[Rob Instigator]

I get those goosebumps every time...

[Severian]

Originally Posted by louder

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/23147-damn/

Aww DAMN.

I thought they were going to give it a 9.5-10.0 as well.

Bad call, in my opinion. 9.2 doesn't mean anything. And while I myself might not think the album is actually perfect, I think Pitchfok has deliberately avoided giving out 10.0 ratings since 2010. If you're not going to use your system, don't have your system, or change your system. There's no way this is a less consistent album than TPAB. I love TPAB, but it's a bit cluttered. DAMN. just slays or enchants from beginning to end. I don't even mind the Bono factor.

I did like this bit though...

Originally Posted by Pitchfork

Kendrick is so alone at his altitude that when he acknowledges Fox News, let alone Donald Trump, it feels like a favor to them both.

Hah!

[Severian]

My favorite songs are all over the place, but I think "DUCKWORTH." is the real standout, epic moment. "DNA." is as good or better, but I expect people will remember "DUCKWORTH."

[Severian]

I can't wait to see Kendrick play these dogs live. Holy shit.

[Severian]

Did you hear there was buzz about a second Kendrick album coming out on Easter? Reportedly (by Reddit users and conspiracy theorists) titled NATION. Get it? Damn... Nation? Eh?

Kind of glad that didn't happen. Overload is a dangerous thing. I barely even remember those two Future albums from earlier this year. Nobody else seems to.

[louder]

Originally Posted by Severian

Did you hear there was buzz about a second Kendrick album coming out on Easter? Reportedly (by Reddit users and conspiracy theorists) titled NATION. Get it? Damn... Nation? Eh?

Kind of glad that didn't happen. Overload is a dangerous thing. I barely even remember those two Future albums from earlier this year. Nobody else seems to.

Yeah, DAMN. is enough. More would be oversaturation.

[Severian]

DAMN. lands at No. 1 on the Billboard album charts with the highest sales of the year. 600,000-plus albums sold.

The nearby stores (Target and the like) still don't have a hard copy. I think DAMN. pretty much has to be one of the few albums that I purchase both digitally and in hard copy. Previous entries include the new Flaming Lips, Sonic Youth's Spin Sessions, Aphex Twin's SYRO, and before that, Yeezus. Probably forgetting a few bug that's life.

[louder]

Originally Posted by Severian

DAMN. lands at No. 1 on the Billboard album charts with the highest sales of the year. 600,000-plus albums sold.

The nearby stores (Target and the like) still don't have a hard copy. I think DAMN. pretty much has to be one of the few albums that I purchase both digitally and in hard copy. Previous entries include the new Flaming Lips, Sonic Youth's Spin Sessions, Aphex Twin's SYRO, and before that, Yeezus. Probably forgetting a few bug that's life.

I ordered it on CD from Amazon a few days ago, along with Danny Brown's XXX (I still like this album more than Atrocity Exhibition, apparently an unpopular opinion?).

By the way, have y'all heard the new songs Frank Ocean put up on iTunes? "Biking" with Jay-Z and Tyler is absolutely mesmerizing, the other songs are good stuff too.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by louder

I ordered it on CD from Amazon a few days ago, along with Danny Brown's XXX (I still like this album more than Atrocity Exhibition, apparently an unpopular opinion?).

By the way, have y'all heard the new songs Frank Ocean put up on iTunes? "Biking" with Jay-Z and Tyler is absolutely mesmerizing, the other songs are good stuff too.

Wow, you didn't have XXX? I feel like I don't know you anymore!

Come to think of it, I've never thought of myself as a big Danny Brown fan (love him, but don't often think about him or listen to his stuff), but I have Hot Soup, XXX, Old, and Atrocity Exhubition as well as Black & Brown, his collaborative album with Black Milk.

I think Hot Soup and Old are my favorites. Atrocity Exhibition is really goddamn good, but not as good as Old.

Man, 2013 was a good year for music.

[Severian]

Kendrick just announced tour dates. I guess there's a chance I could catch him in Chicago, but he's not coming as close to me as I would like, and that irks me.

I saw him in, um... 2013 I think? But I almost can't count that because I wasn't really into him at the time. Hadn't quite caught the bug yet. Seeing him perform (kid is a fucking athlete, for real) helped cement me as a Kendrick fan, but I wasn't familiar enough with his shit to really experience the show in the way that I like to. Was hoping to catch him this time around, but I probably won't.

[louder]

Originally Posted by Severian

Wow, you didn't have XXX? I feel like I don't know you anymore!

Come to think of it, I've never thought of myself as a big Danny Brown fan (love him, but don't often think about him or listen to his stuff), but I have Hot Soup, XXX, Old, and Atrocity Exhubition as well as Black & Brown, his collaborative album with Black Milk.

I think Hot Soup and Old are my favorites. Atrocity Exhibition is really goddamn good, but not as good as Old.

Man, 2013 was a good year for music.

It was released as a free tape at the time! I still recall downloading it from DatPiff.

Hot Soup and Old are really good as well! And then there's also "The Hybrid". His discography is super solid. Dude is truly overlooked, unfortunately too weird and polarizing to enjoy the same level of success as the likes of Kendrick, J. Cole and Drake.

[Rob Instigator]

I've been digging a lot of the tracks on Rich Homie Quan's new one.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator

I've been digging a lot of the tracks on Rich Homie Quan's new one.

Do you like DAMN.?

[Severian]

Holy shit... "HUMBLE." is a #1 single.



That's pretty cool. The club of artists to simultaneously top both the Billboard albums and singles charts has to be a pretty small one.


Hey Drake...

[Severian]

Originally Posted by Severian

... blah blah Sonic Youth's Spin Sessions blah blah...

It's Spinhead Sessions you fucking loser.

[louder]

Originally Posted by Severian

Holy shit... "HUMBLE." is a #1 single.



That's pretty cool. The club of artists to simultaneously top both the Billboard albums and singles charts has to be a pretty small one.


Hey Drake...

Yeah that's amazing. "DNA." also debuted at #4. And when Kendrick puts out "LOYALTY." as a single, he might as well have another #1. Possibly building his way to sell over 1 million first week on his next album.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by louder

Yeah that's amazing. "DNA." also debuted at #4. And when Kendrick puts out "LOYALTY." as a single, he might as well have another #1. Possibly building his way to sell over 1 million first week on his next album.

Well, amidst all the hubbub, there's been a surprising amount of backlash from the "Kendrick's overrated" crowd. At least in my experience. A lot of my hip-hoppy friends are taking issue with the praise being heaped upon him. It's kinda weird.

[h8kurdt]

Originally Posted by Severian

Well, amidst all the hubbub, there's been a surprising amount of backlash from the "Kendrick's overrated" crowd. At least in my experience. A lot of my hip-hoppy friends are taking issue with the praise being heaped upon him. It's kinda weird.

That's always to be expected no matter how good the person/band is. If something gets too big that they liked early on then there's the reaction against them. Eminem got it, still does tbh.

I've seen it with Kendrick too. I've no time for people who suddenly rile against something just because they've become a massive success.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by h8kurdt

That's always to be expected no matter how good the person/band is. If something gets too big that they liked early on then there's the reaction against them. Eminem got it, still does tbh.

I've seen it with Kendrick too. I've no time for people who suddenly rile against something just because they've become a massive success.

Well, it's not even that so much. Or rather, that's not exactly what I've been seeing. Instead, I've seen a lot of folks come out of the woodwork and say things like, "I really don't get why everyone thinks this guy is so good. [Insert name of unsigned regional, underground rapper here] can rap circles around this guy! I'd better see this much hype when the new [insert name of rapper nobody knows from Detroit or whatever] comes out."

I'm sure what you're saying is true about former fans turning their backs on Kendrick because they don't want to be the kind of person who listens to #1 records (only unsuccessful music is good!), but what I'm noticing is that there are, like, a SHIT TON of people who haven't paid much attention to Kendrick until now, and think that this level of success happened overnight.

That's startling to me because To Pimp a Butterfly was hyped ceaselessly for all of 2015, and good kid, m.A.A.d city got the same treatment in 2012. But it really seems as though this album is Kendrick's real "breakthrough" record. Suddenly people are bitching about how he's not that great, as though he's new or something.

He's just in a new bracket now I guess. This could actually be a not-great thing for his career. Some fans of his earlier work are certain to be turned off by the sound of this album, and fans of the album will not necessarily appreciate Section.80 or Overly Dedicated. Puts him in a bit of a precarious place.

But that's industry politics, and it's all bullshit ultimately. Just something I've noticed. His long-term fans seem to be pretty down with the new shit.

[Rob Instigator]

Originally Posted by Severian

Do you like DAMN.?

Yes. Good hard hitting track.