Well, shit, damn. Guess I'm a fan now. He deserves all the awards for this, otherwise people should riot. So many styles in this and his flow is just damn. Also, so many quotable lines in this. THIS DICK AINT FREE!
Not my link, took it from /r/HHH. Here it is on Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/album/7ycBtnsMtyVbbwTfJwRjSP I'm only 3 minutes into the album (was at a Kawehi concert) and I'm fucking loving it. Makes me miss Cali.
Just some after listen thoughts Oh look, an album that actually has meaning! I feel like that's something that's been lacking lately, at least in the music I listen to. A lot of Soul and R&B influence in this album plus a number of others, I'm surprised. This guy is pushing Hip-Hop forward, I wasn't really a huge fan in the past, but after this I don't think there's many that can touch him at this point. If there's such thing as being in your prime in rap, then Kendrick's in it. The themes, the production, his flow and wordplay, it's all remarkable. I've had a waning interest in hip-hop for quite some time, but I can get behind this all day. Pretty much the perfect album to rekindle that interest. A good portion of this album is perfectly suitable to listen to on a quiet and/or rainy day, and I tend to look for music like that. Really laid back and chill, I can fall asleep to this. He's on the throne right now.
Gives me vibes of Stankonia and the whole Soulquarian movement. I've also been bumpin' D'Angelo's album lately so that definitely played a part in my enjoyment of this album so far. I know how little it means to give compliments like this so early after a release but I have a feeling this will be considered a classic hip-hop album in 10 years time. Moreso than GKMC (don't get me wrong, that album will probably be considered a classic too). I think more than anything though, this has me excited for the future of Kendrick. Unlike certain artists, he seems 100% willing to step out of his comfort zone while staying true to himself. This album will polarize. People expecting GKMC2 will probably end up being disappointed. But people who go in with an open mind will find this a very strong effort with staying power. There are no bangers, but the slow burn of the record fits well with Kendrick's vision of cohesive stories per album which isn't a new concept where KDot is concerned. I will withhold giving a rating on this now, but my fucking God this album is great. How great it is will be something I'll revisit in a month when I have enough time to let it sink in. But initial thoughts say it's really, REALLY enjoyable.
Man. Kendrick. To Pimp A Butterfly is freaking beautiful. I don't even have a definite favorite because everything was so good, but I loved "King Kunta", "These Walls", and "Alright" especially. And that album version of "i" and the outro of "Mortal Man"...just...Album of the Year. Right here. By FAR.
I went ahead on my digital copy and just removed the "(Interlude)" from For Free? and For Sale? because they aren't fuckin' necessary. They're just full songs outright.
This album is a lot more depressing than what I had imagined. I need a lot more time to process all of it. Definitely a very experimental and polarizing album.
From the first listen I'll say that the album pushes the boundaries of the genre and there's a lot to take in. It's great to see a mainstream artist not bowing to the pressures that come with being famous.
I mean, I figured it'd be depressing as fuck after i. While upbeat, the lyrics were deceptively depressing. Then with the untitled Colbert track (hopes for the Deluxe Edition!) and TBTB I figured we'd be touching on a lot of deeper themes.
Oh I'm not even talking about the lyrics. The tone and music on this record is pretty depressing and moody in itself. Combine that with the vocals being downright querulous(on songs like u). Man, I am already loving this record after a second listen.
okay, so like, in my opinion 'good kid maad city' wasn't a flawless album but i can understand why it is considered a classic. two goes and through, and i don't know about this one to be honest. i appreciate the fuck out of kendrick for doing something new, different and fairly innovative. but i am not sure this strikes me as well as his previous work, at least initially. the whole middle of the album kind of falls flat. they're not bad songs, they're just nothing too special that make we want to listen to them again. i don't know, i'll spin through it a few more times. 'these walls' is my favorite track at the moment. reminds me of something from 'feel good' by the internet.
Well, after three listens I can definitely say I'm satisfied. It's nowhere near Fantano's 10, but it's good. Very good. The production is solid, although sometimes it feels to complex to have a good flow over it. That's the problem with For Free? which could've been my favorite, as it's technically a pretty fucking crazy song, but he's not staying on the beat like you wish he did, purely because - he can't. In that way the beat and the vocals, although awesome on their own don't feel like they belong together. The poem, although I get the idea and the meaning, gets extremely annoying. The best thing is how it feels cinematic. You can imagine it as a movie. But you don't play a movie as often as you play an album. So it's really interesting how to me, it doesn't feel like it has too much replay value, yet it feels timeless and like it can be considered a classic album in 10 years. If I were to grade on the Fantano system, it'd be a strong 7/light 8.
Maybe it's just me but I feel like people are missing the point of this track and a large part of the album. It's not just a rap album. It's spoken word, rap, beat poetry etc. For Free was neeever meant to be a rap. He's not off beat because he couldn't make it work. It's more of a Saul Williams thing. Poetry over music, not just random free form rap not adhering to a beat. Just my two cents since that seems to be a polarizing track to those who listen to artists that do 'that' commonly vs those maybe not so familiar with it as a form of...expression.
Yeah but just like everything, it comes down to whether you like it or not. I like it but I can't help feel it could've been amazing. That said, I do tend to prefer squakey clean music where everything is synced up perfectly so yeah.