nah i thought i was in regular album thread

I havent read the entire thread nor have i gave the album enough listens, but a theme that stood out to me was Meaningful Connections

Kendrick isnt perfect, and you could make the case hes not a good person. That goes with everyone, even your heroes.

To build a better future you gotta BUILD. Where you start is important but its important to start; a lot of people find strength and solace in family, which perhaps Kendrick neglected in his quest to change the world.

Life moves very fast, but not everywhere. Casting roots into something as nebulous as sociopolitical issues is often not meaningful.

Casting roots through family, and tearing yourself down allows you to build a stable foundation. If more and more people (specifically black men in this album) were to chisel away at their failings, insecurities, and shame they’d be able to more effectively communicate meaningful messages with their loved ones. And that same love, integrity, and humility can bridge to others, and to others, and so on.

Thanks bro and yeah i'm rly surprised the thread was received like this love the discussion it started

Ktt still got it

im curious to see why y’all didn’t think he copped out, because “sorry i didn’t save the world my friend, i was too busy minding mine” and “im not your savior” seems like a cop out to me

@ADE heres my take

this is a god tier thread

whether you like or dislike the album itself or the ideas presented, its pretty rare to have a discussion like this on here.

facts

Amazing post op, sometimes there are good threads with healthy discussions after all

please stop

that post is embarrassing lol big shut up and dribble energy

shedding the Great Man theory and adopting a materialist understanding makes history make sense

i cant agree entirely.

everyones world is inextricably linked to the greater ramifications of our social organization. focusing on ourselves for the sake of ourselves is not enough, because it means a potential disregard for those who provide for our lives who's name we do not know

we must be aware of our position in the world as a whole and self-improvement is simply the first yet most foundational step in that journey. self-focus is not the end all, be all. this is what people like @emu fundamentally miss.

kendrick still has growing to do, as does any human. I'm the polar opposite in that i'm still missing self-improvement.

Tbh Kendricks album isn't good enough to warrant essays

OP post > album

the western world

also most adults in the western world are barely functioning. we can see it every day. things must change. kendrick's story in this album is the first step in that change

people must self improve and self critique instead of accepting themselves in blind pride. "i dont owe anyone anything" mindsets that so many in the west hold wont work in the same way "it is my mission to owe everyone's success to myself" didn't work for kendrick.

because it fundamentally misses the point of individuality in this adoption of blind individualism

only from that point on may people be able to gather in a truly tolerant and understanding communion

given the miserable state of America/the World, I’m not sure that arguing for the efficacy of individualism by noting it’s ubiquity is making the point you want it to

If you're only gonna be concerned with your own welbeing, that's your perogative, but the premise that you either have to choose between your own welbeing or the world around you is nothing but a lie you tell yourself to avoid the moral question of only being concerned with yourself. And besides that, if you're just gonna be concerned with yourself, why tf would you care about what I'm occupying myself with? Sounds like it's just a whole lotta mental gymnastics to cover for the fact that you're simply not interested in changing the current order in the first place, just say that instead it would be a lot more respectable.

i think he has shown in his earlier music that he was interested but no longer feels like he has the power to influence a real change to the status quo. when you feel truly powerless what can you focus on other than yourself? i think thats what hes been grappling with on the heart v, this album and probably the last 5-7 years as a whole.

Seems like the black intellectual scene has been in crisis for a while