Takotchi

4y

nothing is more hard nor engimatic than

"Every nigga is a staaaar,

Every nigga is a staaaaar,"

like come on

shaleirose

4y

I was only 13 when that album dropped. I wish I could hear the whole thing for the first time in my adult age. I knew it was special back then but man I would appreciate it in a whole different light if I was older when I first heard it

bossyyyyy

4y

Purple Hearts is a Hit dawg

Only gripe w the song is maybe ghostface could’ve come on earlier

diplomats

4y

So when are we gonna have the discussion that United in Grief is his best intro

bossyyyyy

4y

Purple Hearts is a Hit dawg

Only gripe w the song is maybe ghostface could’ve come on earlier

fancy lacriminal

4y

It's good & all but it's not

CGI Dog

4y

beat is delicious idk how else to describe it

Stan M

4y

Count Me Out >

diplomats

4y

So when are we gonna have the discussion that United in Grief is his best intro

bossyyyyy

4y

Purple Hearts is a Hit dawg

Only gripe w the song is maybe ghostface could’ve come on earlier

bossyyyyy

4y

Purple Hearts is a Hit dawg

Only gripe w the song is maybe ghostface could’ve come on earlier

CGI Dog

4y

beat is delicious idk how else to describe it

WESLEYS THEORY

4y

It’s between this and Wesleys Theory

fiveprestos

4y

Ughhhh, you're making prxstos use his brain and free write on KTT all because of your fair and constructive point, I appreciate you.

A. Those examples directly aided the narratives of their respective albums

B. Its abundantly clear that Kendrick's more playful side has evolved from a basic dichotomy in his art to, now, an entirely new dimension of his bravado and artistic subject. The "Kung Fu Kenny" aesthetic is the clearest example of this, and conveys a nimble and agile demeanor that is contrasted by the tacit humor of retro kung-fu aesthetics, and long shot juxtapositions of kendrick as a god-like figure, stereotypical rapper, everyday man, and Steve Jobs in the HUMBLE vid, the most braggadocios song on DAMN and probably the defining song in Kendrick's discography to the everyday listener.

This artistic language that Kendrick and Dave Free obviously feed off of each other through has now become their own independent venture, and this nimble and humorous aesthetic has spilled onto all of their subsequent pglang/baby keem/tanna Leone initiatives.

So that brings us to the N95 video. Representing his first album in 5 years that touches on the deepest content of his entire career, Kendrick pulled out all the same tricks from 2017-2018 - Jesus imagery, holding a pigeon while erratically adlibbing, random stills in bushes, rapping fast with a board and dissociated disposition, slo-mo shots of a bad b**** leaning on a grand piano set atop a Jeezy-esque synth lead, etc. - you saw the video you know the vibe. And when judged on its own I'm not mad at the track or video at all, it restores the feeling quite nicely.

But to your last point, as a man who's bowed out from "the culture" in favor of his self-enlightenment and family's well being, what purpose does this serve now, and what is its function in understanding Kendrick's "post-culture/post-savior complex" mindstate? It doesn't depict a soullessness to the point of warranted post-ironic introspection (re: Bound 2 video), but it doesn't depict the "non-materialistic/spiritually rich" subject that is implied as the contrasting ideal to the song's subject character either.

On the Kendrick album we can most conveniently compare MMBS to content-wise (TPAB), there's nothing about any of the songs on TPAB you listed that obfuscate what the message of that album is - it sticks to its themes as you mentioned without any grievances to be made in sight. The videos for that album use Kendrick flying through LA, hanging out of a car window, and acting a fool at a house party to paint a picture of a dualistic celebrity experiencing a dissonance between himself and his hometown, himself and his family, himself and his own ascension to stardom.

If N95 is ultimately the lone video that comes from this album, and we observe the aesthetics of the video and his kung-fu Kenny tendencies as a natural culmination of the identities formed through the TPAB and DAMN years, a substantial portion of the playfulness and bravado in this video and on this album dulls out the heaviness of this album rather than dynamically counterbalances it. And in the same vein as @Scratchin_Bandit 's critiques of MMBS' messaging, it reveals the contradictions of Kendrick's enlightened individualist ideology - songs like Rich Spirit come off a lot more like "I'm so spiritually whole now that I CAN be this preposterous" than just existing as a lighthearted bragging track containing fun and witty bars in a more neutral context.

Kendrick is asking us to digest a deeply uncomfortable account of his personal life, and potentially allow it to strike trauma-tuned chords in our own paths towards healing. As Kendrick exits left-of-stage, he suggests that we undergo a similar process of unlearning behaviors and untethering ourselves from detrimental relationships, and thoughts we've suppressed for longer than we can conveniently remember - void of a savior-like reference and in immediate proximity to those we may call our loved ones. A glimpse of what this pathway's horizons may bring us reveal a once-embodied-but-now-caricatured savior who's convictions have all but swallowed the man behind the mask whole. It is in this regard that N95 is a zero-sum move, and does nothing to convince us that Kendrick, family intact, is even certain of his own self-sacrifice, and with the limited amount of info about his personal life that we have, I hope he comes to realize that he presented himself with a false dealer's choice.

fancy lacriminal

4y

Are we counting that as the second disc intro

diplomats

4y

So when are we gonna have the discussion that United in Grief is his best intro

JuicyWzrd

4y

I wasn’t feeling Rich Spirit at all but now it’s stuck in my head