I think it's great that kid takes an interest in music but any kid who takes his or her middle school band classes seriously could do that. Just saying.
everytime I think about DIIV, I'm reminded of a conversation I overheard at Bonnaroo '13
"ooh I love these guys! Who are they?"
"I think it's Earl Sweatshirt."
"Nah, this is DIIV." (Earl had cancelled)
"But the schedule says Earl Sweatshirt."
"Trust me, this is DIIV. Earl is a rapper."
"But they aren't rapping!"
"Because this isn't Earl Sweatshirt!"
"ugh whatever"
expected to reveal this comment and it be something like "Frank Ocean makes cool music and Channel Orange was a decent record but damn it wasn't all that calm down"; was disappointed.
"Nobody came away from that stream of unfunny jokes by rising comedians and cresting celebs with a greater respect for Justin Bieber."
Whatever man. Buress was killing it.
yo, no person who actually listens to any of those artists is arguing that Kendrick Lamar is doing anything that hasn't been done before. The secret to this album's success is the social climate in to which it was released IN ADDITION to how great it sounds. Don't hate on it because people incorrectly call it "experimental".
I'd argue that TPAB could stand with works from FlyLo, Badu, and Outkast. Shit, it surpasses the Roots' recent releases.
i'm saying. How could someone that passionate about rap music shit the bed so badly? I'm still mad about the "up his own ass" and the "i can't see myself playing this in an open whatever" thing. Like, damn. Maybe Kendrick Lamar wasn't trying to make some shit you can turn up to like that?
Insound is how I do most of my record shopping. It was great for people like me who don't live in areas with a variety of record shops. In Memphis, you have to decide which record store you're going to go to based on about a dozen different categories, and it's bullshit. There's literally two places that carry contemporary hip hop, R&B, and dance vinyl, one of which is Urban Outfitters, and even then it has to be something that's garnered a substantial amount of buzz. Then you have cliques like Goner Records, whom I actually believe decide not to sell new shit from bands they think are too famous.
This is a great album. Here's why:
Up until I was about 17, I'm hesitant to admit that I actually bought into the "post-racial society" bullshit. I hung out with all kinds of people, but the majority were white. I finally started to notice all of the little offenses against my race that I faced every day, and then I realize I was facing these offenses my whole life. It really made me feel foolish and weak. Things like the murders of black civilians by the police or racist vigilantes become obvious. It makes you angrier than you can imagine. I say this because even though you may scream and weep and fight for people like Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Tamir Race, and far too many others, if you aren't black, the overwhelming fear that those people could've been you is not present. Once again, insert the foolishness and the weakness. The more the country let us know that it didn't give two fucks or a damn about us, all of that turns to anger and sadness. These have been some rough years.
Where "To Pimp A Butterfly" fits into all of this, for me at least, is that Kendrick Lamar has undoubtedly gone through the same stages of grief for his race we all have, even more so with his fame and position. There's an extra steps for us, though, after acceptance -- power. "To Pimp A Butterfly" is that power. It's a catharsis. From its influences, it's contributors, it's musicality, and, most importantly, it's words; it's a celebration of unapologetic blackness.
If Lamar wanted to make an album for everyone, he would've just done more good kid. I think he wanted to make an album for us. For him. For me. And I don't mean to insinuate that non-black people can't enjoy this album for what it is, I'm just saying that there's a higher level of understanding there.
It's not that the comment was offensive, and I won't say that it wasn't slightly funny. But he also frequently reminds us that he does not like rap music. And I don't think he should walk up in here all flippant when the rest of us are being moved by this shit. And it is a little puritanical -- maybe this album is sacred.
I can't tell if that's sarcasm, but I mean, it's a 2Pac. This album is Kendrick Lamar having a conversation with 2Pac. That's just my knee-jerk analysis.
I actually got my Dad into Radiohead a couple years ago after never having listened to their music, which is hilarious because I know for a fact that he was listening to stuff like R.E.M. and Nirvana in the 90s. He loves the shit out of OK Computer.
Anyway, this mentality about artists bugs the fuck out of me: "It never looks like they’ll die if they stop. There’s nothing about what I’m seeing that denotes any urgency, there’s no bloodlust."
Well, maybe it doesn't seem like they'd die if they stopped making music because they're, you know, well-rounded people? I believe after being a band for like 25+ years and making millions of dollars while winning permanent critical acclaim earns a bit of "let's be boring" time without totally punk kids giving them shit for not having enough "bloodlust".
SIDE NOTE -- what's with white people and cussing in front of their parents? That shit has always confused me. I don't know any black person alive that can say "fuck" in front of their mommas and not get slapped.
It's really funny reading these reasons why Kelly Clarkson was "uncool" in 2002 by dated critical standards, but the only reason for me why Kelly Clarkson was uncool in 2002 is because I was a ten-year-old boy, and elementary school law dictated that "Since U Been Gone" was girl music.
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