Amazing how that list cuts off around the mid-2000s, which implies that none of Kanye's work is on this level (or even 'Kast's 'Stankonia'). It's entirely possible for Kendrick's album to be on that level. Saying it's one of the greatest of all time doesn't mean it's better than those albums you list, it means it's in the same company. Also 'All Eyez on Me' is not an all-time. Way too much filler on that thing.
All of that said, this lineup is solid.
I might just be projecting because of how limited, or non-existent, my own experience with the Jacka is, but I feel like he was a dude that was under-appreciated by almost everyone. Sad to see the headline, but happy to see the videos because his music does deserve to be heard.
Not to do his defense for him, but a great example is not including 'Someday My Prince Will Come' which is a Columbia studio album of Davis' from 1961. Under those parameters it should absolutely be on the list, but somehow it isn't. I don't know if this was an oversight from the writer or not, but simple correctable errors like that really distract from the overall quality of the list.
Untouchable album from start to finish, don't know if I've ever recovered after hearing "Things Done Changed" for the first time. Only "criticism" I have is I don't know if the battle between Biggie and Meth on "The What" is as lopsided as Tom seems to think. Meth's rasp and the way he's inhaling when he raps just sounds incredible on that one.
Why is the same conflation happening here that happened on CoS earlier when they wrote about this? They didn't directly remove those ashes to make room for any outfit from Beyonce. Also it's the only piece of Freed material that seems to be leaving the Hall, so it's not like they're erasing the memory of him.
Love reading all the Internet boldness of people saying "I'd sue them" about a person who very clearly has tremendous problems in their own personal life.
I'm on my third listen through of this tape and even though it's "vault clearing" it really doesn't feel that way at all, everything blurs together incredibly well.
Like you Tom I've got my fingers tightly crossed that they can issue a whole album of this. 'Beautiful Pimp 2' is still one of my favorite tapes from the year, but Fortune over an album's worth of this kind of stuff would blow that out of the water.
I'd definitely agree that the vocals are the strongest part, particularly when they come back in after the initial "drop", but I don't think that makes the rest of the song weak.
I understand that people have soured on bass drops and they've largely lost their "wow factor" because we're inundated with them, but like Rustie's new track I think "Go" uses the drop incredibly well. Before it's just this haunting, mechanical mid-tempo number and after it's explosive "bubble trap rave". If that kind of transformation isn't exciting to you as a listener, you may be doing something wrong.
Does anyone else think of "I Want Wind to Blow" by The Microphones when the guitar part opens up around the 4 minute mark? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WvWkUhszeE&feature=kp
Terrific write-up. While I wasn't even born when this thing was at its apex, I have a permanent connection to this record and the title-track in particular because it was the first Springsteen song I ever heard and the utter desperation in his voice cast a spell on me that's still going to this day.
I don't entirely understand this gradual shift in public opinion on LDR. This is more a refinement of what she's been doing since those first few singles, than an outright rejection as some people seem to think.
I believe you when you say that not including "Imagine" was in "no way an attempt to foster outrage for its own sake," but that's exactly what'll happen regardless.
I really don't have any better way of saying this, I'm sick of any and all things related to the RZA at this point. Raekwon calling him an "out-of-touch control freak" is a perfect description.
One minor quibble on here for me is that 'Blowin Your Mind' could be a few spots higher. "Brown Eyed Girl", "He Ain't Give You None", and "T.B. Sheets" are all terrific songs
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