I feel like it will be weird if that song is NOT on the album. It's been like "the single" for months. Then again, think of all the GOOD Friday shit to not make it to Dark Twisted. Shrug. But I feel like it would be a good album closer the same way "Bound2" sounded like nothing else on Yeezus.

"KENDRICK IS AN INSPIRATION. THANK YOU FOR THE VIBRATIONS AND THE SPIRIT. YOUR MEANING, MESSAGE AND EXECUTION ARE GIFTS TO THE WORLD."

Kanye had this to say about Kendrick.

the way Kendrick flows on "For Free (Interlude)".. his voice is like an instrument.

he said he's been listening to a lot of Miles Davis while working on the album, i can totally hear it.

it's official: Kendrick is a real artist. :o

I was thinking the same about that track.

Yeah, or maybe (I was thinking) a hidden track, in the same vein as Pinnochio Story.

Bound2 is what made Yeezus a home run for me. The rest of that record was so unexpected and strange, that coming out at the other end with a song as "quintessentially Kanye" as Bound2 was like finding a tenuous euphoria at the end of a bad mushroom trip. But while it was the most "oh that's so Yeezy" song on the record, it also feels like the album's most blatant statement of uncertainty and change. That chorus still hasn't stopped hitting me right in the gut.

I feel like "Only One" could almost be the start of something else... Perhaps a full-length collaboration between Kanye and Paul? I don't know. Probably not. But I remember reading that it was itended to be on the new album.

If they're going to gloss it up and rework it, I'd rather they leave it alone. Cause yeah, at this point it has been "the single" for some time, so it would feel strange to hear a less improvised version.

"Only One" isn't a perfect song. But it's perfect the way it is. It feels so genuine as it is.

That's kinda how I feel about it. I don't want some prettied up version on the album, y'know? The song hits me just right as is. I like Kanye's weird ass humming, I love Paul's backing vocals, and even with a bit of auto tune, Kanye's voice sounds genuine and totally human.

It was my song of the year for 2014, and I heard it about an HOUR before 2015 hit.

the auto-tune makes it. That and the keys. The juxtaposition of the two. The keys sounds really warm and analog. The vox sound wrong cuz of the auto-tune. It's a pretty excellent mess. And to me a mess is first take, best take. In this case, causing it to sound super heartfelt. So yeah. Don't mess w/ it.

I think "Mortal Man" might be my favorite song on Butterfly. What a dope outro. Great beat, great message, great lyrics... Really a powerful song. I'm really goddamned into this album.

just an assumption, but i'd be surprised if Kanye used Only One as it is now.

"Hood Politics" is my fav at the moment, will change a million times though. i love every song on the album. Kendrick just destroyed 2015 as well as everything that came out last year. Kanye is actually the only rapper with a good shot at dropping something on that level.

yo, did Dre have a hand in "How Much a Dollar Cost"? the drums are just his signature sound.. the song is credited for LoveDragon whom i've never heard of. hmmm.. there's something fishy going on.

Yeah, I don't know who LoveDragon is either. One thing that briefly entered my mind (more of a long-shot hope than an actual possibility, since there's no evidence to support the theory) is that Kendrick did some of the production himself. Or perhaps under Dre's direction?

Maybe I'm just applying my "perfect hip-hop artist" model, based entirely on Kanye West, to Kendrick. I just really love it when artists buckle down and learn the other side of the game, either by developing a unique flow like Kanye and Madlib did, or by taking on some production responsibilities and getting into beat-writing as their careers progress (like A$AP Rocky apparently has, or Tree, or Black Milk). Hell, Dre did it himself.

Just a thought.

Oh, hey... Are we ever going to talk about the "interview" with Tupac that brings the album to a close? Anyone have any ideas or theories about why Kendrick chose to end the album like this, or what to take from the "conversation" between the two artists?

@louder, you'd mentioned something about the theme of the album, and how you didn't want to give anything away... But don't you think it's safe to assume that everyone who matters has heard this shit by now? I'd like to hear your thoughts on the theme, the final moments of the album, and any tie-Ins it may have with GKMC.

What a chilling way to end the record... With Kendrick shouting out "Pac?... Pac?!" as though roused from a dream so important that it feels like a matter of life and death, just before some crucial piece of information is revealed.

I've gotta say, the end brought an unexpected tear to my eye. It was like looking back into another time- one the Kendrick himself is too young to actually remember, but most of us certainly do. That apocalyptic time surrounding the death of 2Pac and Biggie. I can't help but wonder why this kid seems to have so much on those two, and other rappers of the time, in terms of wisdom and maturity.

Is Kendrick really a disciple of Pac's, or is he a reaction to a more brutal era? To me he comes from a completely different dimension, but the link between the two is there, regardless.

Oh well. I love this album. My favprite of the year so far. Pretty damn sure Ye will release something that tops it, but hats because he's Ye.

I feel a little guilty about saying this, but that new Earl Sweatshirt track & accompanying video kinda rub me the wrong way. I'm a little tired of hearing that kid complain... To hear him tell it, he's lived a million lifetimes, all of them so repressed and shitty that his angst is indefinitely justified.

But fuck- his voice is only just starting to settle. He's had one cushy young adulthood. He's the very picture of privilege, and I don't think he lived long enough before becoming a celebrity for any of the realities of a non celebrated life to set in. I kinda just want him to stop being a bitch and admit that he has very little to bitch about.

Just some acknowledgment that he's got it "good," at least in relation to most of the world. He's starting to sound like a little shit.

I really hate it when I just happen to rattle off like 5 consecutive posts just as this thread is dying down for the first time in a few weeks. Makes me feel like I'm talking to my goddamn self.

you are. :D

RE: Earl, I haven't heard the new track yet so no comment really. Alls I can tell you is I love that kid's flow and vocab.

The main main reason I'm quiet is that I really haven't soaked up the Kendrick enough yet. It's the sort of album I feel like I need to keep listening to before I'm ready to dive into discussion. I need to hear it in the car, chilling on my couch, taking a shower in the AM, playing games at night, etc. before I'm ready to start dissecting.

Dude, I really feel like you're formalizing this almost laughably informal discussion of ours. You don't need to have the entire album digested, shat out, and analyzed for fecal microbes before you can comment. First impressions are important. I like to joy down my feelings about an album during the first listen, then periodically as I grow more and more comfortable with the album. It gives me a real "big picture" idea of how I processed the album, and what I was right on/way the fuck off about in my initial reaction.

That's me though. I talk to myself... On the Internet. I don't like shit. I don't go outside. Actually I do, because I really love the outdoors, nature, etc.

I like Earl's mind. I like his word choices. But I'm increasingly aware of how much I think I would loathe him if I was a sophomore in college too. I can tell that his inclination toward poetic stream of consciousness wordplay often straddles the line between authenticity and (for lack of a better word) faking it and hoping for nonsense that sounds edgy. I don't think he's mastered his own lyrical approach. I've spent enough time around creative writing types to be able to smell horseshit free associative reaching.

I just want him to be good and work hard and have humility. If his life is as shitty as it sounds, he should probably stop smoking weed constantly. He seems like the type who could easily fall into a schizoid personality break if he overdoes that shit at too young an age. Maybe he should go outside more.

Odd Future are a bunch of bitches in general. if i hear Tyler or Earl bitching about their fucking father one more time i'm done with them for life. i don't know what Earl is "grieving" over too, Sev.. why can't he just make some feel good music like his idol DOOM?

it's more that I'm speechless. I don't know what to say other than "I love it" yet. The 2Pac interview thing gives me goosebumps.

lol

this thread goes from peaking to cold sweats on the couch. in a matter of a day. like ya'll are tapped into some collective hip hop cosmic drug.

some old school scratching and james brown vamp loops draws you out. drawing you to a future more primitive than bro dubstep and katty perry dresses.

Ain't got no time but ill try the new kendrick.. about the pac thing maybe y'all are over thinking it? The only moral of Tupac's life is don't start gangbanging because it has no future. Shit even Pac said it,"tell me young ninja never learned a thing, dead at 13 cuz he yearned to bang sniffed a lot of flowerz but how could i cry tried to warn the lil ninja either stop or die.."

I think he just liked the interview and decided to sample it

Kendrick's actually been obsessed with Pac for a long while. in the beginning of HiiPower vid there's a message from Kendrick that says 2Pac visited him in his dream and told him to continue his legacy. on Control he rapped "i'm Makaveli's offspring, i'm the King of New York, east coast and west coast i juggle them both". The Heart Pt. 3 - "when the whole world see you as Pac reincarnated, that's enough pressure to live your whole life sedated". etc etc.

Some recent things I've discovered:

EPMD
Gravediggaz

All time favourites:

MF Doom et al
GZA
Solesides, DJ Shadow, Blackalicious et al
Gangstarr

In a mood to find more early 90s stuff, I'm certain there's a fuckload of good stuff out there I've yet to discover.

it's a near bottomless well. :)

You've come to the right place for '90s hip-hop recs. I'm sure NR could supply you with enough for a lifetime.

Have you already acquainted yourself with Tribe? Pharcyde? De La Soul? Mobb Deep? Digable Planets? Brand Nubian? Black Sheep? Black Moon? Black Star? Hieroglyphics? OutKast? Dilated Peoples? Dead Prez? Outlawz? Souls of Mischief?
Anti-Pop Consortium (more '00s really... also, kinda more IDM than rap, but fuckit, they're good.)

... ooor were you not looking for notes? Heheheh sorry.

Don't forget me!! Wait... he said early 90s.. hit me back up from hip hop thread hibernation if he decides he wants to check out late 90s

90's is my specialty. Glad to talk shop. :)

I think you're actually more qualified with early-mid '90s shit. Especially considering your knowledge of LA shit from the golden era.

By the way, did you know TREE has a new mixtape out? His second since since Sunday School II. Haven't heard it yet myself.

If he wants a deal he should get hooked up with FlyLo & Underachievers over at Brainfeeder. I think that would be a kickass place for him to call home. His beats need work, but I still think he has great things ahead of him.

The scion mix tape was pretty good, im gonna have to grab that new one. Id put my expertise at 94-2001 for hip hop, but my most indepth is 97 and up

Already like what im hearing on soundcloud

Hmm, funny. I definitely had you pegged for a '90-'96/7 type.

As for me, my original focus was on 1993-1998 east coast and independent shit, with an emphasis on left of center oddbals like Pharcyde and post-Ultramagnetics Keith.

I took a break from the genre for a couple years... mainly because HOV was "gone," and the hip hop world was being dominated by personalities that I just didn't get. Eventually I came back to it, and kinda went nuts, delving into every part of the culture, forsaking my geographical loyalties and getting heavily into production, and finding most of my new favorite emcees trough their DJ's, producers and beat-makers.

So Action Bronson's debut LP is some SICKENINGLY fire-ass shit (bitch).

Anyone else heard Mr. Wonderful?

He's still kinda ganking GFK's vocal style and flow, but as far as 2015 releases go, Mr. Wonderful is (in my opinion) better than Sour Soul, even if it has nothing on 36 Seasons.

So far it's probably my #3 hip-hop release of the year....

1. Kendrick - To Pimp a Butterfly
2. Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo & Youth
3. Mr. Wonderful
4. Drake - If You're Reading This It's Too Late
5. Joey Bada$$ - B4.DA.$$
....
For now, anyway.

OH, and did y'all read about the supposedly 100% complete/done/in the can new as yet untitled A$AP Rocky album?

I guess it's gonna beat the full Mob's album to the shelves after all. Features some seriously exciting production credits, and I'm stoked as fuck. Though it will be one hell of a competitive year with new albums from pretty much all of hip-hop's most incredible acts. Yeezy, Kendrick, Drake, Lupe, and now fucking Rocky?! Shit. It's 2013 to the tenth power.

Sunday School I > Sunday School II > Trap Genius

and really that scion mix tape had some better tracks lyrically than Trap Genius.. I still am enjoying this mix-tape/record but its a let down in direct comparison. Tree lost a lot of his "soul" and really this is just a flat out trap record..

That's apparently intentional. For a long time he occupied a unique space in the Chicago scene, mixing bits of drill and trap with conscious shit, soul and gospel beats and a totally fucked vocal style that was all his own... It's what set him apart from Chance the Rapper and Chief Keef back on SSI & II. Now I think he's trying to make a more traditional Chicago trap album, with less of his own beats and production.

I still think Sunday School II takes the cake, but whatever. I'm hoping he lands a legit record one of these days (sooner rather than later)

I like it only cuz its Tree BUT soul trap was soooooooooo much better. As you mentioned sometimes conscious with soul beats and samples, can't beat that! Trap music is whateverz

Soul trap is some good shit

Didn't TREE coin that term?

words can't describe how much i love this new Kendrick album.. easily my favorite rap album since My Beautiful Dark Twsited Fantasy.

Lupe might be 2nd, Drake 3rd.