Kendrick Lamar, Anthony Fantano and Albums.
The last few weeks have been revealing.
In this article, I documented how my musical taste has fluctuated over the last year. I am still enjoying the music I finished with. However, Anthony Fantano, the internet’s busiest music nerd, convinced me to give Kendrick Lamar a listen.
I had listened to Fantano’s praises of Kendrick Lamar before, but I didn’t like rap at the time. Now I do, so I thought I should give him a chance. Boy was that a good decision. Not only him, even Kanye West and many other rappers. Kendrick Lamar made a lasting impression though.
I gave his two most critically acclaimed albums a listen, “Good Kid m.A.A.d. City” and “To Pimp a Butterfly.”
They were exceptional and though I usually listen to singles, listened to both whole albums. I still prefer singles though. That is also the reason that I prefer Good kid m.A.A.d. City over TPAB.
Both of these albums are similar, and yet opposites. Both of are ‘conceptual’, meaning they are telling one single story through different songs, and different perspectives, on a single recurring topic. GKmC is about peer pressure and how his friends/acquaintances lured him into things he normally wouldn’t do. TPAB is about racism and its effects in America.
GKmC is very direct. Straight from the title to the songs. The title explicitly says good kid (meaning him), and mad city (meaning his companions), and just as the saying goes, you are only as good as your company.
The songs are very direct and tell a story in a straight line. Take “Backseat Freestyle” and “The Art of Peer Pressure” for example. In the first one, he is extravagant and over the top, and it is very unlike him. It becomes clear in the next song that he was with his friends and was forced to say things that his friends said. He is talking to himself in this song, and contemplating what happened and whether it should have — and whether or not it should in the future.
Another example would be the two title tracks. They are literally that. The first one is about himself, and the second is about how others affect him. Very, very good.
TPAB is one of the 5 10’s Fantano has given. As an album, it is more complex, harsher and yet not entirely direct, and about a much more delicate topic. I personally enjoy GKmC more, but I see how TPAB is better. I like two tracks off of this, “The Blacker the Berry” and “Alright,” and it is, for me, harder to follow. Not because I am dumb, but because I am not American.
I do not know anything about the politics surrounding racism and nor do I have the patience to go through every lyric and find its cultural relevance. It is very much likely that I am not even a part of his demographic, and that is probably the reason why I can’t fully appreciate this album.
What I can appreciate, though, is the importance of albums. I was neglecting the essence of albums by simply refusing to listen, and now that I have listened to two of the best albums of the decade, I can appreciate it and give other albums a chance. I gave Kids see Ghosts a chance, and got pleasantly surprised, three of the seven songs went directly to my playlist.
Another thing is that I am very grateful to Anthony Fantano for reviewing all kinds of music and stating very reasonable and understanding reasoning behind his thoughts about them, without his channel, I probably would not have listened to all of these great albums and would have stayed in the dark.
Speaking of albums, I am desperately waiting for the silk sonic record. I feel it will be the best pop and r&b album of the year, and still be disappointing, given the high expectations I have. Anyway, let me know your thoughts on Kendrick Lamar, Fantano, GKmC, TPAB, albums and how you got into music!
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That’s it then!
