Kendrick Lamar LP hype thread 2017

Kung fu Kenny!

Fucking love this track. Fucking love that album as well. Seems way too slept on for how good it is.

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From the artwork, I was expecting something more ferocious, so I was quite surprised by the largely laid back nature of the piece. But not in a negative way, since Iā€™ve connected with this Kendrick record quicker than any previous. Score rate is high here with some absolute scorchers: DNA, YAH, HUMBLE, LUST & FEAR to name five. As always with KL, there are a few duffers - Iā€™m looking at you LOYALTY (disgraceful misuse of Ri-Ri) and PRIDE - but overall this LP has touched down strong for me. Even U2 couldnā€™t ruin it.

Damn! Came here to post this. Although in honesty I would have left off the ā€˜-rā€™ and just gone with La-meh.
Given this 3 listens now and Iā€™m straight-up disappointed.

DAMN first reaction

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That can never be unheard.

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Have listened to this non-stop all weekend and in a few different contexts - itā€™s absolutely brilliant.

Itā€™s obviously shorter than GKMC and TPAB and might not have the musical scope of the latter, but thereā€™s still a lot to unpack conceptually and within the lyrics. Some thoughts:

  • DNA. might be the hardest track Iā€™ve heard all year. Didnā€™t have Mike Will and Kendrick down as an obvious pairing, but wow- between this and HUMBLE. I couldnā€™t have been more wrong. That switch in the beat and Kendrickā€™s flow after the second Fox News sample is :fire::fire::fire:.

  • The second verse of FEEL. is vintage Kendrick. So many quotable lines and brilliant wordplay.

  • I donā€™t actually mind LOYALTY., and Rihanna and Kendrick trading bars is pretty cool, though it doesnā€™t especially fit with the rest of the album - kind of like Poetic Justice in GKMC.

  • Not sure I get the criticism for PRIDE. and LUST. The beat on PRIDE. is maybe the best on the album, really funky despite the simple chord progression. If you want to feel old, Steve Lacy from The Internet produced it - heā€™s 18ā€¦ LUST. is a bit of a slow burner but reminds me of Aquemini era Outkast.

  • The Zacari hook on LOVE. is really catchy. Agree It sounds like it could be on a Drake album, but sing-rap is good to break things up sometimes and I really like Kendrickā€™s voice.

  • The last three tracks are so good. I think GOD. might be my current jam. Itā€™s got the euphoric, gospel beat like a TLOP song, just sounds more authentic. FEAR. has the most to unpack lyrically but I love Kendrickā€™s distinctive voice in each verse. Think itā€™ll be the key conceptually to the album (he mentions almost every track title in the last verse).

  • Love the 9th Wonder beat on DUCKWORTH. That Top Dawg / Kendrickā€™s dad story at the end hit me pretty hard - serious goosebumps moment.

Probably tl;dr, but yeah - AOTY so far for me.

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Yeah, fully love this now. Still not sold on some of the more sing-songy flows as I just donā€™t tend to be into them but theyā€™re still great versions of a thing that Iā€™m generally not into.

Canā€™t get over how hard DNA and those bits in XXX go, itā€™s fucking impossible to sit still and listen to them.

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All I wanted to do over Easter was sit down and listen to this but never had the time. On my 3rd back to back playthrough now, it keeps getting better. Looking forward to the next 500 listens.

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yeah this is great isnā€™t it. Doesnā€™t feel as big a statement as TPAB or even GKMC but as a showcase of his craft and a cementing of his spot at the top of the mountain atm itā€™s pretty nigh-on perfect

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Really like this. Pretty telling about the type of record heā€™s dropped beforehand that this initially felt low stakes bearing in mind what heā€™s tackling and how hard he goes on it. Another jazz epic would have probs brought on some fatigue, this feels fresh as fuck. Can do without lust at the moment but I figure this is gonna get a lot of spins. Also nice to hear him still trying out new styles.

Iā€™ve said it before but hoooly shit what a pleasure it is to hear this guy rhyme. the variety and consistency heā€™s shown is just amazing to me.

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The DNA video with Don Cheadle is perfect

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AOTY, 10/10

DNA is so good. Totally exhilarating on first listen and the impact hasnā€™t subsided. Rest is growing on me nicely too, but bloody hell that track

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Such a tease

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New album called KenFolk confirmed

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so when is it coming out exactly?

:joy: