Kendrick Lamar will kill your favorite rapper for money

TNC:

I should say from the jump that I think beef rap is overrated and mostly stands out on gossip points. I found "No Vaseline" amusing, but it was never transformative in the way "Bird In Hand" "Summer Vacation" or "Colorblind" (My God, "Colorblind") was. Likewise I don't think "Ether" makes my top ten of Nas' greatest, and I would take "Feelin' It," "You Must Love Me," "Dead Presidents II," "Neva Change," "Threat" and an assortment of other Jay-Z tracks before I got to "The Takeover." The only really dis song I truly love is the one that everyone else loves--"The Bridge Is Over."

So there's that. You are talking to man with significant bias. Nevertheless, I view Kendrick's verse as an epilogue for Good Kid, and (if he's lucky) a prologue for everything next. Even the idea of taking disrespect feels beside the point. In what creative field do artists not feel as though they are trying to end all competition, even the artists they are friendly with? Were the MCs of Wu not competing with each other? Did Busta not feel pressure to be the best when he ran the anchor leg of "Scenario?" Did he not basically obliterate everyone else on the track? I must think that Viola Davis was trying to blow Meryl Streep away. ("Sister you ain't going against no man in a robe and win.") I think Fitzgerald, Ellison and Hemingway were all trying kill every author in their vicinity. It's certainly the case in business. Only in hip-hop (where whole magazines are dedicated to who doesn't like who) is this disrespect

Nevertheless, I view Kendrick's verse as an epilogue for Good Kid, and (if he's lucky) a prologue for everything next.

Interesting that he says this, because I feel like "Cartoon & Cereal" played a similar role in tying together the generational themes of Section.80 and the environmental violence of GKMC.

In what creative field do artists not feel as though they are trying to end all competition, even the artists they are friendly with?

no this is actually the weird thing about "competition" in creative endeavours, because it's not like sports or even business where you can objectively be the best. rap beef (and latterly pop beef etc) is all very entertaining but

1) competition between artists is a flawed concept b/c people can easily be fans of more than one artist
2) blah blah blah subjectivity

beefing about sales is tedious because businessmen and marketing are tedious

i mean it IS all amusing but it's also completely illogical

it's not really as illogical in hip-hop as it is in other creative endeavors though because literally "battling" and having competitions was inherent in hip hop culture from the very beginning, so it's always been viewed as part of it

& this took place before hip hop was a real commercial commodity or really marketed

Was the verse considered disrespectful? Most of the reactions I saw were in the lines of 'hell yeah beef is back' and 'pretty cool Kendrick now look at my verse' rather than outrage and controversy.

it was seen as disrespectful by people in new york, mostly

beefing about sales is tedious because businessmen and marketing are tedious

<3 you for this

platinum

kris ex's piece on this in NPR is good

I'm really bummed that this somehow made it onto NPR today. If this is the new "high bar," we should all be disappointed. Just another song about drugs and violence and other things that bring us all down. What a waste of time.

Want to set a high bar for lyrical aspiration? Try Saul Williams.

platinum

― s. cloverlandthug (The Reverend), Thursday, August 22, 2013 5:19 PM (4 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

it's pretty bittersweet that Kendrick just barely jumped over the million albums line ahead of Macklemore in a photo finish

word

great verse on Nosetalgia

^
This

Also:

Beef, it's what's for dinner

yeah he really shows up Pusha T

so sick of hearing pusha talking about whipping work in the pyrex and shit :/

i really like that song a lot... some of push's best writing in a while and i think he gets away with it since the song is called, you know, "nosetalgia"

love that track and the video is great too

http://allhiphop.com/2013/10/15/kendrick-lamar-responds-to-rivals-in-tdes-bet-hip-hop-awards-cypher-video/

thread title came true.

man, he's really operating on a high level right now.

He's very confident right now. Love it

Rich Kidz, m.A.A.d. city

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1nHBX58SdE

Super disappointed he appeared on Love Game, Eminem's track, terrible throughout.

yes

Truth be told, I didn't even give this a chance until people started talking about the Grammys. So maybe it's not so bad to be the spurned runner up.

What was the reasoning behind that? Did you think it was overhyped or did you dislike his mixtapes?

I don't even like rap that much and I thought this was a brilliant album. very disappointed that Kendrick didn't win Best Rap Album.

xp It was nothing that well thought out! I think honestly it was just a very snap thing where (1) I was a little put off by his voice, and (2) I really fucking hate this thread title, which was one of the first places I saw his name.

really is a bad thread title.

looking forward to when he announces a new album and we have a good excuse to start a different Kendrick thread

why wait?

Kendrick Lamar - I Will Kill Your Favorite Rapper For Money (2014)

lol

also now playing the Rigamortis video again though I now remember that I just didn't like that track much, and I still don't.

also now playing the Rigamortis video again though I now remember that I just didn't like that track much, and I still don't.

also now playing the Rigamortis video again though I now remember that I just didn't like that track much, and I still don't.

maybe it's just time to admit you like it

just wait til it sets in

ah what how did that post 3x

Rigormortis grabbed me instantly, and is the track that put me onto him.

I still would rather listen to Section 80 than GKMC most of the time. I wouldn't say it's better, but I go to it more.

Actually the track that grabbed me was Backseat Freestyle

HURTING 2 HAVE A DREAM!

xp http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3s3q13I3t1r8cxu5o1_500.png

ha i didn't know the context. makes it a little better tbf

so now kendrick sounds like he's parodying himself?
http://youtu.be/T9B3z-8P_7s
pretty weak beat too imo

like alicias timing though :)

I applaud the decision to put his part in the front so I can turn it off when Keys starts.

haha, it can all be so simple :)

anybody know if he's any good in concert? rap shows are a mixed bag for me and he's playing at UCF Sunday but last time I saw a show there, I watched Meek Mill lazily rap over tracks that didn't even have the original vocals removed and silently DJing other MMG songs, soooo....

Freddie Gibbs/Tech N9ne (yea ok probably the only fan of the latter on this board) are here Thurs but part of me would rather see Kendrick.

He's fantastic live. Go

track's terrible, much like the tame impala one. he's not above soundtrack dross, which, whatever. he can do that.

it increasingly seems like he didn't do much of anything embarrassing before his first major label album simply because he hadn't been offered the opportunity yet