Kendrick Explains ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ Cover
March 18, 2015 @ 10:06 AM EDT
News
We Made It.
Kendrick Lamar’s album cover has gained just as much attention as the music. Shot by Denis Rouvre, the jacket features his shirtless homies on the front of Obama’s lawn. In an interview with The New York Times, Kendrick explains the meaning behind the art.
“taking the same things that people call bad and bringing them with me to the next level, whether it’s around the world or to the Grammys or the White House. You can’t change where I come from or who I care about.”
Best album of 2015. Sales aside, there is serious pressure on Kanye and Drake to deliver great art.
Drake is viewing butterflies getting pimped from the 6 lmao
As a culture we have to uplift the art and artist that present our culture and us for that matter in the best light possible so while we praise Kendrick for his brilliant work let us not forget Lupe Fiasco also dropped a absolutely beautiful album this year also speard that love embrace that talent for when we are critical about the state of Hip Hop its only because we let the truly talented go unnoticed.
REPECT MY PERSPECTIVE.
Agreed. Lupe’s album was dope as well
Lupe albums missing something IMO, SOUL, sounded kinda popish to me. JMO! He’s a Dope MC, no doubt.
I most definitely feel where you’re coming from I would just offer that its obvious that TPAB was a labor of love for all parties involved it’s as if everyone brought their A game they wanted it to be an experience for those receptive to the material however….Lupe’s album was a compromise in a sense fighting against his label who could care less about the art and only about monetary gain so yes it’s something missing its not a Classic album however it shouldn’t be ignored as merely a footnote in 2015 either.
Respect my perspective.
Totally agree Too different personality, Lupe never let u down, but its just seem like it’s missing something, not production wise , I can’t put finger on it. Kinda seem like he’s fulfilling his obligation and now he free. IDK.
Lupe’s album came out after the conflict with Atlantic. Atlantic had no involvement with any song on the album. They were pushing another Lupe album with Oldschool Love and Next To It and Crack on it… That album never came out. Atlantic gave Lupe a release date and he dropped Tetsuo because Atlantic wanted him out of the building assp. If Lupe’s album was Kendrick’s and Kendrick album was Lupe’s… People would downplay Pimp A Butterfly and act like Tetsuo was God’s gift…
Not sure if we are in agreement or not but according to Lupe’s Sway in the morning interview there were a couple of songs on the album he wished didn’t make the cut which leads me to believe Atlantic made suggestions however small in the finished product.
Lupe said there were two albums… Tetsuo was already intact fully. Atlantic decided to go with the other album and at the last minute the decision was to release Tetsuo instead but he did say there were two albums. I’m sure a song like Deliver could have been on both but there were two albums ready to go.
Mural is that shit, but the album is not his best. “Blur My Hands” and “Dots and Lines” are mad poppy. “Deliver’ and “Chopper” are mad trappy. It’s a little all over the place.
And, no shots at Lupe, but he simply could not have made “To Pimp a Butterfly”. He may share some of the same sentiments as Kendrick and he may be lyrically on par with him, but I don’t think musically he could have crafted this. I don’t think he could have tied the album and songs together as well, I don’t think he has the versatility of Kendrick (spoken word, singing, rapping from different perspectives) and I don’t think he communicates his social justice message without coming across as preachy.
If your point is that Kendrick is so popular that if he did X album people would like it, then sure, i guess that’s true. You could ostensibly say that there will be dickriders that will support Kendrick no matter what, but what’s the point of making that argument?
All it seems to want to do is diminish Kendrick’s achievement and elevate Lupe’s work. I have Tetsuo and Youth. It’s good, but not his best work. There’s not much that’s particularly inventive or innovative on it, but it’s good.
Kendrick’s album on the other hand is a unique blend of classic black music: jazz, soul, neo-soul. funk, g-funk, and hip hop in a way that sound cohesive. Live instrumentation is peppered throughout the album and the themes of each song which go from yearning for success to the struggle of losing yourself in that success are consistent throughout. It’s unapologetically black, both in terms of the content and the music and each song is purposeful towards that overall message.
In short, apples and oranges.
Where did I say this was Lupe’s best album? Don’t create a false argument to challenge. You don’t think Lupe can tie songs together or do spoken word or sing and or rap over jazz and neo soul beats? fine but what he can do IS RAP HIS ASS OFF WITH THE INTELLECT OF A HIP HOP NUCLEAR SCIENTIST . I don’t think Kendrick could make a MURAL or make a BLUR MY HANDS or a PRISONER 1&2 or a BODY OF WORK or a LITTEL DEATH or a DELIVER or a MADONNA or a TRON… Kendrick’s album is unapologetically black and Lupe’s album is unapologetically artistic however MY POINT IS IF TETSUO AND YOUTH WAS A KENDRICK ALBUM? THERE WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY ZERO COMPLAINTS ABOUT ANYTHING ON THE ALBUM. The only thing that would be said is that the album is automatically a classic and a groundbreaking album PERIOD. Also people keep talking about the overall message of Kendrick’s album? What is that message? Since its so well done and developed so incredibly then tell me exactly what is he album’s message? That ALL the songs add onto that leads to one singular point? Because thats what your implying when you say “each song is purposeful towards the overall message”? What is the message?
You really needed 4 comments to respond to me? Damn.
I’ll break it down for you:
ON LUPE’s TESTUO & YOUTH:
I have complaints about Lupe’s album and I would have the same complaints if it was Kendrick’s album. It’s too poppy, as a lot of his recent work is. “Blur My Hands” is cliche to me. I can’t stand “Dots and Lines” , the chorus, the beat nothing. The Nikki Jean collabs are serviceable, I guess. Nothing close to “Hip Hop Saved My Life” and the rest of the tracks just didn’t jump out to me. And I didn’t need a 9 and half minute trap song about choppers.
Mural is the hottest track on there to me by far. He basically rambles on in a stream of consciousness, and the song is basically nothing but him being clever (plays on “rein/rain/reign”) and showing off how many double entendres he can compile in 8 minutes. Not that different conceptually from “Dumb it Down” That said, it’s FIRE.
But otherwise, I don’t get the point of the album, it’s not consistent sonically, it’s not really saying anything, and Lupe didn’t do anything to move the music forward (as he did so well on The Cool). I still don’t feel like I know Lupe that well from his music. I get way more about himself and his perspective from the soundbites he says in interviews than I do from his music.
But we don’t have to agree on this. That’s fine. I’m not shooting down Lupe. YOU’RE the one who made the comparison so I responded to it. I’ve been a fan since Fahrenheit 1/15, been to a ton of shows, and even shook his hand. I don’t even dislike Lasers as much as everyone else does.
COMPARING LUPE and KENDRICK:
You said:
“LYRICALLY and musically Id put MURAL up against the first four songs on Kendrick’s album alone”
Mural has a cool intro, but then is essentially an 8 bar loop for 8 minutes. You want to compare that to “Wesley’s Theory?” Musically, it’s not close.The vocal arrangement, the instrumentation, and the actual content of Kendrick’s lyrics are more powerful, to me, at least than Mural. As I said, Mural is chock full of puns, and clever lines, but he’s not saying anything on the song. I can turn on “Mural” when I just want to hear BARS for the sake of BARS and that’s completely fine for what it is, but it’s another reason why you can’t compare Lupe to Kendrick.
TO PIMP a BUTTERFLY:
You asked what Kendrick’s album is about, right?
In short, it’s about Kendrick’s life after achieving superstardom and the struggles that follow.
It touches on the pressures of “having it all” starting from the being a star (“Wesley’s Theory” “King Kunta”) to realizing that his superstardom has him trapped (“Institutionalized” ) dealing with self doubt (“These Walls”) and contemplating suicide (“u” ). He tries to convince himself that he’s alright (“Alright” ), but Lucifer (Lucy) keeps following him and asking him if giving up himself for money and fame is worth it (“For Sale?”) and he’s not sure the answer. So he returns home to find answers (“Momma” “Hood Politics”) and to absolve himself of survivor’s guilt. In going home he weighs the money/fame vs what it means he’s had to give up (“How Much a Dollar Cost?”) before ultimately deciding that being true to himself and loving himself is more important than that (“Complexion”) After acknowledging that is the answer Kendrick spreads that message to his people (“The Blacker the Berry” “You A’int Gotta Lie” and “I”) by saying that, although there are forces that are trying to take us down, (be it the devil, institutional racism,greed etc) it’s on us to stick together, self-empower, and to self-love and he’s calling on us to ride together thru the thick and thin like Winnie did Nelson Mandela (“Mortal Man”)
Every piece of the poem expounds on the theme of each song, but the poem as a whole also works to speak to the fundamental message of the album.
It’s a pro-black, empowering message that acknowledges the forces that will try to bring us down while saying that we are in control of our own destiny. And it does it over traditional black music including jazz, funk, soul, and neo-soul grooves.
It “Control” was an on-the-surface challenge to rappers to step up their bars, “To Pimp A Butterfly” is a challenge to rappers to step up their content, their music making, and reminds them of the power that their voice has to the masses that they speak to. To young black hip hop fans, it’s an album that acknowledges the negative influences in society and encourages us to choose our better angels. And it does it in a non-preachy or corny way.
In short, it’s a masterpiece. And no one else could have made it.
Tetsuo is “too poppy”? NO, if anything its the anti pop album. Same as your comment about the album sounding “trap”? NO I don’t think so, dont let the song chopper and a few cadence flows from Lupe take away from the overall sound of the album. You keep bringing up his old material? Its better for Lupe to NOT sound like the Cool. Why? Because the Cool is already out. You talk about you don’t get the point of the album? The album doesn’t need a point. Tetsuo & Youth is about being DOPE first anf foremost. Now if your looking for a point? Then you’ll find multiple points but overall the album was made to be dope more then anything else. You say its not sonically consistent? But why does it have to be? I get that kinda argument but Hip Hop has classic albums that are not socially consistent (OB4CL, Black On Both Sides, Capital Punishment etc…) You say Lupe didn’t move the music forward? Breh the first song is MURAL, what other songs sound like that in recent Hip Hop history? To me the production did move something forward. The shit sounds like an audio art gallery to me. No he didn’t give people some easily understood cliche raps, he went way into the far realms of creativity but again, if people listened to Tetsuo wth the same attention they give Kendrick then you would start hearing multiple jewels all through this album. There is no way i could ever put Wesleys Theory over Mural. That too me is just ridiculous. You say its just an 8 bar loop? Yeah thats DOPE. You say its just clever lines? Well Yeah thats DOPE. I caught every line of Kendrick’s first song on first listen and brah it is not that deep its just not. Towards the end he talks about passing out guns in the hood and punching republicans and the hook basically saying why don’t you niggers just go the fuck home etc etc…. I get it. Its cool but Mural is exactly what the title suggests it is, a Mural and its just way too much going on lyrically for Kendrick to fuck wit imo. I DID NOT ASK WHAT TPAB WAS ABOUT? I said since you said each song on the album combines to deliver a message (message as in one clear point) then what was it? You then said a whole bunch of stuff about the album that explains the narrative better then Kendrick actually did and you did it in a few paragraphs better then he actually did with his own lyrics. Now Kendrick does have all those things on the album. I guess being rich and famous is just horrible for Kendrick so he wants people to navigate through all the negativity and remain true to themselves etc etc… Now is that same kinda content on Tetsuo & Youth? The answer is YES. Lupe is indeed saying something on Blur My Hands and Dots & Lines. He’s definitely saying something on Prisoner 1&2. You talk about Kendrick talking about black people? Well I doubt Lupe is talking from the perspective of a white guy or dealing with white people’s issues on Tetsuo unless he’s talking about the pizza man being white on Deliver. In the Madonna video the kid is white but we know whats going on in Chicago and the songs speaks on that. Body Of Work, Little Death, No Scratches, Adoration Of The Magi, and They Resurrect Over New… These aint easily understood songs but like I said earlier, If Kendrick said them you would fully understand them and appreciate them. My point still remains that if KENDRICK MADE TETSUO? You and everybody else would give that album its credit and then some and would have zero complaints about the album.
Nah, I wouldn’t cause I don’t love tetsuo and youth. It’s cool, but it aint special.
The fact is Lupe’s made subpar music for a few years(blame Atlantic, blame whatever) and this is his best music in awhile, but it’s still not great. If it was, do you think you’d really need to be on here on a forum that has nothing to do with it to telling people months after it came out how good it was??
Do you think it’s a vast conspiracy for people to dislike his new music? I don’t want another The Cool from him. I just wanted something better than what Tetsuo and Youth was.
And why are you even here comparing Lupe to Kendrick? They are different artists. Sometimes rappers rap for the sake of showcasing how nice they are like Lupe did on Mural. Conceptually, it’s not that different from Eminem did on “Rap God”. It’s cool to listen to and catch all the layers and the double meanings, but at the end of the day, it’s not saying much to me. And to be clear, I LOVE MURAL. It’s really annoying that you’re even pitting them against one another for no god damn reason.
But Kendrick doesn’t need to rap for rapping sake. He’s trying to say something on every song. And not just “look at how clever I am. listen to my metaphors”
As for Mural vs Wesley’s Theory, we can’t argue about opinion. You like Mural better. I like Wesley’s Theory better. But you said “musically Id put MURAL up against the first four songs on Kendrick’s album alone” when one is George Clinton, live music, and a choir of musicians whereas the other is a guy spitting over an 8 bar loop. It’s dope, but it’s not “musically” better.
If you didn’t understand the message of Kendrick’s album, that’s on you. He literally breaks down the metaphor of the butterfly at the end of the album so I don’t know how much easier he could have spelled it out for you. My guess is you weren’t paying attention
You asked me how the songs lead to the message and I literally did just that. It’s not hard. Read the album titles.
You said I didn’t say what the message was. Re-read my comment:
“Every piece of the poem expounds on the theme of each song, but the poem as a whole also works to speak to the fundamental message of the album.
It’s a pro-black, empowering message that acknowledges the forces that will try to bring us down while saying that we are in control of our own destiny. And it does it over traditional black music including jazz, funk, soul, and neo-soul grooves.”
If you couldn’t comprehend from that what the message is then it’s clear why you don’t understand the album.
First off I didn’t bring up Lupe. If you just read the comments above mine you would’ve seen that. Also this aint about old music from Lupe, Tetsuo came out this year. Again nobody said this was his best album. You think the album is nothing special. Again if this was Kendrick’s album, I bet you would think its special. Thats the point I’m making and your continuing to argue against it implies the the point of me making the comment is true. If not for you then for most Kendrick fans, especially those that have to rationalize their arguments about Kendrick by bring up other artists. I did not compare the two artists. I’ve made one consistent point multiple times. THAT IF KENDRICK MADE TETSUO & YOUTH THEN PEOPLE WOULD BE MAKE THEN SAME KINDA GRAND COMMENTS ABOUT ITS MUSIC AS THEY ARE TPAB. That is what I’m saying. My comments were not about your personal feelings and about how you feel Lupe just raps to rap but don’t say nothing. I didn’t say I didn’t understand the message on the album. You said the songs lead to a message? As in ONE message period that the whole album speaks to. You talked about a bunch of things so what you should have said is the album has messageS not just a collection of songs that highlight a message as in one message. At the end most of your comments to apply to mine. I made a point in my comments about how Kendrick fans would react to Tetsuo and Youth if it came from Kendrick. Since it didn’t alot of them fell the need to downplay its artistic excellence. If Kendrick did it there would be ZERO complaints just a bunch of exaggerated claims about the albums God’s gift to the world. Furthermore I feel Kendrick makes light weight points but gives off metaphors and titles that suggest its much more when its really not. He talks bout some light weight shit and then sprinkles in a few politic points and a few skits and poems and you feel he really dropped the fucking red pill or some shit. Its the difference between Institutionalized and These Walls and Prisoner 1&2… Yeah Kendrick had a messages and he cleverly put them in their and musically its cool but Lupe just went off crazy and they both deal with imprisonment but Lupe got to the heart of the matter which is actual prison. Yes there are different forms of “prison” but thats just one example. You talk about instrumentation alot? That sounds like you should be giving that credit to Kendrick producers because even though Mural was only an 8 bar loop? The finished product was golden. No George Clinton involved. I’m sure Lupe coulda got a whole bunch of live instrumentation too which is cool but what he did do was a whole lot of rapping like he’s a mad genius for an entire album and on another note personally I think your downplaying its musicality. Again though my comments are about ONE point that I know you and everybody else got. Just like ilexx said in response to one of my comments. You people turn into super intellects when you listen to Kendrick but when its Lupe? Then all of sudden you don’t understand anymore.
And with classic albums, there are some that aint sonically cohesive. Yes the albums I spoke about fro Mos Def and Big Pun and Raekwon were boom bap but they don’t mean they were sonically cohesive. Kanye West produced most of his first two albums in which he uses alot of the same techniques… But there is levels to cohesiveness. Sometimes change the vibe and sound on an album is a good thing. As far as theme? An album like Supreme Clientele has no theme, at least not a clear one but its classic. The Cool, the album people everything Lupe makes to… Thats not too sonically cohesive but people act like its the pinnacle album. The season skits on Tetsuo served a purpose as well btw but when you talk cohesion I think you mean one song bleeding into the next musically for a whole album? Well you don’t necessarily have to do that to make a dope album. You could have songs back to back that sound nothing like each other and still be dope. I could go on but my point about “if Kendrick made Tetsuo”… is still my opinion and some people agree with the point I’m making behind that statement but whatever.
Tetsuo is a masterpiece that no else could’ve made and as far as RAPPING goes…. definitely no else could’ve made it.
U sir, take a bow.
And Institutionalized and These Walls are NOT about Kendrick feeling institutionalized or self doubt and suicide. What I’ve also noticed is how people give Kendrick songs a meaning and level of depth that is no where to be found on the actual song (that happened with GKMC alot)… Institutionalized is about getting on your grind so you don’t feel institutionalized and the last verse is from the perspective of a robber plotting on a rap nigga. These Walls is about pussy walls and fucking another niggas bitch while he’s in jail. On U he says the word “suicidal” one time at the very end and says nothing about it beforehand and all of a sudden now the songs about suicide… I mean even from a concept perspective you gotta pull your own conclusions out to tie these songs together because his lyrics actually don’t do that for the most part. Like I said before he’s good for saying a line here and a line there and letting the fans create the story in their own head but he never actually put the lyrics in that form to begin with.
If Kendrick’s album was…
Wesley’s Theory
King Kunta
Alright
Momma
Hood Politics
How Much A Dollar Cost
Complexion
Blacker The Berry
You Aint Gotta Lie
Mortal Man
Then thats a dope album right there but alot of them other songs was soft and easily delivered with Kendrick just doing enough to compliment all the singing and sound effects and instrumentation and beat changes and skits while he does a bunch of different voice inflections and spoken word interludes. Lucy this and Lucy that and this dick ant free and the These Walls pussy metaphor was not that dope dude. It wasn’t wack but if Lupe ever said some shit like that ya’ll would clown him for the rest of the year. My point is this, if you fuck with Kendrick then good, bump his shit but when you gotta take a slight a Tetsuo & Youth to make some kinda argument about TPAB? Thats wack. Lupe went in something crazy on his album, if its too complicated for some of you or not easily musical enough for you for you then fine but again if it was Kendrick’s album you’d be acting like the album was just the Godzilla album so far this year.
You have some petty arguments trying to defend Lupe. The worst part is you making the typical criticisms of TPAB’s sound. The musical diversity of TPAB from the production to the lyrics to the guest features all compliment each other but niggas like you seem so musically stunted that you’d prefer if 85% of the album sounded like The Blacker The Berry? Hyperbole or not, that train of thought is insulting.
You barely scratch the surface of what I’m saying. I’m not making typical criticisms of TPAB sound but just because he had nice beats doesn’t mean Lupe didn’t. Example just because Wesleys Theory has a layered beat and Mural wasn’t, that doesn’t take away from the fact Mural is dope. Yes I would prefer aggression (Blacker The Berry) over almost an entire album of mellowed out jazz cafe sounding soft music… Now you’ll of course assume I must only listen to one sound and know nothing about any other music period? You can make all the arguments about the musicality on TPAB all you want cause that aint what my comments are about anyway.
“I’m not making typical criticisms of TPAB sound… Yes I would prefer aggression (Blacker The Berry) over almost an entire album of mellowed out jazz cafe sounding soft music…”
You contradicted yourself REAL quick. That IS a typical criticism of TPAB. I have no idea what you listen to, I can only infer by reading what you yourself said you’d prefer TPAB to sound like. Which is contemporary, hard-hitting, Hip-Hop beats. From what I can see, you can’t stand that someone would dare say To Pimp A Butterfly was a more impressive project than Tetsuo & Youth. Although the core of the issue is you can’t stand it when someone thinks Kendrick put out a better project than Lupe.
So you try to flip the script with pointless what if scenarios and speculation that if the roles were reversed people would like Testuo & Youth “because Kendrick and blah blah blah”. I’ll just say this, Kendrick would never make Tetsuo & Youth and Lupe would never make To Pimp A Butterfly. That’s not who they are as artists. They have different musical objectives.
Again, your talking about typical? My comments weren’t that typical. Furthermore I don’t care if people think TPAB is better then Tetsuo… Again, its like you and others read things and only skim the surface and only hear what you want to hear and ignore everything else that was said to simplify and rationalize your own arguments. Its partly the same kinda thinking that makes some people say Lupe’s music is too complicated but yet they understand Kendrick’s whole album by the 2nd listen? The only reason why you and several other people argued my hypothetical point about “If Kendrick made Tetsuo”… is because you know its true. Your only defense is to suggest such a “hypothetical” idea is too unimaginable. Now from a musical aspect I don’t have to rationalize or exaggerate or claim anything about the lyrics and music of Tetsuo. I’ve seen multiple claims about Kendricks music thats not even there on his album… I’ve seen multiple claims about his lyrics that are completely off from what he actually said… Those kinda comments come from people that just rationalize anything and that leads to them trying to downplay Lupe and other rappers in order to make musical superiority claims about Kendrick. Its you that can’t stand that someone may say Tetsuo is better then TPAB… I don’t care if people say the otherwise because they already made their mind up that they were gonna say that regardless, probably before even hearing his album… If you fuck with Kendrick cool but people aint gotta talk about what Lupe didn’t do on Tetsuo cause what he did do was rap his ass off and it had several messages and it was musically excellent. If people think Kendrick’s album was better? Great. Tetsuo was most likely “too complex and too complicated for them to understand” and that aint me saying that. Thats several people saying that about themselves. IMO Tetsuo is not that hard to understand but hey…
LYRICALLY and musically Id put MURAL up against the first four songs on Kendrick’s album alone… Prisoner 1&2 up against then next two… Blur My Hands and Body of Work against the next two or three and Deliver, and TRON up against everything else. Everything after For Sale on Kendrick’s album sounded dope to me but that first half was just BORING and just not that dope… I didn’t even wanna send ANY shots at the musicality of TPAB but ya’ll brought it out by just not being real. If Kendrick made Tetsuo and Youth, ya’ll would be going crazy for that album. PERIOD
I heard Lupe say he was 100% happy with every single song on his album in the interview with Dj Skee. So I don’t know what your talking about with him saying he wished something didn’t make the cut? If he said that then I missed it.
Let’s not digress BOTH albums were solid.
He named the songs on Sway that Atlantic pressured him into recording and it was only after he did those songs he could keep doing the shit he wanted too. He def compromised with a few songs the label wanted him to do. Jus watch his last interview with sway.
What songs are those and are they on Tetsuo? And using common sense where is the compromise on the album? Cause all I hear is Lupe goin in on every song.
After going back and listening to the part of the sway interview when he talks about it, its closer to what u were saying about the other interview.
He said two guys from Atlantic pressured him to do 7 records he thought were soft, one of them being old school love and he did songs like Pu$$y, next to it and Chopper to counterbalance the soft shit and when those soft songs didnt pan out because of lack of traction and sample clearance issues, he went back and recorded the album we have now in Tetsuo and Youth.
So that’s that story in a nutshell.
Except they have different perspectives, different life experiences and different rapping styles, so the whole changing whose name is on what album is a stupid argument
Not really. The slights taken at Lupe is because people don’t like Lupe. Its not because his music was lacking. If Kendrick’s album was Tetsuo and Youth? You folks would act like the shit was Illmatically incredible.
Ok, that’s not true at all, but you go ahead and keep lying to yourself
How you know if its not true? I’m clearly talking hypothetically so use your mind fool. You think if Kendrick released Tetsuo & Youth there would be anything negative said about it musically? NO, these same Kendrick stans would be saying its an instant classic… If Lupe released To Pimp A Butterfly those same people would be looking for, and finding multiple ways to knock it and say its missing something etc… You know its true.
That’s not true…and even from a hypothetic stand point it still doesn’t make any sense. You’re saying if lupe had Kendrick’s flow and style people would like him…but he doesn’t have that. He over complicates his raps plain and simple, that’s why people don’t feel lupe. And production wise it’s no where near as smooth as TPaB
Do you know what hypothetical means? I’m saying if Kendrick released Tetsuo & Youth PERIOD… People would be acting like the shit was an instant classic and incredible masterpiece by the 2nd day of listening to it bottomline. Since Tetsuo is not a Kendrick album, the Kendrick fans say anything to discredit it. As far as Kendrick, when he raps, he’s just a lyrically genius and you people seem to understand every word but when Lupe raps? Oh, its too complicated? FOH, this is about favoritism to rationalize an argument the somehow Kendrick is like God on a mic and everybody else with equal skill or more skill lyrically and musically must have something wrong… But flows aside, if Tetsuo & Youth was the EXACT SAME ALBUM but released by Kendrick you would make ZERO complaints about the album. If Lupe released To Pimp A Butterfly and it was THE EXACT SAME ALBUM…. You and every other Kendrick fan would find something wrong with it to rationalize why you like Kendrick’s Tetsuo and Youth more… and You wouldn’t say shit was complicated about it. All of a sudden you would just develop the brain power to understand it or you would sit there and comb through every word until you do or you would just say its lyrical genius so therefore nothing is better…
Same thing as if I took Cyhi’s Black Hystori 1&2 and put it against Kendrick’s TPAB… Somehow someway you would find a way to rationalize why Kendrick has better lyrics, and better themes having to do with black consciousness and how the beats are better… I understand everybody got their favorites, that’s cool and Kendrick should get all the respect he deserves for his music but when Kendrick’s music is brought up? Somehow everybody else is doing something wrong in their music so now its not that good and especially not that dope in comparison to anything from Kendrick… Its like just say you like Kendrick’s music but don’t act as if Lupe didn’t just deliver a ridiculous album. If you listened to his music the same way you did Kendrick, nothing about it would seem complicated to you because you catch every nuance of Kendrick rhymes like immediately but somehow Lupe is over your head? I don’t think so. I’m done.
Gonna say I have to agree with marty mcfly on this one.. In fact if u listened to both albums properly u would understand what he is saying. I like both Lupe and Kendrick but Lupe been pushing the envelope for awhile now. Tetsuo & Youth was a phenomenal album but ppl want to overcomplicate Lupe’s shit. I think the same level of thoughtfulness gets put into both their rhymes and both are deep but as Marty says, for whateva reason u are willing to comb through Kendricks raps but not give Lupe’s the time a day. I do agree that’s something Kendrick’s die hard fans are guilty of.
I think its because Lupe voices his polarizing opinion in real life as well. Kendrick knows how to leave the polarizing stuff to his music and then act all PC on every form of media. Lupe doesn’t do that, the same polarity in his music bleeds out when he speaks on social media or in interviews. That to me is the reason I feel ppl have a disdain towards Lupe.
Yea, I understood TPaB on the first listen….I could go listen to lupes album for a fifth or sixth time and half of it would still make no sense. He makes references that unless you’re very well educated about black history, you’ll never understand. And he does this time after time, song after song. Same thing with cyhi, he is a lyrical genius, but says shit “normal/average” people don’t relate to. Kendrick’s album has flow, the message is spread cross the entire album and comes together as a cohesive message, but does it in a way that most people can understand simply.
What is Kendrick’s cohesive message then? That MOST people will understand? I mean your type of argument is basically Lupe is so smart that you just not willing to investigate what he’s saying? Thats not really a fault on his part. You know he aint gonna dumb it down. From an artistic point, I cant say Kendrick being more relatable to the average joe means he’s doing anything better then Lupe. If Lupe’s intent is for you to wise up when listening to his music then its Lupe thats raising the bar while Kendrick just takes the easy ride with the relatable approach. If thats the case then Lupe is artistically doing more and on another note. Lupe’s shit is not rocket science.
i understand everything you’re saying honestly, its just kendrick is simply more likable, thats all there is to it
Ok cool but I was just sayin….
Even flow wise if an engineer came in and took the sound effects off Kendrick’s adlibs and Kendrick stopped with them voice inflections and both albums was just raw lyrics but Kendrick’s was Tetsuo and Youth and Lupe’s was TPAB… The same kinda arguments would be made but it would be Kendrick fans saying why Tetsuo is better and why there’s things thats wrong with TPAB.
Ok I’m gonna make a non-existent hypothetical situation that makes no sense too. You must just love gigantic dick in your mouth. I mean I know you usually just like putting food in there and not dicks (not that you don’t like dicks, you just don’t like them in your mouth) , but just imagine that ramen you’re probabbly about to eat is a giant dick, and that giant dick you’re used to just looks like some 99 cent ramen. In both situations you’re still hungry for dick. Wow hypothetical scenarios that make no sense are fun!
Now your mad so you just start exposing your faggot mentality… FOH fukboy
Can’t say ppl don’t like Lupe because he overcomplicates his raps?
I am here to say, that’s why I like Lupe. It’s the fact that the greatness in his bars, is never on the surface. Its what makes him dope, a rapper can steal a flow but they can’t imitate depth.
I respect lupe, he’s one of the best lyricist of all time, I mean his shit really is crazy….but his music just isnt that good imo, I don’t mind music that makes you think, but I shouldn’t have to go to rapgenius to understand a song
I feel u a little bit on that one but I am the type of hip hop head who gets hype when I uncover another layer to some lyrics I have listened to multiple times but so how it went over my head, whether I discover that extra layer on my own, through discussion with other ppl or rapgenius.
But I get it, everybody’s relationship with the music is different. Different tastes, different palates and all that.
I just remember a time when there wasn’t a rapgenius and uncovering gems was apart of the interest in the genre itself, something that was predominately done through multiple listens.
Agreed. I fuck wit Lupe but I’m not feelin his newer experimental stuff he’s doing. Hard to top Food And Liquor tho but he’s dope as an mc regardless.
kudos to yall for keeping it respectful and resorting to bafoonery
lol I meant ‘not’
Thank you sir! Everyone is pointing out the Drake album, but actually he had one of the weakest rap albums this year, Lupe by far had the best one, for the mind and culture of hip hop. And that Killer Mike and Big Krit, even though it wasn’t dropped this year, was nice too.
No one who’s opinion I personally VALUE has even brought Drake’s name into the conversation he’s just not THAT type of artist i’m sure your the kind of listener who understands exactly what I’m talking about and thats no knock on Drake.
I understand. And I hope with an album like this from this great artist, I hope he will give inspiration to those who have a voice, to use it with greater depth to reach the general public. We NEED more music like this!
This still doesn’t explain the white kid that he’s holding in the center? Dope album nonetheless. Was a bit taken by all of the downtempo instrumentation throughout the entire album but it’s masterfully constructed
The white baby may represent the newer generation not really putting much thought into ‘race’, which ultimately keeps us divided.
Interesting
One of the best albums of this generation…period.
Your giving this album too much credit. While different, there isn’t anything to write home about. The music is horrible and clashes with musical sensibilities. Compared to whats out there, yes, it’s original, original doesn’t always mean good.
at least you spoke your truth, I think it’s a great movement k.dot put together but im definitely not jamming those songs in a car, club, for friends or even for myself just to vibe to. The album is great but Drake’s mixtape still tops it.
That’s because you niggas want to hear ignorant coon music. Drakes mixtape couldn’t top an ice cream sundae lol. That shut was weak like clock radio speakers!
no man, i truly appreciate kendrick’s work but its like a good speech, you cant really listen more than once, apart from blacker the berry he doesn’t even really rap, the album is a civil right movement, great, fantastic, but there is a property of music that makes it enjoyable to the ears only, melodies to sing along to, rhythms to danceto, kendrick does not have that on this album, he is kicking knowledge through out. Like c’mon dawg, you aint gonna be banging this album every day and jamming to it, its just not that type of album.
70s funk and soul..jazz undertones.. all that shit is very dancable..its just not rap..fuk outta here wit ur one track mind…jus cuz its different dont mean niggas cant bump this shit..you jus too simple b.
its jus not trap***
i wanna see cats dancing to kendrick lamar b…i look forward to seeing that dumb shit whats cats gonna bring back the old dances and shit and have they grandpas teach em?
maybe, but even the 70s funk and soul and Jazz is not consistent through out the song, there are always interrupting collisions and changing tunes within a song, its almost impossible to jam to,its clearly designed for listening only, for example, look at “i” the single version and the album version, the single version is consistent for most parts and you can play it completely and jam to it but the album version is comprises of several parts and is different, how can you vibe to that? I like Jazz and all that funk and it’s great like I said, but the way he uses it, its much more than a song. And let’s be real, you really see niggas bumping this shit? I dont even know how radio can play any of it, but I guess time will tell.
Ok and that’s the difference with listeners. I struggle to accept sometimes that ppl are just looking for diff shit in their music but the example u gave about “I” in my eyes is the difference between something that is “jammable” to me and its the opposite of yours.
I liked “i” the first couple times I heard it but I didn’t love it. The album version is like 3 times better than the single version. The single version is designed more for radio and for casual listeners, ppl who only hear the music but ain’t listening to what he is saying.
I listen to rap music to hear how well rappers deliver their words, message and how intricate the rhymes are, the music behind that is a plus of course but if I wanted to just dance or bump some soft shit, this ain’t that.
The thing is, I am one of those ppl that generally doesn’t gravitate towards single type songs, by the time I get the album, I’m skipping dem shits. There is no album I can think of right now off the top of my head where the single was my favorite song on the album. I like album cuts, straight up and down and this album has many cuts I will and have bumped, in the car, with guests in my house, before I go to sleep and when mi a bun a spliff.
I’ve had discussions with ppl about the content of the album and what it is doing for music, hip hop music and music in general. We’ve discussed critical reviews of the album and I’ve had debates with commentors such as yourself about this album….
Do u know the extent of the discussion surrounding Drake’s mix tape has been?
“I got that new Drake tape, it’s aiight”, ” I like two or three songs on it” or the most frequent comment, “I like energy and legend, that’s it.”
Do u know why? Because Drake didn’t do anything new on this mix tape, his formula didn’t change, nor did the music. In all honesty bar for bar, Drake didn’t say anything at all on his mix tape, the bars on the mix tape are lower quality than his last piece of work. Be honest with yourself about that at least.
Drake is one hell of a talented dude, I tilt my hat to anybody who can sing and rap well, male or female. Dude has a skill set that by its very nature will have him appealing to more ppl, but he will never be able to make an album as good as either GKMC or TPAB and if u can’t see that then I understand why u prefer to listen to “Hold on, Were heading home” or “Find Your Loving” or loving the crew instead of “Complexion”, ” Alright”, “Mortal Man” or the album version of “i”.
oh please I’m not reading all that. move on.
I appreciate your insight… the album isn’t that great to me, but I like the songs you mentioned. Alright will prob be a single though.
And I appreciate that u can just say u don’t like the album without just straight up bashing it.
I know we all like different things. I know this album isn’t for everybody too, its polarizing, no question there. We don’t need to senselessly degrade it.
He doesn’t rap on Hood Politics, Alright, or King Kunta?
stop focusing on specifics, you get my point. like im not saying yall kant listen to it, like do what ever you want, imma just keep it 100%, remember this comment when you press skip on your playlist.
Don’t project your sensibilities on me. I think this album is groundbreaking, it’s our generations “It Takes a Nation of Millions…” No skip for me
k.
no way that Chuck D would rhyme on these Soulquarian beats… but ok. no hate.
This is all I’ve listened to since it came out. Despite the Jazz/funk influence it still bangs in your car on a good system. Only song I skip is momma
def agree with that you can ride to blacker the berry and alright tho there hard beats
he doesn’t really rap? shut your dumb ass up
get off my dick, wtf?
Drake’s mixtape wasn’t weak. Its obvious different music than K Dot’s, but we don’t have to discount one artist to big up another. With that being said, TPAB is one of the best albums Ive ever heard.
fo real. niggas cool with just trap beats with no substance. they aint really listening but just want a catchy beat to nod too. drake takes the easy way kdot is in it for the art and culture.
1^up for the GZA reference.
Thank you thank you!!!!
if you cant cruise thru the city smoking a blunt while listening to this album i feel sorry for you, everything doesnt have to have trap drums and a looped beat to ride too, yes drakes album thumps harder but to say you cant ride to this music shows your level of taste in music
alright, alright, you are fucking beethoven then, the lord of fucking good music, now your highness carry you opinion out of my comments, no one said they cant ride to this,but il be damned if you go on for days listening to this without skipping.
bitch i was just letting your stupid ass know your level of taste is garbage, you acting like you cant play the music casually while driving, or getting some work done, nigga not everything is supposed to be played at ignorant levels or in the club, so its no ones problem but your own that you cant appreciate the music on here
k.
k dot got a G pass.
Damn, it won’t let me down vote you, I knew that already, but honestly Drake’s throw away was completely garbage.
the first comment where i see no mistakes in grammar..and i agree with 100%…
There are errors lmao
compared to his other posts this is literally an essay..
LOL
LMFAO!!!
Lol let’s go get some bagels.
lmao
you mean burritos right?
Nah bagels.
I wouldn’t be too proud of that, each his own.
a lot of people have this same opinion, gkmc shits all over this imo…
I was talking about giving that knucklehead a compliment. His album not for everyone, but for those wants some diversity, this is it, and hope a lotta artist start being true to themselves, and do what they wanna do with their album, instead of following trends.
i understood, but i actually agreed with his comment, along with Jay’s…
That’s what I been saying – it aint for everyone, but I applaud him for making an album for himself and not “gimme a beat, ok… ‘Fashion brand names and cocaine slang, bang bang bang'”
Lol @ the grammatical errors comment.
First you hate on J.Cole 2014FHD now you hate on TPAB come on do you like anythign.
we dont like boring rappers that could put you to bed with their songs bruh…
50 cent,, jay z,,nas,,cam,,kiss,,
how many pieces of ecko clothing do you still have in rotation?
None what about you?
my nigga you literally don’t like anything – every comment you have been negative lol what do you listen to?
Kendrick Lamar album really sucks.
LOL!
ha!
liking 50 cent now, voids all and any opinions you have about music, el Salvador
Lol..PAUSE..liking 50 cent now.
I honestly don’t expect you to be able to relate to this material. The album is pro-black, Afrocentric, infuses funk/neousoul, and is very socially conscious. I know you are not African American, nor do you really care about social issues, so this aint for you.
Shut up coward.
Coward? That particular diss doesnt apply in this situation lol. I wasn’t even trying to diss you either…I can understand why you wouldn’t relate to it, just like many whites don’t relate to Black issues.
Who are you to judge me..talking about this ain’t for me.
I ain’t judging you…you said you don’t like it, so obviously it ain’t for you lol. I just said I can see why you wouldn’t enjoy it, given your ethnicity, experiences, and your own statements about your taste in music. Perdóname, senor..
I forgive you nigga.
This guy said it clashes with musical sensibilities. This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. If anything this album is even more musical than GKMC.
What do u think music is? When u hear instrumentation and compare it to some shit Mustard does, how on earth can u say that the album clashes with musical sensibilities?
Why can’t u just say it wasn’t for you and move on? To say the music was horrible and all that is ridiculous. I think u need to peep the equipment u are listening to this on or maybe the quality of the music, 128 kbps type shit.
Recognize good music as good music but when u hear greatness, realize that it took more than just trying to make ppl dance or recite your lyrics to come up with this thought provoking genre bending shit.
Just realize there are few rappers physically capable of putting out an album with this much funk and jazz and this much consciousness wrapped in an amazing sonical gift.
Sorry if I offended you’ you must be 15 years older than I am.
Didn’t know u were 12. Sorry bro.
It’s impossible to have a career at the age twelve.
Never meant any disrespect but u referred to me possibly being 15 years older than you. I’m 27 lol. You know what you were trying to do with the age thing but don’t assume, makes you look foolish.
You can dislike the music, you don’t have to bash it because you don’t like it. Just say u didn’t like it and move on.
You might be a little too acclimatized to todays music. This style of album was the way it was done back when CD’s and full albums were the thought rather than singles. It’s not the easy 5 minute fix people want.
I deleted the album its in my recycle bin.
I think that’s premature but it sounds like you’re too stubborn to give it a go. Suit yourself!
After a second listen it gets worse..the album sound like a Erykah Badu album.
I feel you on a few points, but I wouldn’t delete it yet though. It has at least 5 deeso songs… sheeeit but I did delete that YG shyt with the quickness and errbody and they momma loved that crap.
I just hate that mufuggas think that if you don’t like this album, you must like trap beats. #gtfohwtbs
The Blacker The Berry is my favorite track on the album…Kendrick Lamar freshman album was a classic..this one will stay in my recycle bin.
Yeah that’s one of the only ones where he rhymes throughout the song… I like Alright too. A lot of the other ones? BOO BOO! 😛
one to ten how would you rate the album?
um… the album cover gained just as much attention as the music? i’d have to say i disagree. people are talking about the music, a LOT more than they’re talking about the artwork.
YELAWOLF album will be much better! BRING ALL THAT HATE..il be waitin! …I LOVE MYSELF..smh..who fruitcakes are bumping that soft shit HA! The loserss win again
Yelawolf is dope….I don’t know why one album has to be better than the other …but yela got bars tho
So you have to be gay to love yourself?? You are weird, and probably homosexual for even reaching like that
Loosin up pussy
I don’t think theres one song on the album that I don’t like. Great body of work…king kunta is my fav. I love jazz and I love the fact he featured ppl with actual talent (rhapsody, bilal)
Yo explain the dead judge, the dead WHITE judge
Kendrick drop AOTY Album, I hope he doesn’t pull a J.Cole and do like three interviews.
I cannot see what the buzz is about. The album actually sounds depressing. Kendrick sounds depressed. That he’s a young Black male in the US in 2015, despite his fame and wealth, I can understand him being depressed. The problem is, there is nothing on the album that makes you feel anything other that sleepy and/or depressed. Boring album.
Well, I can’t say that I completely disagree with you. Leading up to the release of the album, Kendrick mentioned in several interviews struggling with depression as well as anger in the midst of and I guess leading up to the recording of the project. One thing is certain is that we’re getting another very personal peak into his mind but packaged very differently from GKMC. In certain instances, it’s almost as if he’s speaking his own language. He made this album first for himself, IMO, you see how it translates after the work is done.
Thank you for the civilized answer.
No doubt, man. No reason why we can’t share our perspectives while respecting those of others.
I agree… and damn itz totally different on allhiphop. Those commenters are azzholes.
I said I liked the album, but not like everyone else and dudes are saying “how can you be hiphop” or “Oh you must be white” like every black man has to love this album. Wtf, nigga? Never said I hated it, just that it was kinda neo-souly lol. I wanted harder production and more rapping – that’s all.
I agree in that this album doesn’t mesh with what we’re hearing in hip hop’s climate right now.
But I will say that it matches what the culture is FEELING right now. After the events of last year with all the police brutality and killings of unarmed black men and boys, I would say that alot of us are angry and depressed and enraged and frustrated with what we are dealing with in this country. Kendrick put those feelings on wax for us like nobody else could right now (Cole tried but he ain’t got the juice like that). TPAB makes me feel like the new D’Angelo album makes me feel in some ways. Powerful, enlightening music.
True but I’m just saying no one wants to hear negative, depressing shit. Music should make you feel good.
Almost. Music should make you feel, but it does not have an obligation to make you feel good. Music at its best makes you feel a range of emotions. This album just happens to strike a particular chord. Listen to it when you want to be challenged, feel angry, etc. When you want to feel something else (happy, flossy, etc.) listen to Drake, Snoop and Pharrell’s new joint, and many others
Perspective is what will make you feel good. If talking about things over predictable beats makes you feel good I would not disagree. For me, it’s the same. I want to just JUMP AROUND, JUMP JUMP JUMP…but then sometimes I want a track like “no apologies” by eminem or maybe I want a full out concept album that requires a full listen from top to bottom. It really depends on what you like or are used to. MANY people aren’t used to listening to, or having to listen to a full album to fully get each track individually as this album does. This is the way music used to be when people actually got excited to by a cd at the store. That’s why this album is so confusing for some. It’s only depressing if you are expecting a quick fix. This album needs brewing time
He does sound depressed on some songs. But you must be intellectually stale if songs like Blacker the Berry, Complexion, These Walls, Hood Politics, and Alright make you sleepy.
A person’s intelligence doesn’t relate to the type of music they listen to. Tastes may differ.
No their are certain songs that my daughter can’t listen to because she doesn’t have the mental capacity to grasp the concePts or vocab, and she’s smarter than many adults, so…
You wouldn’t listen to any of Kendricks album in the car? I can’t speak for anyone else but I’m a 32 year old man and I bump the SHIT out this Kendrick in my car. It’s not always Saturday night on the way to the club when I’m driving. Sometimes it’s Wednesday morning on the way home after work and songs like “You Aint Gotta Lie”, “Insitutionalized”, “Hood Politics” and “Mortal Man” are EXACTLY what I want to hear and those songs match my mood perfectly.
Other times yeah I’m turnt and I wanna hear somethin from Drake or whoever. Different music for different moods.
i feel u, im bout to pop this onto the old ipod play this this while i walk my dogs
I wanna know what these numbers looking like..I don’t believe the hype .. I don’t see him bigger then cole or drake
Why do numbers matter?? It’s 2015! All that matters is that those who wanna hear the music are listening to it. For perspective, Metallica puts out a record, metallica fans will buy it and all is fine. Same with the biggest country act, rock act, etc.. You don’t see none of these other genres fans goin “hmm I don’t know let me see what the first week sales are?” That shits corny and stupid. Why is it that rap and rap fans view sales numbers as some type of end all be all contest and judgement on an album?? It does not matter!! I feel like you’ve all been brainwashed into this popularity contest shit. Music is art and it doesn’t matter if artist “A” sold more than artist “B”. That shouldn’t sway someone’s opinion about how they view that particular piece of art. And we live in an age where this said art can be downloaded or streamed for free and unfortunately for the artists this is the way majority of people get there music.
hes already broken Drake’s spotify record for streaming…
Lmao he went plat off his 1st album cole never has
Cole bout 200k away from plat and will be plat in less time than Kendrick btw
But that was Cole didn’t do it on his first or second, kendrick will do it for both nd let’s be honest cole marching in the streets nd showin up at niggas houses helped him big time cuz the album wasn’t all that
of course the album that came out 4 months before is gonna reach plat first.. duh
Just as Kanyes Allday was way better live than the radio version..im thinking so will this album…i agree with alot of view points expressed in the comments but ima sit with this album for a minute..seeing it did take me a long time to appreciate GKMC… best tracks so far to drive to is king kunta and allrite…
This album is a masterpiece, whether people realize it now, or 10 years from now. People were wondering how he was gonna top GKMC, now I’m wondering how he plans on touching this album…
Like real shit….This album is so fuckin dope. It takes you on a serious ride and when you actually listen to it instead of looking for the typical catchy hook or anything of the norm. You’ll FEEL the music. Its gets darker by the song then uplitfs then go back to being dark. Shit is insane. EVERY track has a purpose and it all is blended so well. This is an ALBUM, not just singles. A complete body of work….Masterpiece.
I miss Biggie man. A real artist who can hold his own with the top but only cared about kicking the best rhymes over the best beats. In the booth just to prove who’s the nicest mc.
Yo Know. Dot bro you did yo damn thang! 313rd! Top 5 album of 2015 you and Joey Bad A$$ on sum next level bringing realness back to music! Need more artists like y’all
U should in tell you why Kendrick has been depressed and why this album is so dark. This is without a shadow of a doubt the greatest album I have heard. First time I heard “U” he had me in my feels.
Kendrick can come and go as he pleases he has established himself in the game.