I'm not even saying I'm actively fighting against the Kendrick narrative beyond occasionally pulling apart his music and pointing to the glossed over lackings on a musical level. But I get he's considered the IMPORTANT rapper. And I like Kendrick deep down as a rapper, he's made music I enjoy. If he was entirely without merit, I wouldn't give him the time of day at all the way I don't say... OG Maco.
i often see this with rap fans. they are always doggedly out to disprove what 'outsiders' are imposing on the 'real' rap fan, or how these outsiders are denying the presence and greatness of the real shit, that they cant just accept that yes, kendrick isnt even as popular as drake on spotify (lll be honest, i dont even enjoy listening to him, apart from certain songs like MAAD city which objectively bang, but then i dont enjoy drake either), but maybe, he is still 'important', something that has criteria outside of those we rely on for most rap records, or most popular music. which is why kendrick is kind of important, and good, simply because he is working to a different criteria.
I'm going to say that what I'd point to is the 'kind of' and that sometimes the 'kind of's feel so absolute to certain people, but in a broader picture are so so much more limited in reach than they realize. In a range I'm exposed to and admittedly tend to overly dwell in, I see Kendrick and Solange or on less R&B/Hip-Hop centric circles Carly Rae Jepsen, as being massive touchstones. But you get out of that range, like as if it were an old style TV/Radio station, and you're less likely to find people who make those their touchstones. Its not a criticism on the music itself inherently; nor is it a flaw of the fans as it is a fascination with perception, self-awareness, etc.
who are these 'certain people' elevating kendrick to a position you believe he doesnt deserve? was it all those elitist, cultural snobs singing alright at BLM rallies and gatherings? or are you just thinking of old timer, jon caramanica types at the NYT, who just want to see rap that reminds them of what they grew up on? (which they do, though some of those qualities they are looking for, are not actually bad)
Oh obviously for the people whom "Alright" is a rallying cry of some sort, I'm not going to talk down on. Certainly I could talk about how in Ferguson the narrative had people shouting Boosie lyrics at police, and now on a national level its "Alright", and how that IN ITSELF is indicative of a shift within the mentality of protest but ultimately who gives a shit what the anthem is right? It's symbolic but its not a hill for me to die on certainly.
Also as far as critics, my issue isn't inherently what they like about Kendrick. A person likes what they like, and if they're older and getting a little more conservative in the artists they want to hear from then bless 'em. I do question critics who can't look outside themselves and their taste though, because at the end of the day while the fan is entirely subjective and the critic of the record may say "Oh man 5/5, AOTY, fucking loads of great songs" whatever... that same individual has to be the critic of the record's impact and just as much as you talk about whom is listening to it, look at who doesn't look at it. Before Noz got so estranged with the internet, he was very interested with this and I think its incredibly valid, ESPECIALLY as critics have a tendency to exude disregard for music that might be more populist but not satisfying to them; if there's a massive audience for it, you have to at least engage with "Well what makes my fav not as impactful for all of these people as theirs?" because there's a million factors.
So to get to the matter at hand because I DON'T have any secret list of writers I have it out for (lmao), it's never that I feel certain artists are elevated unfairly... The Solange Album is Good Music. However, there are some factors here; She is the sister of one of the biggest pop stars in America who's now considered an unassailable cultural HERO for people, who is upheld by certain schools of taste and perception. As a result, she has access to industry pull that not everyone has (not to mention a decent enough amount of money from over the years). So while it was perhaps
easier for Solange to release this album and have the range that it does (a strong part of it of course being, its good music at its core, my cynicism isn't out of complete discredit mind you), could you say that if this record were to be made by x other artist, it would have that same result?
At the same time, it goes so far because Solange is not Beyonce. Not that she has to be. It also only goes so far because there is certainly an audience who is deaf to the messages and themes, and even the music in total that Solange makes. She's not responsible for being accessible to everyone! But it's the range of those boundaries that I'm meditating on less so than the quality of the music or my ability to enjoy and engage with the music.
But I don't think people often work as hard at isolating their enjoyment. Granted there's a lot of people who don't want to and don't need to, they want to metaphorically pin up this album cover to the wall of their world and make it part of what gives them comfort. Not everyone sees the world through the same eyes, so when we presume enough people do... I'm circling essentially, but I think I've made my case clarified enough that pyramids is gonna pick apart at what he wants.
