Really? I think mAAd City is my favorite Kendrick song. You need to listen to GKMC front to back because it's a concept album. For example, Backseat Freestyle out of context is an extremely obnoxious brag freestyle. No depth, shallow to the very core.
In the context of GKMC, Backseat Freestyle takes place after a 15 year old Kendrick is convinced to steal his moms van by his friends. The following song "The Art of Peer Pressure" describes his conflicting feelings about the trouble his friends put him in and his real passions (the conflict between the "good kid" kendrick and the mad city trying to draw him into a life of drugs and violence).
I still think it's an album that works a lot better if you can personally relate to it. I grew up in similar situations, never quite feeling the same pressure Kendrick did (being white, no one wanted me to join a gang or anything like that) but definitely had many friends in the same situation.
Edit - Actually I think he stole his moms van so he could go fuck a hoodrat he met at a party, his friends decided to tag along. A good portion of the album is self critical, a song like Swimming Pools seems like a club banger about having fun with liquor on the surface but in the lyrics and even more so in the context of the album is an indictment of how alcohol destroys lives.
On July 12 2013 06:17 DoctorHelvetica wrote: dunno if anyone has read this but here is a really cool breakdown of the flow/rhymeschemes on good kid maad city and a very well argued case for kendrick being one of the best mc's (if not the best) in the game right now: http://www.rapanalysis.com/2012/11/rap-music-analysis-14-kendrick-lamar.html
lol this is hilarious the suburban white kid clinical approach to hip hop
On July 13 2013 07:22 Bibbit wrote: Just finally checked out Kendrick since he's been so hyped and holy shit I dont think I've ever been more disappointed musically. Admittedly I got off to a bad start with Maad City and Backseat Freestyle (?) which I didn't like at all but the next few were better. Still, it's not for me.
??? lmao why in the world would you listen to singles off an album and proceed to judge the rest of his work on that basis
On July 12 2013 06:17 DoctorHelvetica wrote: dunno if anyone has read this but here is a really cool breakdown of the flow/rhymeschemes on good kid maad city and a very well argued case for kendrick being one of the best mc's (if not the best) in the game right now: http://www.rapanalysis.com/2012/11/rap-music-analysis-14-kendrick-lamar.html
lol this is hilarious the suburban white kid clinical approach to hip hop
On July 13 2013 07:22 Bibbit wrote: Just finally checked out Kendrick since he's been so hyped and holy shit I dont think I've ever been more disappointed musically. Admittedly I got off to a bad start with Maad City and Backseat Freestyle (?) which I didn't like at all but the next few were better. Still, it's not for me.
??? lmao why in the world would you listen to singles off an album and proceed to judge the rest of his work on that basis
rapgenius is the suburban white kid approach to hip-hop, there's nothing "white" about music theory. do you think guys like kendrick, nas, tupac, etc. never studied music or think about things like phrasing, bars, rhyme schemes, etc.? they absolutely do. Eminem is a rapper consistently praised by other rappers for the exact (word for word) same reasons this guy goes over in his blog. Multisyllables, complex and unorthodox rhyme schemes, phrasing, etc.
On July 12 2013 06:17 DoctorHelvetica wrote: dunno if anyone has read this but here is a really cool breakdown of the flow/rhymeschemes on good kid maad city and a very well argued case for kendrick being one of the best mc's (if not the best) in the game right now: http://www.rapanalysis.com/2012/11/rap-music-analysis-14-kendrick-lamar.html
lol this is hilarious the suburban white kid clinical approach to hip hop
On July 13 2013 07:22 Bibbit wrote: Just finally checked out Kendrick since he's been so hyped and holy shit I dont think I've ever been more disappointed musically. Admittedly I got off to a bad start with Maad City and Backseat Freestyle (?) which I didn't like at all but the next few were better. Still, it's not for me.
??? lmao why in the world would you listen to singles off an album and proceed to judge the rest of his work on that basis
Because "just listen[ing] to singles off an album" is how most music is initially judged?
That said I was unaware it was a concept album. I'll give it a listen front-to-back when I have some time. Thanks DoctorHelvetica
On July 13 2013 07:35 DoctorHelvetica wrote: Really? I think mAAd City is my favorite Kendrick song. You need to listen to GKMC front to back because it's a concept album. For example, Backseat Freestyle out of context is an extremely obnoxious brag freestyle. No depth, shallow to the very core.
In the context of GKMC, Backseat Freestyle takes place after a 15 year old Kendrick is convinced to steal his moms van by his friends. The following song "The Art of Peer Pressure" describes his conflicting feelings about the trouble his friends put him in and his real passions (the conflict between the "good kid" kendrick and the mad city trying to draw him into a life of drugs and violence).
I still think it's an album that works a lot better if you can personally relate to it. I grew up in similar situations, never quite feeling the same pressure Kendrick did (being white, no one wanted me to join a gang or anything like that) but definitely had many friends in the same situation.
Edit - Actually I think he stole his moms van so he could go fuck a hoodrat he met at a party, his friends decided to tag along. A good portion of the album is self critical, a song like Swimming Pools seems like a club banger about having fun with liquor on the surface but in the lyrics and even more so in the context of the album is an indictment of how alcohol destroys lives.
Context is slightly inaccurate, he steals the van after Backseat Freestyle in order to go visit Sherane (album takes place out of order, the voicemail at the end of backseat/before peer pressure mentions dropping kendrick off at his mom's van so he can "fuck with Sherane") His friends don't tag along, they meet up later, after Kendrick gets jumped. But yeah, your point still stands, I think the album is a lot better listened to front to back.
On July 12 2013 06:17 DoctorHelvetica wrote: dunno if anyone has read this but here is a really cool breakdown of the flow/rhymeschemes on good kid maad city and a very well argued case for kendrick being one of the best mc's (if not the best) in the game right now: http://www.rapanalysis.com/2012/11/rap-music-analysis-14-kendrick-lamar.html
lol this is hilarious the suburban white kid clinical approach to hip hop
On July 13 2013 07:22 Bibbit wrote: Just finally checked out Kendrick since he's been so hyped and holy shit I dont think I've ever been more disappointed musically. Admittedly I got off to a bad start with Maad City and Backseat Freestyle (?) which I didn't like at all but the next few were better. Still, it's not for me.
??? lmao why in the world would you listen to singles off an album and proceed to judge the rest of his work on that basis
rapgenius is the suburban white kid approach to hip-hop, there's nothing "white" about music theory. do you think guys like kendrick, nas, tupac, etc. never studied music or think about things like phrasing, bars, rhyme schemes, etc.? they absolutely do. Eminem is a rapper consistently praised by other rappers for the exact (word for word) same reasons this guy goes over in his blog. Multisyllables, complex and unorthodox rhyme schemes, phrasing, etc.
they [the websites] both are, really I'm not hating on it for being retarded or wrong, I just think it's hilarious when I conjur a mental image of Dre or Em mentoring kdot - the three of them in a studio poring over scores and suggesting that he should lead his anacrusis into a syncopated sixteenth quintuplet with multisyllable phrases and alternating internal rhyme schemes. ???? point is, there's certainly quite the disconnect between the music and the theory behind it, especially in this genre.
On July 12 2013 06:17 DoctorHelvetica wrote: dunno if anyone has read this but here is a really cool breakdown of the flow/rhymeschemes on good kid maad city and a very well argued case for kendrick being one of the best mc's (if not the best) in the game right now: http://www.rapanalysis.com/2012/11/rap-music-analysis-14-kendrick-lamar.html
lol this is hilarious the suburban white kid clinical approach to hip hop
On July 13 2013 07:22 Bibbit wrote: Just finally checked out Kendrick since he's been so hyped and holy shit I dont think I've ever been more disappointed musically. Admittedly I got off to a bad start with Maad City and Backseat Freestyle (?) which I didn't like at all but the next few were better. Still, it's not for me.
??? lmao why in the world would you listen to singles off an album and proceed to judge the rest of his work on that basis
rapgenius is the suburban white kid approach to hip-hop, there's nothing "white" about music theory. do you think guys like kendrick, nas, tupac, etc. never studied music or think about things like phrasing, bars, rhyme schemes, etc.? they absolutely do. Eminem is a rapper consistently praised by other rappers for the exact (word for word) same reasons this guy goes over in his blog. Multisyllables, complex and unorthodox rhyme schemes, phrasing, etc.
they [the websites] both are, really I'm not hating on it for being retarded or wrong, I just think it's hilarious when I conjur a mental image of Dre or Em mentoring kdot - the three of them in a studio poring over scores and suggesting that he should lead his anacrusis into a syncopated sixteenth quintuplet with multisyllable phrases and alternating internal rhyme schemes. ???? point is, there's certainly quite the disconnect between the music and the theory behind it, especially in this genre.
Yeah, that is a hilarious idea but Kendrick definitely has a grasp on concepts like that beyond most rappers, even if it's instinctual for him. When you study music theory (which I have) it's hard to turn that part of your brain off listening to shit you know? My best friend is a film major and he basically can't talk about movies like a normal person at all cause he deconstructs everything so much.
On July 13 2013 07:46 DoctorHelvetica wrote: Just know that the second half is probably better for white people
maad city is the climax of that album though, what didn't you like about that track?
I'm not so into the "thug" stuff in general. If I'm being quite honest, I really can't relate at all which probably puts a damper on it.
Kendrick ain't a thug nor does he brag about it. Don't look at it as glorification of a lifestyle, look at it as storytelling. Kendrick is describing his environment and the lifestyles of those around him and he does it in a pretty direct way. When he talks about himself he's talking about his unease with it and his desperation to escape that life.
If "maad city" came off as "thug" stuff to you, you didn't read the lyrics or it just went over your head tbh I mean the last verse is not subtle at all
On July 12 2013 06:17 DoctorHelvetica wrote: dunno if anyone has read this but here is a really cool breakdown of the flow/rhymeschemes on good kid maad city and a very well argued case for kendrick being one of the best mc's (if not the best) in the game right now: http://www.rapanalysis.com/2012/11/rap-music-analysis-14-kendrick-lamar.html
lol this is hilarious the suburban white kid clinical approach to hip hop
On July 13 2013 07:22 Bibbit wrote: Just finally checked out Kendrick since he's been so hyped and holy shit I dont think I've ever been more disappointed musically. Admittedly I got off to a bad start with Maad City and Backseat Freestyle (?) which I didn't like at all but the next few were better. Still, it's not for me.
??? lmao why in the world would you listen to singles off an album and proceed to judge the rest of his work on that basis
rapgenius is the suburban white kid approach to hip-hop, there's nothing "white" about music theory. do you think guys like kendrick, nas, tupac, etc. never studied music or think about things like phrasing, bars, rhyme schemes, etc.? they absolutely do. Eminem is a rapper consistently praised by other rappers for the exact (word for word) same reasons this guy goes over in his blog. Multisyllables, complex and unorthodox rhyme schemes, phrasing, etc.
they [the websites] both are, really I'm not hating on it for being retarded or wrong, I just think it's hilarious when I conjur a mental image of Dre or Em mentoring kdot - the three of them in a studio poring over scores and suggesting that he should lead his anacrusis into a syncopated sixteenth quintuplet with multisyllable phrases and alternating internal rhyme schemes. ???? point is, there's certainly quite the disconnect between the music and the theory behind it, especially in this genre.
Yeah, that is a hilarious idea but Kendrick definitely has a grasp on concepts like that beyond most rappers, even if it's instinctual for him. When you study music theory (which I have) it's hard to turn that part of your brain off listening to shit you know? My best friend is a film major and he basically can't talk about movies like a normal person at all cause he deconstructs everything so much.
On July 13 2013 07:46 DoctorHelvetica wrote: Just know that the second half is probably better for white people
maad city is the climax of that album though, what didn't you like about that track?
I'm not so into the "thug" stuff in general. If I'm being quite honest, I really can't relate at all which probably puts a damper on it.
Kendrick ain't a thug nor does he brag about it. Don't look at it as glorification of a lifestyle, look at it as storytelling. Kendrick is describing his environment and the lifestyles of those around him and he does it in a pretty direct way. When he talks about himself he's talking about his unease with it and his desperation to escape that life.
If "maad city" came off as "thug" stuff to you, you didn't read the lyrics or it just went over your head tbh I mean the last verse is not subtle at all
I mean, I get it but I absolutely can't relate which really hurts the story. You said you can relate, perhaps you can't relate to how not being able to relate to a narrative makes it less powerful to you. Apologies for that ridiculous sentence but hopefully you see what I mean.
On July 12 2013 06:17 DoctorHelvetica wrote: dunno if anyone has read this but here is a really cool breakdown of the flow/rhymeschemes on good kid maad city and a very well argued case for kendrick being one of the best mc's (if not the best) in the game right now: http://www.rapanalysis.com/2012/11/rap-music-analysis-14-kendrick-lamar.html
lol this is hilarious the suburban white kid clinical approach to hip hop
On July 13 2013 07:22 Bibbit wrote: Just finally checked out Kendrick since he's been so hyped and holy shit I dont think I've ever been more disappointed musically. Admittedly I got off to a bad start with Maad City and Backseat Freestyle (?) which I didn't like at all but the next few were better. Still, it's not for me.
??? lmao why in the world would you listen to singles off an album and proceed to judge the rest of his work on that basis
rapgenius is the suburban white kid approach to hip-hop, there's nothing "white" about music theory. do you think guys like kendrick, nas, tupac, etc. never studied music or think about things like phrasing, bars, rhyme schemes, etc.? they absolutely do. Eminem is a rapper consistently praised by other rappers for the exact (word for word) same reasons this guy goes over in his blog. Multisyllables, complex and unorthodox rhyme schemes, phrasing, etc.
they [the websites] both are, really I'm not hating on it for being retarded or wrong, I just think it's hilarious when I conjur a mental image of Dre or Em mentoring kdot - the three of them in a studio poring over scores and suggesting that he should lead his anacrusis into a syncopated sixteenth quintuplet with multisyllable phrases and alternating internal rhyme schemes. ???? point is, there's certainly quite the disconnect between the music and the theory behind it, especially in this genre.
Yeah, that is a hilarious idea but Kendrick definitely has a grasp on concepts like that beyond most rappers, even if it's instinctual for him. When you study music theory (which I have) it's hard to turn that part of your brain off listening to shit you know? My best friend is a film major and he basically can't talk about movies like a normal person at all cause he deconstructs everything so much.
Haha I definetly know what you mean, I study maths and when I was watching the Wimbledon final I spent so much time thinking about how the players were both using their challenges pretty optimally that I couldn't really just enjoy the tennis.
On July 12 2013 06:17 DoctorHelvetica wrote: dunno if anyone has read this but here is a really cool breakdown of the flow/rhymeschemes on good kid maad city and a very well argued case for kendrick being one of the best mc's (if not the best) in the game right now: http://www.rapanalysis.com/2012/11/rap-music-analysis-14-kendrick-lamar.html
lol this is hilarious the suburban white kid clinical approach to hip hop
On July 13 2013 07:22 Bibbit wrote: Just finally checked out Kendrick since he's been so hyped and holy shit I dont think I've ever been more disappointed musically. Admittedly I got off to a bad start with Maad City and Backseat Freestyle (?) which I didn't like at all but the next few were better. Still, it's not for me.
??? lmao why in the world would you listen to singles off an album and proceed to judge the rest of his work on that basis
rapgenius is the suburban white kid approach to hip-hop, there's nothing "white" about music theory. do you think guys like kendrick, nas, tupac, etc. never studied music or think about things like phrasing, bars, rhyme schemes, etc.? they absolutely do. Eminem is a rapper consistently praised by other rappers for the exact (word for word) same reasons this guy goes over in his blog. Multisyllables, complex and unorthodox rhyme schemes, phrasing, etc.
they [the websites] both are, really I'm not hating on it for being retarded or wrong, I just think it's hilarious when I conjur a mental image of Dre or Em mentoring kdot - the three of them in a studio poring over scores and suggesting that he should lead his anacrusis into a syncopated sixteenth quintuplet with multisyllable phrases and alternating internal rhyme schemes. ???? point is, there's certainly quite the disconnect between the music and the theory behind it, especially in this genre.
Yeah, that is a hilarious idea but Kendrick definitely has a grasp on concepts like that beyond most rappers, even if it's instinctual for him. When you study music theory (which I have) it's hard to turn that part of your brain off listening to shit you know? My best friend is a film major and he basically can't talk about movies like a normal person at all cause he deconstructs everything so much.
On July 13 2013 08:28 Bibbit wrote:
On July 13 2013 07:46 DoctorHelvetica wrote: Just know that the second half is probably better for white people
maad city is the climax of that album though, what didn't you like about that track?
I'm not so into the "thug" stuff in general. If I'm being quite honest, I really can't relate at all which probably puts a damper on it.
Kendrick ain't a thug nor does he brag about it. Don't look at it as glorification of a lifestyle, look at it as storytelling. Kendrick is describing his environment and the lifestyles of those around him and he does it in a pretty direct way. When he talks about himself he's talking about his unease with it and his desperation to escape that life.
If "maad city" came off as "thug" stuff to you, you didn't read the lyrics or it just went over your head tbh I mean the last verse is not subtle at all
I mean, I get it but I absolutely can't relate which really hurts the story. You said you can relate, perhaps you can't relate to how not being able to relate to a narrative makes it less powerful to you. Apologies for that ridiculous sentence but hopefully you see what I mean.
The idea behind GKMC is that the album starts off from the perspective of a young Kendrick getting involved in stuff he shouldn't. The thug stuff at the start of the album is him rapping from the perspective of his younger self. The skit at the end of Swimming Pools is based on a real life event that happened to Kendrick Lamar and made him straighten up and start focusing on rap more.
Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst is my favourite song on the album, I think it's just an amazing song. The first verse is from the perspective of one of his childhood friends, the 2nd is from the perspective of the sister of "Keisha" who was a prostitute Kendrick Lamar made a song about called "Keisha's Song" on his album Section.80, the final verse is from the perspective of Kendrick Lamar and he responds to the characters in the first 2 verses and raps about music saved him pulled him away from the life he could have left. The skit at the end is the ending of the storyline from GKMC, the rest of the songs aren't related to the actual storyline. They're also less thug because their from the perspective of modern day Kendrick Lamar and he's not really a thug rapper.
You don't necessarily need to be able to relate to narratives to enjoy them, there's also something interesting and impactful about going along with a narrator who thinks/lives so differently from you. kendrick does a good enough job painting a picture of the situation (not on biggie level but very good) and environment that I think anybody could grasp the situation if they tried
On July 13 2013 11:56 DoctorHelvetica wrote: You don't necessarily need to be able to relate to narratives to enjoy them, there's also something interesting and impactful about going along with a narrator who thinks/lives so differently from you. kendrick does a good enough job painting a picture of the situation (not on biggie level but very good) and environment that I think anybody could grasp the situation if they tried
Haha yeah. I'll concede this was my fault for wording poorly. Calling Lamar's music "thug stuff" wasn't fair. It just deals with these "street" (Dr. H I know you're good with words, help me find the right one here!) themes and that's not my particular brand of hip hop.
I have now listened to the whole album. I quite liked "Art of Peer Pressure" but again, just not for me.
Thanks for remaining civil, I know differences of musical taste can have a way of spiraling out of control :D
Street themes is fine, it's not for everybody. At least you're not saying anything dismissive or ignorant about it. I'll argue to the death with anybody that says Kendrick can't rap and can't write but not everybody has to like him.
My favorite part of that whole album is the bit of The Art of Peer Pressure that sounds straight out of Bone Thugz discog
On July 13 2013 12:12 DoctorHelvetica wrote: Street themes is fine, it's not for everybody. At least you're not saying anything dismissive or ignorant about it. I'll argue to the death with anybody that says Kendrick can't rap and can't write but not everybody has to like him.
My favorite part of that whole album is the bit of The Art of Peer Pressure that sounds straight out of Bone Thugz discog
Happy ending!
Also I'm glad this thread has created actual discussion instead of lists of youtube videos. Pretty impressive.
Woah, I disappear for a bit and suddenly some actual discussion kicks off! :p
And about Kendrick Lamar as well, excellent. I think I disagree pretty heavily that GKMC is only relatable in terms of being a "street" album, whatever the fuck that means.
Peer pressure, Alcoholism, mortality, they are all pretty universal themes. I know that I have nothing in common with someone growing up in compton during the 90s, yet I still completely enjoy the album.
Also, Backseat Freestyle absolutely bangs
KILLING EVERYTHING FROM PUSSY TO A MOTHERFUCKING HITOBOY BEAT
EPT
