KENDRICK LAMAR

[magma]

It's a real shame they couldn't clear the samples to get Cartoons & Cereal on there, tbh.

I think I'm going to take Compton off my phone and put C&C as the last tune of the album.

[Liam92]

Only heard it once through, but really enjoyed it! Any of the bonus tracks worth buying does anyone know?

[hubb]

Some really bad tracks that I had to skip through on first listen (sing about me).
I love some of his single tracks (like detox, rigamortis) and felt upon the first few listens that finally there's an interesting rapper with actual lyrycs from the west coast, but I'm not feeling the mellow singsongy bits at all. It seems this is the focus of this album instead of the crazy creative delivery from the tracks i mentioned^.
It sounds terribly selfindulgent (even for a rapper) as if he wants to be able to sing but realizes he can't and then instead gets another proper vocalist on the track and then he just dubs what that other vocal does.
The style is not particularly original either. There's way too many skits and little intermissions. Lazy. Also the way the chorus of poetic justice is reminiscent of swimming pools pisses me off.
I hate to be a hater and Im going to give it more ear, but im definately dissapointed.

[wolf89]

Maybe I haven't listened enough but I'm really not blown away by this

[Jizz]

I think I'm going to take Compton off my phone and put C&C as the last tune of the album.

haha yeah, already did

[Maccaveli]

Some really bad tracks that I had to skip through on first listen (sing about me).

Did you listen to the lyrics properly? I don't know how any hip hop fan could possibly think that song is 'really bad'... This writeup of it pretty much puts it better than I ever could:

Sing About Me

Verse 1 – from the perspective of Dave's brother. He says the blood is on Kendrick's hands because the whole situation happened out of revenge for something that happened to Kendrick. But he says he appreciates that Kendrick was there for his brother and held him while he was dying. Dave's brother wonders if he will ever discover a passion like Kendrick to get him out of the hood – he says he hopes Kendrick will remember him and sing about him when he makes it big, and if he dies before the album drops...pop, pop, pop – he gets killed.

Verse 2 – from the perspective of Keisha's sister. She is mad at Kendrick for putting her sister on blast (on Section 80) without even knowing her properly. She talks about how she is living the same life as her sister, as a prostitute, and is proud of her living and what she does. She claims not to be just another woman lost in the system. She says her sister died in vein. Unlike Dave's brother she doesn't want to be sang about on the album. She feels great and says she'll never fade away....but then she does, her vocals slowly fade out in to obscurity...perhaps she died or just became another nameless "hoodrat".

Verse 3 – from Kendrick's perspective. Looking in the mirror. His fear of death. He speaks to Dave's brother, agreeing that Dave was like a brother to him. He speaks to Keisha's sister saying that Keisha's story was the one that drove him to write something that powerful and real – he didn't mean to offend. He talks of how music saved him and pulled him away from the drugs, money and guns.

[say_whut]

Gutted Cartoons & Cereal didn't make it, but this album is top notch

[Phigure]

Some really bad tracks that I had to skip through on first listen (sing about me).

Did you listen to the lyrics properly? I don't know how any hip hop fan could possibly think that song is 'really bad'... This writeup of it pretty much puts it better than I ever could:

Sing About Me

Verse 1 – from the perspective of Dave's brother. He says the blood is on Kendrick's hands because the whole situation happened out of revenge for something that happened to Kendrick. But he says he appreciates that Kendrick was there for his brother and held him while he was dying. Dave's brother wonders if he will ever discover a passion like Kendrick to get him out of the hood – he says he hopes Kendrick will remember him and sing about him when he makes it big, and if he dies before the album drops...pop, pop, pop – he gets killed.

Verse 2 – from the perspective of Keisha's sister. She is mad at Kendrick for putting her sister on blast (on Section 80) without even knowing her properly. She talks about how she is living the same life as her sister, as a prostitute, and is proud of her living and what she does. She claims not to be just another woman lost in the system. She says her sister died in vein. Unlike Dave's brother she doesn't want to be sang about on the album. She feels great and says she'll never fade away....but then she does, her vocals slowly fade out in to obscurity...perhaps she died or just became another nameless "hoodrat".

Verse 3 – from Kendrick's perspective. Looking in the mirror. His fear of death. He speaks to Dave's brother, agreeing that Dave was like a brother to him. He speaks to Keisha's sister saying that Keisha's story was the one that drove him to write something that powerful and real – he didn't mean to offend. He talks of how music saved him and pulled him away from the drugs, money and guns.

theres more to music than just lyrics though

[Maccaveli]

Well yeah of course but... in a genre where 2 Chainz and Chief Keef are allowed to exist I don't understand how anyone could call Sing About Me "really bad". Like, say what you want about the beat or the chorus but surely the lyrics alone are enough to at least partly redeem it.

[Phigure]

Well yeah of course but... in a genre where 2 Chainz and Chief Keef are allowed to exist I don't understand how anyone could call Song About Me "really bad". Like, say what you want about the beat or the chorus but surely the lyrics alone are enough to at least partly redeem it.

fair point, but i guess the "really bad" is in the relative context of the overwhelmingly positive response

[butter_man]

Ya bish! Money trees is dope shun

[Muncey]

Gutted Cartoons & Cereal didn't make it, but this album is top notch

This, would have liked to have Cartoons & Cereal on vinyl.. big album though.

[dreamizm]

Yes yes. Man's been sleeping!

[hubb]

Maccaveli wrote:
Well yeah of course but... in a genre where 2 Chainz and Chief Keef are allowed to exist I don't understand how anyone could call Song About Me "really bad". Like, say what you want about the beat or the chorus but surely the lyrics alone are enough to at least partly redeem it.

fair point, but i guess the "really bad" is in the relative context of the overwhelmingly positive response

Yeah, and also in the context of me thinking that this new album would be as refreshing stylistically as it was hearing his first couple of bits. Its the exact same thing for me as when dre and em watered down fifty. Its still good but not something i will recommend to people.

cheers for trying to have the lyric convince me.. I did listen to it already though on the album.

btw, what do people think about his singing?

[Maccaveli]

Yeah, and also in the context of me thinking that this new album would be as refreshing stylistically as it was hearing his first couple of bits. Its the exact same thing for me as when dre and em watered down fifty. Its still good but not something i will recommend to people.

cheers for trying to have the lyric convince me.. I did listen to it already though on the album.

btw, what do people think about his singing?

Hmm, we'll have to agree to disagree then. I'm not a huge fan of the singing, it never bothered me though. I suppose it made the already personal songs sound even more personal, but yeah it isn't exactly the greatest from a musical standpoint.

[didi]

The first 1 and a half minutes of The Art of Peer Pressure is waste.

[Lystric]

The first 1 and a half minutes of The Art of Peer Pressure is waste.

yep...this. Compton is the only one I keep coming back to besides that tune. album might need a couple more listens...

[Jizz]

The first 1 and a half minutes of The Art of Peer Pressure is waste.

yep...this. Compton is the only one I keep coming back to besides that tune. album might need a couple more listens...

whaaaat, I love that first minute and a half man, such a jam

[thatjsound]

The ones for me are definitely Real and The Recipe. Anna Wise's voice

[E-F]

Well yeah of course but... in a genre where 2 Chainz and Chief Keef are allowed to exist I don't understand how anyone could call Sing About Me "really bad". Like, say what you want about the beat or the chorus but surely the lyrics alone are enough to at least partly redeem it.

don't see your point?