white oppression, or using ugly slurs in order to straddle those 'not like the other one' words, especially in his position and influence on younger people and especially given his crossover reach. The last thing rap needs is a guy performing 'cerebral' tracks laced with Aaron McGruder/Chris Rock's "Two Types Of Black People" rambles to whites who if they do even listen to his lyrics beyond a "*teary eyed* gosh, makes ya think, doesn't it?", internalize THOSE sort of lessons.
The guest feature shit is a reoccurring saga specifically with Kendrick. The YG feature, the features an Pusha & Big Sean's album, the Fredo track, the Drake track of COURSE. Even the feature on Schoolboy Q's track didn't put Schoolboy over, it became clearly designed to make Kendrick's feature the important detail.
Kendrick is a multitalented dude, he can sing hooks, he can rap well. But his greatest flaw is his ego is forged in an insistent need to dominate tracks and create spectacles for himself. If you have multiple rappers on a track, a good producer or a good artist understands that you want to make sure someone wants to hear the other rapper, because its his product he's trying to sell. Sometimes you're getting a showcase on someone else's album, in which case YES, the ball's in your court. But you should work in the position that maybe this rapper wants to benefit from having you around while still selling his own album. Its super difficult now because rap fans with digital technology will simply find the track their fav. is on and splice him right out, refusing to partake in accepting any 'lesser' performers.
Its ridiculous. Jay knows how to play cameo/background, Drake can do it, Kanye does it on occasion. Kendrick just has no desire or aspiration to let himself play second fiddle, even when he needs to.
rubberdingyrapids
Well-known member
is kendrick REALLY saying BOB crime is 'worse' than white oppression? hes just trying to address both sides of the issue. i would say he is allowed to straddle both. its not an either/or thing. it strikes me as a bit more mature than simply blaming it all on the powers that be. hes not only saying 'shit dont change until you wipe your ass' (which is actually not so diff from outkast's git up git out really, and hes doing it from the inside, not some republican pointing the finger and blaming), hes criticising po-po and everyone else too.
im not sure if he does ruin other peoples songs or dominate them beyond what he should. isnt that just old-school posse-cut style competitiveness? i think his style just doesnt really marry well with others. hes not really the first rapper to have this issue, but im sure it will help when someone compiles a 'greatest kendrick guest verses' mix. but yeah, hes not very adaptable on the whole. i think he thinks every single thing he does has to be incredible in its virtuoso-ness.
anyway, i listened to the album for the first time since it came out this weekend. i think it loses momentum fairly fast after kunta. its very much a soulquarians revival. as if he thought someone needed to bring back soothing neo soul beats to counter all the 'ignorant' and non musical trap element. it is the common/like water for chocolate/okayplayer rap (no wonder common looked so pleased during the grammys performance) of its time, but a bit more politicised. which is cool simply as an alternative to everything else dominating rap right now, but id have liked the beats to be a bit more retro-future like on alright as i dont think theres anything novel on 80% of this that i didnt already overdose on in the early 2000s, except for the prog-funk on kunta and wesleys theory.
best tracks on TPAB id say are -
wesley's theory
king kunta
institutionalised
u (more just as a great piece of hysterical rap theatre)
alright
blacker the berry
i (totally cheesy, but the funnest thing on the whole album)
im not sure if he does ruin other peoples songs or dominate them beyond what he should. isnt that just old-school posse-cut style competitiveness? i think his style just doesnt really marry well with others. hes not really the first rapper to have this issue, but im sure it will help when someone compiles a 'greatest kendrick guest verses' mix. but yeah, hes not very adaptable on the whole. i think he thinks every single thing he does has to be incredible in its virtuoso-ness.
anyway, i listened to the album for the first time since it came out this weekend. i think it loses momentum fairly fast after kunta. its very much a soulquarians revival. as if he thought someone needed to bring back soothing neo soul beats to counter all the 'ignorant' and non musical trap element. it is the common/like water for chocolate/okayplayer rap (no wonder common looked so pleased during the grammys performance) of its time, but a bit more politicised. which is cool simply as an alternative to everything else dominating rap right now, but id have liked the beats to be a bit more retro-future like on alright as i dont think theres anything novel on 80% of this that i didnt already overdose on in the early 2000s, except for the prog-funk on kunta and wesleys theory.
best tracks on TPAB id say are -
wesley's theory
king kunta
institutionalised
u (more just as a great piece of hysterical rap theatre)
alright
blacker the berry
i (totally cheesy, but the funnest thing on the whole album)
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thanks for the clarifying response!
rubberdingyrapids
Well-known member
i dont think kendrick really sticks out on that song. he could have wheeled back the sing-songiness at the start, but for the most part, hes pretty toned down on that verse. but then i think pusha t has been terrible since he went solo. hes a one trick pony.
this is true
rubberdingyrapids
Well-known member
every time i see something about that hip hop musical hamilton i keep thinking kendrick would be great in something like that.
Corpsey
bandz ahoy
I reviewed U/U for Crack Magazine. Wrote it before this thread existed, I think.
http://crackmagazine.net/article/music/kendrick-lamar-untitled-unmastered/
http://crackmagazine.net/article/music/kendrick-lamar-untitled-unmastered/
Woebot
Well-known member
this is brilliant - thank you corpsey
rubberdingyrapids
Well-known member
for crowley.
dean blunt on kendrick (a bit old, but im not on the internet all day, so i just saw it)
id like dean blunt to have a talk radio show.
http://www.thefader.com/2016/08/29/dean-blunt-black-lives-matter-kendrick-lamar
dean blunt on kendrick (a bit old, but im not on the internet all day, so i just saw it)
id like dean blunt to have a talk radio show.
http://www.thefader.com/2016/08/29/dean-blunt-black-lives-matter-kendrick-lamar
geiom
Active member
Kinda suprised by some of the opinions in this thread. I've generally just been amazed that Kendrick is making quality, interesting hip hop that is also massive. And managing to jump on other peoples tracks without totally diluting himself. (this is where everyone now piles in with examples of other popular rappers who they think are good!)
You can't really compare him guesting to drake and kanye, they make some catchy pop but they are sh*t rappers.
That jazz based tune on butterfly is sick. off the chain. And as for the last D'Angelo album, its your loss if you don't like it, seriously!
You can't really compare him guesting to drake and kanye, they make some catchy pop but they are sh*t rappers.
That jazz based tune on butterfly is sick. off the chain. And as for the last D'Angelo album, its your loss if you don't like it, seriously!
CrowleyHead
Well-known member
Yeah, Dean is my favorite interview in music these days. His one in Cracked where he talks to Gaika was honestly the first time I've been interested in the latter.
The ironic thing is, Complex had this big picture of Novelist at a #BLM-support rally where he's holding up a sign that says "STOP KILLING THE MAN DEM" and great, I love it, good. Why is Novelist being showcased? I don't think less of him for doing it, I just feel a weird mistrust of the fact that a music paper is showcasing a rising artist having good politics. Perhaps somewhat unnecessary, still.
The ironic thing is, Complex had this big picture of Novelist at a #BLM-support rally where he's holding up a sign that says "STOP KILLING THE MAN DEM" and great, I love it, good. Why is Novelist being showcased? I don't think less of him for doing it, I just feel a weird mistrust of the fact that a music paper is showcasing a rising artist having good politics. Perhaps somewhat unnecessary, still.
baboon2004
Darned cockwombles.
I like Dean Blunt a lot, as an artist and as an interviewee, but I'm not sure what he wanted from the other people in that room. On the one hand he's saying that marching is limited in its use (and there's definitely a strong argument for that), but on the other he ends up concluding that sitting around and talking is pointless too. Surely the latter is precisely what he wants people to be doing, to reframe the anti-racism discussion in the UK - he could have stayed and elaborated on the interesting points he made, because it's not 100% clear where he was going with it, and most people would've been interested to hear.
On a side note, it surprised me that he picked up on Dead Prez as the last artists who inspired him politically, because they seem much more straight-up polemical and similar to the kind of thing he was getting irritated at. Obviously taste isn't rational like that though, so it shouldn't be surprising really.
On a side note, it surprised me that he picked up on Dead Prez as the last artists who inspired him politically, because they seem much more straight-up polemical and similar to the kind of thing he was getting irritated at. Obviously taste isn't rational like that though, so it shouldn't be surprising really.
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luka
Well-known member
my mates little brother took that pic then had a twitter argument with logan sama about it after logan printed it on a t-shirt without permission. it was sort of funny sort of painful.