New Kendrick Lamar album: Everyone's freaking out over the lack of bangers on To Pimp A Butterfly, and the outro conversation with 2Pac
It's an album for the hood not the club
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Kendrick Lamar released perhaps the most eagerly-anticipated album of the decade this morning, and coming a week early it's set everyone scrambling to Spotify and iTunes.
Though most have barely made it through more than one full listen yet, the internet of course demands snap opinions, here are the main conversation topics…
'Where are all the bangers?'
To Pimp A Butterfly doesn't have a single Maad City or Swimming Pools. There are no icy hi-hats or shuddering bass drops, it's all free jazz, atmosphere and layered narratives.
Some are bemoaning the fact that there are no obvious songs to blast at parties, leading to…
Inevitable comparisons with Drake's latest mixtape
These comparisons are bizarre given the two artists were clearly going for very different vibes. Drake was reminding you that he owns the club like no other, while K-Dot is trying to stake a claim in hip hop history.
As someone put it on Twitter, Drake gives you what you want, Kendrick gives you what you need.
This led to an old favourite in internet hip hop debate…
Everyone who doesn't like TPAB just doesn't 'get' it
This is always problematic. On the one hand yes, we should be after more than just trap bangers and be pleased that there are talents out there as big as Kendrick trying to shift the paradigm, kick down doors, be original and expose truths.
At the same time giving this album an automatic 10 out of 10 just because it's brave and experimental is dumb. An 'important' album doesn't equal a great one, and bold, socially aware lyrics don't mean that good beats aren't important too.
With first listen reviews rolling in, to properly determine whether this is album is as good as GKMC we'll need to wait for the 56th listen reviews, or the even more telling 1056th reviews.
Bonus side-topic:
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