New Kendrick Lamar album, "DAMN". 14th April 2017

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Moth, Apr 7, 2017.

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  1. Mr. Grieves

    Mr. Grieves Forum Resident

    It gets better with each listen. So far, not as good as the past three releases, but still fantastic. Never been a huge fan of the trap production, probably cause I can't escape it, but it works here. Pride is my favorite so far.
     
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  2. arglebargle

    arglebargle Forum Resident

    Location:
    Victoria, BC
    I agree on the trap production but I felt Kendrick and his team brought enough of their own flavour to set the production apart from whatever usually floats to the top of my Tidal recs. "DNA." is the banger, clearly. Great verses. "Fear." was another favourite. Usually if a rapper (or most any pop artist really) stretches a track to 7 mins plus, I get bored...what can I say..millennials! He pulls it off though.

    Maybe not as strong musically as TPAB but lyrically deep enough to keep coming back. Untitled didn't grab me as much so I've been looking forward to this. Rihanna feature didn't disappoint either. She's there but it sounds like she's supposed to be, not some bogus bolted on hook.

    My subwoofers appreciate the work!
     
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  3. Orthogonian Blues

    Orthogonian Blues A man with a fork in a world full of soup.

    Location:
    London, UK
    Ditto. I was one of the lucky people who we're in the right place at the right time when Blonde CDs and LPs went on sale from Frank's website.

    As the official copies are on the XL Recordings label, I wouldn't rule out a general release soon.

    As for DAMN - can't wait to hear it, even though the trap production isn't really my thing. Kendrick's flow is always spellbinding.
     
  4. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    His web site had it available for I believe 24 hours on release day, then it was pulled.
     
  5. C6H12O6

    C6H12O6 Senior Member

    Location:
    My lab
    Not just good. DAMN good.

    (Thank you, thank you, I will be here all week.)

    Seriously, this is good ****. Hard to match a masterpiece like To Pimp a Butterfly, but this is the benchmark for album of the year, and Kendrick may very well have clinched the title for artist of the decade.
     
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  6. Mr. Grieves

    Mr. Grieves Forum Resident

    Wow, it's really growing on me. Like it about as much as Section 80 at the moment.

    Favorite track right now is LOVE. His flow on that one is solid, which can be said about most Kendrick tracks.
     
  7. Naughty Chord

    Naughty Chord Hole in my Socrates

    Location:
    Sub-Tropo Texas
    Listened to the CD this afternoon. Lyrics are (at least) equal to the last 2 albums. This man is on a whole 'nuther level lyrically than almost everybody else out there.

    Musically? Well I did especially enjoy the live musicians and funk sensibility of TPAB. And as a work of art, the hip-hop opera coherence of GKMC is only matched by a handful of other albums. But there's a lot of interesting breaks, vocal effects, different voices, and unexpected transitions that give this new album a great and different feel. Maybe it's got some "trapish" production but it's used a little differently. Auto tune is backed off and more natural sounding than a lot of radio stuff. And am I hearing things wrong or is Kendrick singing quite a bit on this one?

    I'm thinking this new album is going to be right up there with the last two for me after I have a chance to spin it a few times and absorb it. I don't know of anybody out there who is writing lyrics an Kendrick Lamar's level.
     
  8. Naughty Chord

    Naughty Chord Hole in my Socrates

    Location:
    Sub-Tropo Texas
    And does anyone else hear an Andre 3000 vibe in "Lust"?
     
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  9. GentleSenator

    GentleSenator what if

    Location:
    Aloha, OR
    love this album and even though i was dreading XXX with U2, it's actually pretty damn cool.
     
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  10. ghostnotes

    ghostnotes Wish you were here.

    Location:
    Charlotte, NC
    This man is the pinnacle of his genre.

    Section 80 - 7/10
    Good Kid m.A.A.d City - 9/10
    To Pimp a Butterfly - 10/10
    untitled. unmastered. - 8/10
    DAMN - 9/10

    And I don't even like hip-hop all that much anymore. He's just too compelling an artist to not be taken by his albums.
     
  11. Mr. Grieves

    Mr. Grieves Forum Resident

    Hol' Up! I think Section 80 is a solid 8.5. Rigamortus is bonkers, still!
     
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  12. jfeldt

    jfeldt Forum Resident

    Location:
    SF, CA, USA
    Yes! I had to stop and wonder on that one!
     
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  13. jfeldt

    jfeldt Forum Resident

    Location:
    SF, CA, USA
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  14. ghostnotes

    ghostnotes Wish you were here.

    Location:
    Charlotte, NC
    Listened again, you're right - it's at least an 8. When A.D.H.D.'s beat dropped I realized it again.
     
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  15. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    bump because this album is awesome.

    Pretty much the same feeling. I really love TPAB, but DAMN. is moving up there. UU I liked as well, but probably not as much as either of those.
     
  16. Naughty Chord

    Naughty Chord Hole in my Socrates

    Location:
    Sub-Tropo Texas
    The mastering/sound on this CD seems very good too. At least it sounds great in my room.
     
  17. arglebargle

    arglebargle Forum Resident

    Location:
    Victoria, BC
    Agreed. Putting aside loudness, which you gotta make peace with as a rap fan these days, it's quite artfully done. The best producers stretching to do their best work, because it's Kendrick! I do find most TDE releases have a higher standard production-wise. ScHoolboy Q's album last year for example.
     
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  18. Mr. Grieves

    Mr. Grieves Forum Resident

    DAMN. is quickly becoming one of my favorite projects he's released. I can't get enough of it man. I'm curious to see weather or not this supposed 2nd album will come out. Doesn't need to imo, this one is more than enough to sustain my musical appetite for a while. This project seems even more personal & introspective than TPAB.

    FEAR. is probably my favorite track right now. This is definitely a worthy successor to one of the finest albums I'll probably ever hear in my life. Easily a landmark achievement, and I'd be very surprised if someone manages to top it. It's at a 9.5/10 for me right now. I like it a wee bit more than RTJ3. We'll see how it holds up in the long run, but it sure as hell is a monster of record for me at the moment.
     
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  19. arglebargle

    arglebargle Forum Resident

    Location:
    Victoria, BC
    DAMN. is definitely more cohesive as an album than RTJ3 to my ears, giving it a slight edge. I was thinking how successful both were at showcasing lyricism with more sparse production. I do think RTJ3 is some of the best rapping of both El and Mike's respective careers. Ditto Kendrick... that hypnotic kick on FEAR. and a nonstop barrage of brilliant writing... less is more.
     
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  20. arglebargle

    arglebargle Forum Resident

    Location:
    Victoria, BC
    PS just thinking out loud here but Kendrick and Rihanna oughta do a duets album, like a 21st c. take on an Otis Redding / Carla Thomas thing. She can clearly rap, and he can sing!
     
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  21. Mr. Grieves

    Mr. Grieves Forum Resident

    I'm up for it. He can do no wrong at this point
     
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  22. Moth

    Moth fluttering by Thread Starter

    Location:
    UCI
    After a handful of listens, I can confidently say that I like it. It's not exactly what I was hoping for, but there's something to be said for side-stepping everyone's expectations and still coming up with something that everyone (judging from what I've seen) seems to be enjoying. And, to be honest, I should have expected that he'd do something different. It's much more mainstream than previous projects in terms of features (U2 and Rihanna!) and production, but I think he manages to create something unexpectedly worthwhile out of what may ultimately be quickly-passing trends. Besides, making U2 listenable is no small feat in itself. And while the music may have been reeled in, his lyrics are still meaningful and plainly political.

    Still, there are the rumors of another album coming out tomorrow! Admittedly, this sort of speculation has been popular recently (thanks to back-to-back releases from Frank Ocean and Future), and a second album isn't necessary considering what we've already been given. However, the theories are pretty convincing and thorough, and it's well known that Kendrick is an artist who's always working, so it's certainly not outside the realm of possibility that he has more material from the past year and a half. To Pimp a Butterfly is 24 minutes longer than DAMN., and there was still a handful of worthwhile, TPaB outtakes released on untitled unmastered.

    If there is a second album, I hope it's more experimental than DAMN. He doesn't have to repeat himself by releasing more complex funkiness along the lines of TPaB, but I do hope he makes a similar leap in terms of creativity and experimentation. And, if you read into a certain line of lyrics ("My left stroke just went viral, right stroke put lil baby in a spiral"), he may be hinting at doing just that. "Left stroke" being DAMN., the album aimed more towards mainstream success, and "right stroke" being that album that blows your mind (and which is speculated to be called Nation). I'll happily take both.

    We'll see tomorrow.
     
    Last edited: Apr 15, 2017
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  23. Mr. Grieves

    Mr. Grieves Forum Resident

    But there still are a good handful of more unknown artists featured along the heavy hitters. Anyway, I think, musically & conceptually speaking, Butterfly was much more ambitious. He could have released another one similar in that vein, but doing DAMN. instead is so much more in line with what I've come to expect from K-Dot. I wasn't expecting TPAB when it came out at all, nor was I expecting GKMC after Section 80. Looking forward to whatever he does next as always.
     
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  24. Pericles

    Pericles Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Love it. On the surface it seemed to me at first to not be as sprawling as GKMC and TPAB and to be a relatively straight forward rap album. However, I think there's a lot more depth to be uncovered in subsequent listens. While some of the trap production would otherwise be much too close to my personal threshold of tolerance, for some reason it works here for me. DNA is the winner so far, especially the second half. Kendrick is top for me now as the greatest hip-hop artist of this decade, and probably my favourite current artist of any genre.
     
  25. arglebargle

    arglebargle Forum Resident

    Location:
    Victoria, BC
    Came across this profile of Lamar's long-time engineer, Derek "MixedByAli" Ali detailing the recording of TPAB, where he talks about his preference for using a mixing board vs. "in the box" ... sounds like he would fit right in on sh.tv

     
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