[demonrail666]

I don't know about sucks, but I do find him a lot more interesting than the music he makes.

[evollove]

I was just trying to get a rise. I actually don't know much about him except he wrote a song about his momma and he dissed Taylor Swift.

Yes, I really have very little idea of what's been going on in popular music the past, say, decade. (In fact, I can't name a single Taylor Swift song off the top of my head.)

But my local library is fantastic. Well-stocked and you can check out 50 items at once. I currently have a stack of CDs that comes close to reaching my knee.

Three of those CDs are from Kenrick, who, like I said, I hadn't really heard until a week ago.

Last night I gave PIMP a cursory listen. Nothing grabbed me until "Complexion." That's followed by "Blacker the Berry," which gave me chills. I think I listened to that two song sequence about four times in a row. I was high, but still.

I dunno. Are we sure he didn't invent a whole new way of doing gangster rap, at least on the first album? He begins a verse with "Fresh outta school cuz I was a high school grad." I think I heard "six in the morning" somewhere, and I'm sure there are other gangster rap allusions I'm missing.

I think of consciousness rap as: the rapper has a strong point of view and tries to get it across.

Kendrick's world seems a lot more complex.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by evollove

I was just trying to get a rise. I actually don't know much about him except he wrote a song about his momma and he dissed Taylor Swift.

Yes, I really have very little idea of what's been going on in popular music the past, say, decade. (In fact, I can't name a single Taylor Swift song off the top of my head.)

But my local library is fantastic. Well-stocked and you can check out 50 items at once. I currently have a stack of CDs that comes close to reaching my knee.

Three of those CDs are from Kenrick, who, like I said, I hadn't really heard until a week ago.

Last night I gave PIMP a cursory listen. Nothing grabbed me until "Complexion." That's followed by "Blacker the Berry," which gave me chills. I think I listened to that two song sequence about four times in a row. I was high, but still.

I dunno. Are we sure he didn't invent a whole new way of doing gangster rap, at least on the first album? He begins a verse with "Fresh outta school cuz I was a high school grad." I think I heard "six in the morning" somewhere, and I'm sure there are other gangster rap allusions I'm missing.

I think of consciousness rap as: the rapper has a strong point of view and tries to get it across.

Kendrick's world seems a lot more complex.

You owe it to yourself to listen to Kanye West’s music. Forget the dude, just listen to the music. Must I remind you that he is tied with BOB DYLAN for the most times tipping the Village Voice Pazz & Jop Critics Poll? Arguably the most prestigious thing in music journalism?
And what took Bob Dylan FORTY YEARS (having four #1 P&J albums), Kanye did in SIX.
If you can’t appreciate the evolution from one album to the next, and his ability to make seemingly ridiculous creative decisions that always work, while changing his own identity and the identity of music itself with each release, then you’re the one who “sucks.”

Seriously... Like David Bowie or Prince or the Beatles, Kanye is just an artist that you’re damn well gonna have to know if you care about being a music fan.


AAAAANYWAY... about Kendrick, yeah there’s definitely tons of gangsta rapisms in his music, but he is categorically NOT gangsta rap. He just comes from that culture. Compare good kid, mAAd city to a legitimate modern gangsta rap album like YG’s My Krazy Life and you’ll see.
Kendrick is something different. Even if he will “slap a bitch as n****” if he has to.

Btw, good kid is not his first album. His first album is the excellent Section.80. Go listen to it.

[Severian]

Hey evollove, sorry to bust your balls. All in good fun. (Except for the Kanye stuff, which is deadly serious.)

Here, since you have no access to anything, check out links to some of the songs I recommended:

Kendrick - F*ck Your Ethnicity
Kendrick - HiiiPower
Kendrick - Element (this one’s kinda gangstery, at least the video and chorus)

I’m glad you liked “The Blacker The Berry.” That’s some serious shit.

I have a, what would you call it... oldhead? friend who only really digs lyric-heavy rap that demonstrates vocal ability and energy and so on. He was making a fuss about the Kendrick hype for months, bitching to me/at me about it.
He would say, “I like his politics but he’s too mellow, no urgency, where’s the passion? I just can’t respect him as a rapper.”

Finally I was like, “Ok, has this guy even heard Kendrick?” And I played sent him a link to “The Blacker the Berry,” and tell him to just humor me and listen to it.

five minutes later, he texts me. “Ok, this kid can fucking spit,” he says.

Yeah, no fucking shit.

[evollove]

The way he alters his voice to fit the character of whatever the song is reminds me of Kate Bush. For reals.

Oops. Didn't know about Section 8.0. Those two tracks were great. Doesn't he have, like five or so early mixtapes also? He seems like someone I should listen to in order.

Really didn't like "Element" at all. Or maybe there's something really subtle in there I didn't get.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by evollove

The way he alters his voice to fit the character of whatever the song is reminds me of Kate Bush. For reals.

Oops. Didn't know about Section 8.0. Those two tracks were great. Doesn't he have, like five or so early mixtapes also? He seems like someone I should listen to in order.

Really didn't like "Element" at all. Or maybe there's something really subtle in there I didn't get.

“Element” is a weird Kendrick song. So is “Yah.” I feel like both are kind of sneaky attempts to take the Drake model of making catchy, sing-songy hip-hop, and saying, “Hey buzzcut, THIS IS HOW YOU MAKE AN EARWORM.”

Kendrick revealed a new side of himself on the newest album, DAMN. Honestly, he’s been subtly reinventing his persona on each release. Not drastically like Kanye, but gradually and thougtfully like Dylan in the ‘70s. Another reason why Kendrick is the Dylan to Kanye’s Beatles.

I’m SO GLAD you liked “F*ck Your Ethnicity” (my hands-down, all-time favorite Kendrick song) and “HiiiPower” (which incidentally interpolates Kanye’s “So Appalled” in its chorus).

Here’s another one from DAMN. It’s the hardest goddamn thing ever. Don’t pay attention to the video... it’s meh... just listen to the track. Spoiler: shit gets REAL in the last minute or so. Like.. real as fuck and more intense than anything else I’ve heard this year.

(Context for DNA: Geraldo Rivera criticized Kendrick in 2015 during a performance of “Alright” on BET, and said rap music was a bigger threat to back communities than gang violence. Kendrick responds here, and at other moments on DAMN — like the “Yah” lyric: “Fox News wanna use my name for percentage... somebody tell Geraldo this ni**a got some ambition”)

[evollove]

Do you mean to include a DNA link?

Anyway, don't worry. I take him seriously as an artist and I promise I will eventually listen to everything he's done.

---

I'm sort of confused by 4:44. Actually, just confused by Jay-Z, because I found the music itself to be interesting (except for the handful of pop single songs).

First, technique-wise, I don't get it. He's not even really rapping most of the time. Just reciting. If I can fucking do it, is it any good?

Second, I'm not that familiar with his life, so I have a hard time caring about a lot of the songs. I forget the song, but I was really turned off when he regretted not buying a $2 million piece of property. Poor fellow. And I didn't even really care that much that he cheated on his wife.

Anything can be made interesting, but I had a hard time finding any space in his lyrics to invest any deep interest.

But my listen was just a brief run-through, not a thorough, concentrated effort, so maybe something will click with more attention.

--

I appreciate Eminem a lot more than you do, but yeah, that song straight up sucks.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by evollove

Do you mean to include a DNA link?

Anyway, don't worry. I take him seriously as an artist and I promise I will eventually listen to everything he's done.

---

I'm sort of confused by 4:44. Actually, just confused by Jay-Z, because I found the music itself to be interesting (except for the handful of pop single songs).

First, technique-wise, I don't get it. He's not even really rapping most of the time. Just reciting. If I can fucking do it, is it any good?

Second, I'm not that familiar with his life, so I have a hard time caring about a lot of the songs. I forget the song, but I was really turned off when he regretted not buying a $2 million piece of property. Poor fellow. And I didn't even really care that much that he cheated on his wife.

Anything can be made interesting, but I had a hard time finding any space in his lyrics to invest any deep interest.

But my listen was just a brief run-through, not a thorough, concentrated effort, so maybe something will click with more attention.

--

I appreciate Eminem a lot more than you do, but yeah, that song straight up sucks.

Ok, 4:44 is an album for people who love Jay-Z and have listened to him for years. Like... exclusively. I can’t think of any other explanation, because there are references to his past and his life that only a fan would even understand.
It’s also an album for fans of a certain kind of hip-hop... a kind of hip-hop that Jay has only really done a couple times in his career, usually with the assistance of a famous producers... it’s for lyrical hip-hop fans. People who openly dislike mumble rap, and want more intelligence and consciousness in their rap.

It’s for fans of Tribe, early Lupe, Mos Def, early Kanye, Fugees, etc.

I promise it’s a good album. Just spin it a bit. And if you don’t know Jay, maybe get to know Jay.

Here’s a primer on Jay-Z, containing all the meat and none of the fat... listen to these albums or put them in your streaming library:

Reasonable Doubt
The Blueprint
The Black Album
American Gangster
Blueprint 3
Watch the Throne (more of a Kanye album, but still has some of the best Jay-Z shit ever)

And don’t forget these singles:
• “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” (from a largely forgettable album, but a genius pop hip-hop song. You’ve heard it, but you need to be able to appreciate it.
And...
• “Brooklyn Go Hard” from the Notorious soundtrack. This is my favorite Jay song ever. Produced by Kanye. Actually I don’t think it’s available as a single, but stream that shut, because it definitely deserves a spot in the primer.

[louder]

Lil Peep died (not to be confused with Lil Pump, kid who has a top 5 hit on the Billboard charts right now that goes "Gucci Gang Gucci Gang Gucci Gang.."). RIP.

He was an "emo rapper" on the rise.. had a strong and constantly growing Internet following.

People say he overdosed backstage. And apparently there's a horrifying video up of his friends thinking he was "just sleeping". I wasn't a fan of his music but it's sad to see someone go away at 21. That new generation of rappers really needs to change their lifestyle and understand that drugs are no joke, being "lit" and "living like a rockstar" 24/7 have their consequences.

[h8kurdt]

Originally Posted by louder

Lil Peep died (not to be confused with Lil Pump, kid who has a top 5 hit on the Billboard charts right now that goes "Gucci Gang Gucci Gang Gucci Gang.."). RIP.

He was an "emo rapper" on the rise.. had a strong and constantly growing Internet following.

People say he overdosed backstage. And apparently there's a horrifying video up of his friends thinking he was "just sleeping". I wasn't a fan of his music but it's sad to see someone go away at 21. That new generation of rappers really needs to change their lifestyle and understand that drugs are no joke, being "lit" and "living like a rockstar" 24/7 have their consequences.

Agreed with that. At the moment too many of the young popular rappers are glorifying drug taking. I'm not talking about just weed. Bragging about Codeine, Xanax and purple drank is totally fucked up. From that you've got too many kids looking up to people like these guys (Future, Young Thug etc) and theyre spiralling down into addiction because of it.

These are the new rock stars that kids are looking up to and it's fucked.

[Severian]

Yeah, this is just incredibly fucked up.

I’m not at all a fan of Lil Peep’s music, but that doesn’t even matter. 21-year-old kids should not be dying.

It’s tough to blame or point to the mention of drugs in music as a potential cultprit, because hard drugs have been part of that world since it began in the 1950s. I don’t think there’s a problem with rappers singing about using drugs, but it’s a fine line between rapping about “real life” and glorifying self-destruction.

Just sad.

[Rob Instigator]

know your source

[Severian]

Originally Posted by evollove

Do you mean to include a DNA link?

Oh, yeah.. sorry!

Kendrick Lamar - “DNA” official music video

Wish I could link the song without the video, but Kendrick or TDE appears to be exerting some control over what’s available on YouTube. Lots of songs from DAMN. aren’t available in their full format.

Anyway, again, the song goes hard as fuck, and in the last minute or so it gets so intense it feels like it’s just gonna burst apart. I’ve never been a fan of Mike Will Made It, but his work on DAMN. is excellent.

Apparently, in that last, super-intense minute or so, Kendrick cut the verse a cappella, and asked Mike Will Made It to overlay it with a variation on the song’sbeat beat that “sounds like chaos”

(Incidentally: This is an example of how Kendrick is indeed “making decisions” about his music. Contrary to what Rob sayas, Kendrick does have an overarching artistic idea for every album or piece of music he makes. So, yeah.)

[louder]

Talib Kweli got Jay Electronica, Waka Flocka, BJ the Chicago Kid, Anderson .Paak, Rick Ross and Bilal on his new album. Interesting.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by louder

Talib Kweli got Jay Electronica, Waka Flocka, BJ the Chicago Kid, Anderson .Paak, Rick Ross and Bilal on his new album. Interesting.

Rick Ross is basically a personification of the word “lazy” in hip-hop at this point. Can’t remember the last thing he was on that was better for his presence. He’s slumming it culturally.

But Anderson Paak and Jay Electronica and Bilal are interesting choices.

Real talk, I didn’t even know Wacka Flocka was still a thing. Arguably isn’t.

[louder]

Oh man, this article really pissed me off:

Post Malone Suggests Fans Looking for “Real Shit” Avoid Hip-Hop Music

"If you're looking for lyrics, if you're looking to cry, if you're looking to think about life, don't listen to hip-hop," Malone told Warsaw, Poland media outlet NewOnce. "There's great hip-hop songs where they talk about life and they spit that real shit, but right now, there's not a lot of people talking about real shit. Whenever I want to cry, whenever I want to sit down and have a nice cry, I'll listen to some Bob Dylan. Or whenever I'm trying to have a good time and stay in a positive mood, I listen to hip-hop. Because it's fun. I think hip-hop is important because it brings people together in a beautiful, happy way."

http://djbooth.net/news/entry/2017-1...malone-hip-hop

*FACE PALM* This guy is an idiot.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by louder

Oh man, this article really pissed me off:

Post Malone Suggests Fans Looking for “Real Shit” Avoid Hip-Hop Music


http://djbooth.net/news/entry/2017-1...malone-hip-hop

*FACE PALM* This guy is an idiot.

Guy’s never listened to Kanye despite being on one of his songs. What a pussy.

[louder]

Originally Posted by Severian

Guy’s never listened to Kanye despite being on one of his songs. What a pussy.

I know that if Kanye was still on Twitter he'd give that dude the business. Just like he did Macklemore.

[evollove]

Just got back from the library with:

My Beautiful Dark...
The Essential Wu-Tang
The Black Album
Watch the Throne
Ghostface Killer ICON
Three Common CDs
Three Roots CDs
DAMN.


Put on My Beautiful... on the ride home. Only got through three tracks before the ride was over, but yeah. This is awesome.

Originally Posted by louder

I know that if Kanye was still on Twitter he'd give that dude the business. Just like he did Macklemore.

I held a Macklemore CD in my hand. Decided not to borrow it. Mistake? (Well, it was fucking free, so yeah, that was dumb.)

[Severian]

Originally Posted by evollove

Just got back from the library with:

My Beautiful Dark...
The Essential Wu-Tang
The Black Album
Watch the Throne
Ghostface Killer ICON
Three Common CDs
Three Roots CDs
DAMN.


Put on My Beautiful... on the ride home. Only got through three tracks before the ride was over, but yeah. This is awesome.

*Angels sing in background*


THANK You.

Keep listening. Keep me informed.