Lol, just seen this posted on another forum and was dying
Friend took aux cable at a party and put on some Real Hip Hop, got us kicked out
Idk what the artist was, but he cut off Exchange by tiller, played some 60 year old rapper idk who but he was so hyped cause of the bars, but nobody was feeling it, myself included. I walked away, they came and kicked him out then he said âyo Deech theyâre kicking me out man where to nextâ and ofc they came to kick me out too. This guy ainât my friend anymore, ainât no time for that shit
Been listening to this album again for the past three days. Think these are a collection of RZAâs best beats, Lone Wolf and Cub samples are amazing and fit the whole mood of this album. Going to switch it up and listen to OB4QL tomorrow now
Guess I have to pick DAMN because of replay value, TPAB too much of a mood album and itâs difficult to play front to back if Iâm not in the mood for it. That said, Iâll still put it ahead of S80 & GKMC because the level of rapping is better imo and it has the better individual tracks.
Edit: GKMC & S80 actually really close and I was tempted to switch them after posting. On second thought, I probably lean towards S80 > GKMC because of A.D.H.D, Poe Mans Dreams and Kush & Corinthians which I put amongst his very best tracks.
Havenât listened to Section 80 if Iâm honest, a big oversight on my part probably.
GKMC
TPAB
DAMN
Top two slots required some thought, and I could rotate the two depending on mood. Was easy to put DAMN last if Iâm honest as I feel like itâs easily the weakest of the albums of his Iâm familiar with. Kind of surprised to see you put it first.
Iâve actually been meaning to ask people on here how they rank them so itâs funny to see youâve done the same Burg lol
I think thereâs a lot more to like about TPAB but I had to put DAMN first because of its replay value which is the best of the 4 imo. And the run from DNA to FEEL is the best 4 track run I can think of by anyone.
Just recently got into J.I.D, he really might be next up.
The reason I have TPAB last is its nonexistent replay value. I literally havenât touched it since 2015, save for a couple of plays of Blacker the Berry.
I understand itâs subject matter is important and it may be a crucial set of art for the time it came out, but it is an âoscar baitâ album (if music can be Oscar bait lol) made more for critics and less for the average music fan to listen to.
Section 80 was a great major debut and like you said ADHD, fuck your ethnicity and other were brilliant. I still find myself coming back to a few of those.
Ronald Reagan era, Poe Manâs dreams are scene setting songs and Keishaâs song is probably in my top 5 Kendrick Songs.
Now I listened to this after GKMC but if I hadnât then Keishaâs song would be where Kendrick would announce himself as an elite storyteller for me.
DAMN. Is brilliant and like you said has lots of replay value. The new sound he has, the more aggressive beats and almost grime beats he has In some of his songs show he isnât afraid of mixing things up and adapting to the times. To pull that off is not a mean feat, and boy does he. I had GOD on replay for the whole summer basically. DAMN is second only to 4:44 for my 2017 AOTY.
GKMC is my number 1. As I said earlier, this was my first Kendrick album, and my oh my it is a classic. Now I grew up with old school 90s west coast hip hop, and this album is an eye opener in how the atmosphere has changed there since then. It was an entry to modern day Compton/LA. Kendrickâs storytelling brought that world alive and I loved every second. From his coming of age stories, to the harsh realities of being in that environment (and you could tell how uncomfortable he felt in that environment in songs like the art of peer pressure). If I ever want to take a journey through modern day Compton when youâre just trying to be a regular kid around the gangbangers etc I know this album is the one.
Itâs his most cohesive project and gives us a whole story to listen to, with a proper beginning middle and end.
MAAD City, Swimming Pools, Sing about Me, Backstreet Freestyle are song I keep coming back to and this album retains its replay value today.
Considering the nature of the black experience in America, it is timeless. I canât see how it has lost any relevance.
Hip hop should be speaking to the black experience so I donât really see how it is for the critics and not the listener if Iâm honest. More hip hop should be doing this and I love how political it is.
I do really disagree with the replay value part, but that is purely subjective so thereâs no reason why we shouldnât disagree here.
I like your post though, love the thought that has gone into it (Iâm quoting a small part of it). 100% agreed with what you said about GKMC, youâve managed to articulate my feeling about it in a way that has helped explain why I like it so much in ways I hadnât really articulated to myself.
Exactly, you did a good job describing the feeling I have toward TPAB. I would add the qualification to your post that itâs an ââoscar baitâ album (if music can be Oscar bait lol) made more for a certain type of criticââthat is, the one looking specifically for social commentary.
My ranking would probably be:
1.Section 80
t2. GKMC (prefer Section 80 because I perhaps donât value the story-telling aspect of GKMC as much as others; musically itâs great which is why someone like myself who is basically purely interested in the aesthetic/listenability value still loves it, but like the music in Section 80 more)
t2. DAMN (initially thought DAMN was probably the best but feel like it feels a little more empty as time passes; still think it was great
4. TPAB