It’s good though.
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I’m with you, man. I am conscious of being the resident Kendrick Kontrarian, but that album barely registered 5 plays for me.
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Cold Visions > GNX (genuinely)
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Was always going to be top… dunno… 2, minimum. That’s aggregate lists for you. I think it was a solid year for rap music, but with very few consensus picks. So you have a well regarded album from the biggest rapper on the planet, and it ain’t gonna be beaten by a fairly average Milc record, or whatever. There were few universally adored big ticket albums, and few indies that really broke through in such a way that everyone will have heard them…
Hey hey, catching strays!
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Just the first name that came to my head 
Plus, you know, it’s a really good record
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By an absolute mile, not even close.
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Bladee is one of those artists where I feel like I’m an outsider looking in at an in-joke that I’m not privy to. Proper nails-chalkboard stuff.
There’s definitely an in, it’s an acquired taste and definitely something that couldn’t exist without the internet. Cold Visions is also particularly extreme and abrasive with fleeting soft or ethereal moments
Some of the recent stuff like Crest or The Fool might be an easier get-in. If this does nothing for you then maybe it’s not your bag:
I just think he needs to be held to higher standards. I was listening to good kid, m.A.A.d city earlier and there are moments on there that honestly still give me chills. GNX is decent, but… I dunno. Just felt half-arsed and totally forgettable. Plus some of those voices he’s started doing… Jesus.
He is an amazing talent, biggest rapper in forever, every album release feels like an event hip-hop fans across ages and tastes can get onboard with, but he shouldn’t be an automatic shoo-in for rap album of the year. And it feels like he is now. GNX is mid and nobody is convincing me otherwise.
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I love it. It’s got daft, fun songs, it’s got chilled, introspective songs. It’s like a Kendrick greatest hits.
TDE adjacent, Doechii’s tape is definitely better though. Which reminds me, need to change the order on my list.
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Yeah, I’d say it’s people holding him to different (and higher) standards than anyone else, rather than him not being held to standards to be honest. Music is massively subjective, but there’s plenty (guess I can say the majority, according to my own list) of albums discussed here that don’t beat it for rapping, nor lyrics, nor originality, nor hooks, nor production, nor nuffin’, in my opinion. And while we’re not here to rate longevity, plenty that’ll long be forgotten in a few months, while Kendrick’s record will be part of the rap annals.
It’s not as good as his first three records, but I think that those set expectations so high that something like GNX, which is pretty great in its own right, can somehow be seen as a letdown.
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Tierra Whack
Kim Gordon
Iceboy Violet
Kendrick
Doechii
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Hadn’t thought to classify the Kim Gordon record as hip-hop but it makes sense!
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In order?
Yeah
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See I revisited all his albums after GNX came out and aside from Good Kid, I think they’re overrated. To Pimp a Butterfly especially if I’m honest. A lot of the tracks just don’t click for me or I find them annoying and I don’t know, try-hard or taking itself too seriously. GNX felt a bit like a breath of fresh air, like fuck it let’s just make something enjoyable. Totally agree with you about some of his voices, really put me off on my first listen and still don’t love it. Just think it’s a pretty fun album and doesn’t take itself too seriously. The album isn’t in my top 5, just think it’s pretty good and does feel a bit like a best-of. That’s not something I’d necessarily defend from an artist I love…but Kendrick isn’t in that category for me. He’s an artist I enjoy sometimes.
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I like the Kendrick album. It’s cool, fun, easy to listen to.
But it lacks a bit of magic, IMO. The albums I love just have a spark, something I struggle to explain, but I’m more of an ‘albums’ person than an ‘artist’ person.
GNX feels kinda functional. It’s good. Nothing I could criticise about it. But something like Cold Visions just sounds like its own world, so cohesive and I can really get into it. Doesn’t make Bladee better than Kendrick or whatever. But love albums that feel like ‘a world’. Feel like that about the Skaiwater too, and Xav etc. GNX never clicked like that. Just sounds like a good record.
Explained that really badly, but I know what I mean!
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