Kendrick Lamar

[Hugh Jass II]

5 minutes ago, JoeyT said:

I have a strange feeling if he'd released an album of white noise you'd be saying the same.

I’m reminded of this from the Arcade Fire thread this time last week..

I think this is my least favourite album of theirs. It’s their solar power. As in the die hard fans are trying to convince themselves it’s still good in denial. 
 

(I’m only teasing by the way Matt)

[MaxPower]

On about listen 5 now or so. do think it’s great, I don’t think it’s as good as GKMC or TPAB, think there’s definitely a lull in the middle, but plenty of great stuff. 

N95, Purple Hearts and Mr Morale the big tracks for the live set, Die Hard too I suppose but I’m not big on it.

United in Grief, Auntie Diaries and Mother i Sober are so intense.

His mentions of Keem on it and their relationship has made me view Keem in a different light; and I think it’s really nice that Kendrick has basically just really helped out his cousin. Good for him.

[zero000]

The commentary on inter generational trauma on Mother I Sober is so carefully thought through and crafted. Very powerful.

Seems to be a bit of a theme of his recent releases with the Heart Pt 5 also touching on it too. 

[TiZuff]

mother i sober is just on another level. will be in the convo for song of the year

Edited May 13, 2022 by TiZuff

[JackDoesDrawing]

Just welled up a bit on the second listen-through of Mother I Sober, reading with lyrics up. Fucking incredible. Generational talent. 

[DropBeat]

Auntie Diaries > Mr Morale > Mother I Sober blew my mind on first listen. The lyricism!

 

I respect the delivery of this album too. No single, no upfront tracklist, no clips or teasers, no leaks. Allowed me to wake up, make a coffee, ignore the internet and just press play and soak it in. Quite the listening experience in this day and age.

Using The Heart Pt5 on Monday to send hype into overdrive was a smart move too, without a lead single.

 

Can't wait to digest it further with more listens.

[Guy Incognito]

3 hours ago, Hugh Jass II said:

We Cry Together is a massive misstep.

Sounds like it should be in an Eminem album.

This is a terrible take

[Acid Loafers]

I totally forgot about the white girl N-word incident on stage. 

[Matt42]

I hope the opening of his set has the refrain “I hope you find some peace of mind” or the “we may not know which way to go” 

I love that vocal that repeats throughout the album.

[Slugy]

Maybe a bit early in the day but anyone willing to take a stab at that set list now we have the new record? Assuming he does not go album by album like Day N Vegas and plays as long, here is my take.

Crown - (chorus/outro) - (tape)

Mr. Morale

ELEMENT

Wesley's Theory/For Fee

King Kunta

Swimming Pools (Drank)

A.D.H.D

Backseat Freestyle

Savior/N95/family ties - (w/ Keem)

LOYALTY

Money Trees

Die Hard

Father Time - (/w Sampha)

i

LOVE

Mirror

m.A.A.d city

Encore 1

BLOOD - (tape)

DNA

HUMBLE

Encore 2

Count Me Out

Alright

Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe

 

[jparx]

So much going on with this record. First listen and for me it's left a better first impression than DAMN. The Auntie Dorries three track run at the end is a masterpiece as everyone is saying. Might click on further listens but it did feel as though it sagged in the middle a bit, but might just be overwhelmed with everything going on here.

[TiZuff]

i shouldnt really care what if the casual music fan will enjoy these songs live but at glastonbury i kinda feel some of these songs may have that "yeezus / my beautiful dark twisted fantasy" moment. where fans are losing their minds they are seeing these songs live while the majority are looking at each other shrugging their shoulders.

 

should i care? fuck knows,

 

you cant please everybody.

[Hugh Jass II]

Just now, Slugy said:

Maybe a bit early in the day but anyone willing to take a stab at that set list now we have the new record? Assuming he does not go album by album like Day N Vegas and plays as long, here is my take.

Crown - (chorus/outro) - (tape)

Mr. Morale

ELEMENT

Wesley's Theory/For Fee

King Kunta

Swimming Pools (Drank)

A.D.H.D

Backseat Freestyle

Savior/N95/family ties - (w/ Keem)

LOYALTY

Money Trees

Die Hard

Father Time - (/w Sampha)

i

LOVE

Mirror

m.A.A.d city

Encore 1

BLOOD - (tape)

DNA

HUMBLE

Encore 2

Count Me Out

Alright

Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe

 

That’ll do.

[sildante]

I'm loving the album, although it's very much still marinating so it's too early for me to rank it against his others. Both TPAB and Damn didn't hit me fully on first listen and they are among my favourite albums now. Loved GKMC from my first listen but still today I still find things I didn't acknowledge or understand on the album (thank you Dissect et al).

The production on MM&TBS is exceptional and hugely creative at times, and there are layers upon layers of substance in the lyrics - which I suppose is what we've come to expect from Kendrick these days. It hasn't been out long enough for Genius / YouTube to help me out with some of them, and I'm sure many of the sub-themes and lyrical somersaults are likely going over my head at this early point - but I look forward to delving further.

There's definitely some correlation towards the difficult subjects and experiences he reveals about himself on the album and the controversial inclusion of Kodak throughout, but I need a few more listens to draw a proper conclusion on that.

I found the tap dancing motif throughout really sinister but so relevant.

Auntie Diaries is very powerful. Using that slur was incredibly bold, and personally I do think the shock and discomfort of hearing it (repeatedly) hugely helps get the point across which he sums up in the final bars. For obvious reasons though, it's not up to me to decide whether it's 'right' for him to use it in art form.

Favourite songs for me on the first few listens are United In Grief, Father Time, Count Me Out, Savior, Mr Morale and Mother I Sober, but enjoying all of them to some extent. I didn't really know what to expect from him with this one, but it's fair to say there aren't any other major hip hop artists making projects of this much depth and complexity at the moment.

[the wonderwhy]

7 minutes ago, Slugy said:

Maybe a bit early in the day but anyone willing to take a stab at that set list now we have the new record? Assuming he does not go album by album like Day N Vegas and plays as long, here is my take.

Crown - (chorus/outro) - (tape)

Mr. Morale

ELEMENT

Wesley's Theory/For Fee

King Kunta

Swimming Pools (Drank)

A.D.H.D

Backseat Freestyle

Savior/N95/family ties - (w/ Keem)

LOYALTY

Money Trees

Die Hard

Father Time - (/w Sampha)

i

LOVE

Mirror

m.A.A.d city

Encore 1

BLOOD - (tape)

DNA

HUMBLE

Encore 2

Count Me Out

Alright

Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe

 

needs more Auntie Diaries 

[Slugy]

4 minutes ago, the wonderwhy said:

needs more Auntie Diaries 

For me yes but I just can't see him doing it or Mother I Sober. I did try and lean more towards what we would call a greatest hits set.

[Guy Incognito]

11 minutes ago, Slugy said:

For me yes but I just can't see him doing it or Mother I Sober. I did try and lean more towards what we would call a greatest hits set.

Agreed

[Hugh Jass II]

Going in for a second listen...

[kalifire]

My first listen to most hip hop albums only pays a passing interest in the lyrics. Initially, I’m more interested in the vibe, the beats, the rhythmic flow of the thing. That’s why this album didn’t land amazingly on first listen. I could tell it was good but I guess I was hoping for something with more obvious bangers. 

A second listen with the lyrics to follow along with cements this album as fucking brilliant. I really don’t think it’s enough to listen to Kendrick once and have a qualified opinion. This man is a true artist. His music is layered, sometimes not to be taken at face value, and rewards repeat listens. 

I’m glad I’m not the only one reminded of Kim when listening to We Cry Together. It’s not a pleasant listen, whether it reflects domestic difficulties or not. But it’s not as crass as Kim and does have artistic purpose. It’s just not a song I’ll come back to. 

[Mouseboy11]

Wouldn’t surprise me if he only plays a select few off the new one anyway, he only played 3 off TPAB when I saw him at Reading

Edited May 13, 2022 by Mouseboy11

[Acid Loafers]

Was going to make a list of which tracks I thought we are most likely to see performed from the new album, but then decided to make a list of the full tracklist with the odds instead. Feel free to give your own takes if you want.

1. United in Grief (85%)
2. N95 (100%)
3. Worldwide Steppers (50%)
4. Die Hard (70%)
5. Father Time (80%)
6. Rich (Interlude) (40%)
7. Rich Spirit (85%)
8. We Cry Together (1%)
9. Purple Hearts (50%)
10. Count Me Out (75%)
11. Crown (40%)
12. Silent Hill (40%)
13. Savior (Interlude) (30%)
14. Savior (70%) (If Keem is there, closer to 90)
15. Auntie Diaries (1%)
16. Mr. Morale (100%)
17. Mother I Sober (20%)
18. Mirror (75%)

 

[TiZuff]

@Slugy funnily enough i was going through the setlist when i saw him do DAMN at the men in manchesrer and i was like... what the hell does he drop?! gonna be some big losers . if he is going for a theatrical setlist i think it will be heavy on the new album with the big hitters thrown in.

If hes going to drop the more meaningul slower stuff he will need drop a fair few bangers early which will allow him to get slower and introspective later on.

count me out

HUMBLE

Money trees

N95

Bitch Dont Kill my Vibe

Die Hard  special guest - burna boy

ADHD / ronald regan era/ hii power / fuck your ehtnicity mash up

 

LOYALTY

DNA

Maad city

Cartoons and cereal

Swimming Pools

ELEMENT

XXX

 

United in Grief

aunties diaries - acapella / spoken word with visuals , brings out Auntie Demtrius. everybody is in tears.

Mother I sober w/ Beth Gibbons of portishead

Father Time w/ sampha 

mr morale

 

Backsetat freestyle (how dare i miss this first time)

Fucking Problems Ft Asap Rocky

King Kunta
Alright

All the stars

Still Dre (ft dr dre and snoop dog )

 

Edited May 13, 2022 by TiZuff

[Hugh Jass II]

Having listened to WCT again it isn't quite as bad as I first thought, still not a massive fan but having listened to it knowing what's coming I can see some merit in it. 

[the wonderwhy]

Feel like these setlists are all a bit long. Be surprised if he goes over 20 songs unfortunately 

[Slugy]

14 minutes ago, TiZuff said:

@Slugy funnily enough i was going through the setlist when i saw him do DAMN at the men in manchesrer and i was like... what the hell does he drop?! gonna be some big losers . if he is going for a theatrical setlist i think it will be heavy on the new album with the big hitters thrown in.

If hes going to drop the more meaningul slower stuff he will need drop a fair few bangers early which will allow him to get slower and introspective later on.

count me out

HUMBLE

Money trees

N95

Bitch Dont Kill my Vibe

Die Hard  special guest - burna boy

ADHD / ronald regan era/ hii power / fuck your ehtnicity mash up

 

LOYALTY

DNA

Maad city

Cartoons and cereal

Swimming Pools

ELEMENT

XXX

 

United in Grief

aunties diaries - acapella / spoken word with visuals , brings out Auntie Demtrius. everybody is in tears.

Mother I sober w/ Beth Gibbons of portishead

Father Time w/ sampha 

mr morale

 

Backsetat freestyle (how dare i miss this first time)

Fucking Problems Ft Asap Rocky

King Kunta
Alright

All the stars

Still Dre (ft dr dre )

 

Was going to go for something like this but really hard to predict. I do think some of the songs do stand a album statement pieces and need to be listened to in context, would seriously throw the casual listener out of wack.