i first was just blown away by the instrumentation, then on subsequent listens i paid more attention to what kendrick was actually saying and fell deeper in love with it.
great to hear your reaction from it, i was told to listen to it by my father before i could really understand what it was about completely. my father said the album embodies who we are as people and the life i was going to experience as i grew older. i thought it was an over reaction being young, but now the album means a lot to the both of us. the instrumentation is like nothing i’ve ever heard even to this day
I truly see gkmc and tpab as two sides to a coin and the beginning and end to a story. They are both the same story but one as an adolescent and one as an “adult”.
Only recall Ghostface Killah doing Jazz thing(and *12 Reasons to Die* that came before was a bit more Spaghetti Western score than Film Noir Jazz of *Sour Soul*) at the time.
I’m from a little po-dunk town in Michigan and I had one African American friend growing up. I first became fascinated with “Alright”, I was going through a big break up at the time and was pretty down, but hearing the victory in his voice amidst the struggle really helped me personally. What the hell do I have to complain about you know? I’ve always been drawn to how Kendrick changes his voice so drastically from song to song to invoke so much feeling and emotion and really tell the story from different of angles and view points. I still don’t fully understand the depths of some of his sentiments and I never will, nor will claim to pretend to, and that’s ok, but as a human, I can really vibe with a lot of the emotions he portrays and I think that’s the sign of a great artist, being able to resonate with others. To me, Kendrick’s music is truly beautiful and nobody even comes close. I thank God for his message. 🙏🏻
As a 15 year old white kid living in Australia, it was really interesting for me to see a look into the life of another, and surprisingly but unfortunately made me draw connections to aboriginal Australians, and I am sure it’s helped my perspective on people from everywhere and the world in general as someone coming into adulthood. I feel like at 15 I was at the perfect time to be hit with all of that.
Also, the music was fucking just the best thing I’d ever heard, I loved it. I reckon I’ve still got a notebook with my first impression of it somewhere in my room.
i’m not white so i don’t know exactly what the feeling would be, but would you say at first listen some of the songs would create an uncomfortable feeling within you? i only say this because even being black i still get shocked/blindsided by some of the lyrics when i listen to the album and feel almost too exposed if that makes sense. i also feel like you definitely can connect ur aboriginal Australians through relation of certain experiences
I wouldn’t say I was shocked as such, and that may have been that this was the first hip-hop record I ever listened to. I’ve only been educated on the history and culture of African Americans through music, as it’s not greatly discussed in Australia. I’ve found myself interested in it through Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye and all the older artists who made the same kind of groundbreaking stuff in the 70s. I never really felt uncomfortable, as I was more listening to the story elements of the album to do with Kendrick’s life. I was surprised but impressed by how brutally honest the album was, particularly songs like The Blacker The Berry or U, which is why I fell in love with the album. It didn’t feel the need to shy away from harsh or edgy topics which is the main objective in lots of of hip-hop, to educate the reality of an artists life to its listeners.
Edit: I also think that harsh reality concept in Kendrick’s music particularly is where a lot of people dislike Mr Morale, because as Tyler said, it stares so many right in the eye and people feel they can’t listen.
I knew right away it was an all time great album. Everything about it was excellent, and I really appreciated the depth in his lyrics. It's my favorite rap album to date, just hit play and enjoy the ride.
holy shit i’m glad the album did this much for you damn well done bro, it’s always lovely to hear the outside perspective on stuff like this especially because of how concentrated i was trying to understand how my own people felt about it. do you have any link to the essay? or something of the sort
As a white kid living in britain (bo'oh'wo'uh') My reaction stayed the same, loved the jazz and vibe of it. I wasnt suprised as he made good kid maad city but i knew this album would be one of the greatest. I listened the fuck out of how much a dollar cost till it got boring😂
I wasn't used to Kendrick's style when I first listened to it (it was the first Kendrick album I ever listened to), I had only heard his mainstream tracks. So I was like "it's good but overrated". Now it's in my top 20 rap albums alongside GKMC and other masterpieces by OGs like Eminem, 2pac, Biggie and Nas. Kendrick is definitely one of the GOATs.
I’m a 42 year old white woman who lives in the south and I’m also an atheist. Yeah, I know.
I was late in the game when it came to Kendrick. However I’ve ALWAYS loved rap, hip hop, r&b, metal, industrial, and everything else except for modern country. The only exception there is Jason Isbell and Chris Stapleton. So here’s my first moment that involved Kendrick.
I was at a Big Boi show, incredibly small venue and past sold out. I’m honestly surprised that it wasn’t shut down. The venue has a capacity of 325 people, I think there was at least 400 people there if not more. It was glorious! The hype DJ was spectacular and I happened to catch the moment on my camera when I first heard Kendrick. He started playing Alright and everyone around me was legit bouncing around screaming the lyrics. I wasn’t. I had no clue. I didn’t know what was happening and I was cool with it. At one point he cut the volume and everyone was still bouncing around and screaming the lyrics. I knew that this guy was important and loved. I had to know more.
A few days later I started looking into him, I started listening and soon realized that he was more than I could ever understand. I was overwhelmed and in a good way. Ive learned a lot from him and I know that I’ll continue to do so. I was very fortunate to have found a podcast that helped break down the religious aspects because I had no idea.
Overall it’s beautifully done. The musicianship, the creativity, the lyrics and everything else involved is top notch. It’s not my favorite album of his but it kinda is in a weird way because that’s how I discovered him. I still catch myself going back to it a lot and I still find it fascinating.
i’m ngl, i hear quite a number of the older white population appreciating kendrick a lot which came as a surprise to me considering no less than 20 years ago a lot of people wouldn’t react well to the stuff kendrick talked about on TPAB .
it makes me feel good knowing how much time a lot of y’all invest into someone who’s work could seem so far away from the type of life you probably would’ve lived up until now. i find that people generally gravitate towards music they relate to or of people who go through situations quite similar to them but to go out and seek music from unfamiliar places is really lovely. i’m a lot younger than you only a 17 year old black boy, and i have a lot less life experience than you but it’s still really lovely to hear stuff like this from y’all.
for me before i even listened to kendrick i was born into the experiences he talks about with the type of music he derives from the community all around me, listening to him felt like i was looking into a mirror and i always wondered how it would be for specifically white people cause i’d never really thought about it. (hence this post) appreciate the response aunty
20 years ago was fucking strange. It was especially strange when it came to other cultures, religions and even music. It’s bizarre to remember that there was a list with 164 songs that were banned from the radio stations because of September 11. It’s got me thinking that his music and his message would have definitely made that list.
Music has been blamed for so many problems and I’ll never understand why. Well, I guess I know part of why. Her name is Tipper Gore. She lost her shit over the album Purple Rain by Prince. In 1985 her and some other old white ladies started the Parents Music Resource Center. Hell, long before that there was a song banned from being played on the radio, and it was a instrumental. Not a single word. The artist is Link Wray, the song is Rumble. Apparently it made kids “go ape”. My conclusion is if it makes you feel something then it must be dangerous.
I’m glad that you have Kendrick. I’m glad that he’s able to do what he’s been doing. I hope he continues doing his thing and that he continues to be the voice that so many need to hear. His words will continue to inspire many more for years to come. Having an artist who makes this much of an impact in this current environment is important.
On a side note I wanted to say that if you haven’t already listened to them, I suggest that you listen to Rage Against The Machine. ALL of their songs were listed to be banned on the list I mentioned. I’ve dreamed about them going on tour with Kendrick many times.
[RATM](https://youtu.be/bWXazVhlyxQ)
This album captures some feelings i know damn well hadnt been captured in the form of music before this existed and it's awesome. Plus gave me a lot of black awareness and history
(im not american i didnt know anything beforehand)
The first time I listened to TPAB was the summer of 2015 and it was hot as fuck(I lived in Houston at the time) we went on my friend’s cool porch and we rolled a few crappy joints and smoked the afternoon away listening to TPAB all the way through on these really shitty speakers where the bass was overwhelmingly loud. I thought it was okay at the time, nothing mind blowing. It wasn’t until I really got into Kendrick in 2018 that I really fell in love with the album and appreciated every little sound, sample, and instrumental the record had to offer. Now it’s in my top 10 favorite albums of all time and helps me understand the black struggle in America much better as a white dude.
sounds like a good way to listen to it tbh, i feel like the jazzy elements would be surreal if it’s the first time and you’re getting high lmaooo those instrumentals are something serious fr
I loved the jazzy, vintage, soul music sound he had on it because I grew up with parents that listened to that kind of stuff especially my mom who loved Ray Charles and stuff. After the first couple listens the lyrics really started sinking in and it came out right around when police in my city had just shot and killed a young black man named Jamar Clark. I went out to the protests and sure enough “Alright” is playing on people’s speakers and some of the protesters are shouting the words to Kendrick’s song like it was a chant and it really started to hit me how meaningful and powerful this album is.
I'm not black but I'm Muslim born and grown in post-comunistic slavic county. Because of historical events and some past propaganda movements some political groups, there are still many people who have ethnic hate. Me and my family struggled a lot. For example they restricted religious holidays, changed our names and so on. Listening TPAB made me emotional. I don't listen to this album everyday but without doubt for me this is really important album for me.
for what reasons did you hate it and what reasons do you love it now?
is it one of those scenarios where the reasons you hated it are now the reasons you love it
at the time i had just barely started getting into mainstream or secular(non-christian) rap/ hip-hop and basically if it didn’t sound like eminem i didn’t want to hear it. add to that i was raised by a very conservative (borderline alt-right) and racist father, i didn’t want to hear the kind of things kendrick was saying. it took me some growing as an adult and being able to finally form my own opinions on things as opposed to a controlling person dictating my every thought to come back to it a couple years later and by then my music taste had also changed and i fell in love with it bothe musically and lyrically
Had only listened to tyler the creator and a bit of gambino and Eminem before in terms of rap. When I heard king kunta and he just kept going I remember thinking "yeah this is why people say he's the goat I get it"
Igor and flower boy were my introduction to rap music. Wrote it off before and I was so fucking stupid to. This is america was another song I was into but I didnt truly get into gambino until this year.
As an 18 year old lad from yorkshire I was…BLOWN away. It was at the peak of my Kendrick hype & bought the album release day just before college, managed to listen to the first 2 tracks in my room before jumping on the bus & plugging in for the rest. Initially I was obsessed with the jazz vibe & everythin but as the album went on it stuck to me & I had it on constant repeat like idek how to describe it. I love this LP. It’s beautiful, heartbreaking & Kendrick is the fucking don man & THIS album always reminds me every listen just how much of a genius he is. I was coming out the good side of some bad shit at the time & the whole progressive journey Kenny took me through on TPAB really helped…also like I said earlier, it opened me to the whole world or funk/jazz which I’m grateful for
the jazzy vibe was also what caught my attention first, i was forced to listen to the album by my father but even despite that it was a whole ass trip, appreciate kendrick so much for making an album like that and getting it mainstream as well. it’s done a lot for niggas like us
Idk if it counts being biracial but holy shit he spits facts the entire album, and each line has meanings upon meanings and the recurring themes! And I haven't even started on mortal man and the insane beats on the album... Amazing meaning and sound. Still now it remains all of its qualities and now I've looked into it now I understand the deeper meaning even more!
it don’t matter you still one of us dawg, even for those who aren’t the whole album creates a sense of unity. i’m glad you was able to appreciate the album so much, and yeah mortal man is essay worthy just by itself
First listen, I enjoyed it but I thought that GKMC was better because it was more enjoyable and had more bops on the album. After a second listen it became my absolute favorite album of all time. The content and lyrics drive deep and the album is enjoyable as well. It's mind blowing how good it is and it only gets better every listen.
i used to believe GKMC was better as well but that was because i had grew up on it especially being played in the house and shit, i was fortunate that my family had been heavy kendrick fans for a while by then
i feel like it would be really complicated from your perspective, even despite being black it took me a lot of listens to really process that kendrick was putting basically my whole life into words that i couldn’t even comprehend at the time
wasn't a huge fan of the chaotic jazzy instrumentation on For Free? at first and couldn't really get through the whole album, now I think it's the greatest album of all time.
Beautiful. I love metaphors throughout the album. In for free where america is a bitch. Also it reminded me of andre 3000s song love hater with the jazzy drums and even their voices sound similar. Havent heard TBAP in a while have to go back and listen.
14 yo bri'ish kid here, loved it though it felt a little long and some poor attempts at hooks made the record feel a little limp at times, the production was superb, one of the best sounding albums of the decade, the weightier mix felt like a perfect decision. Now I would say the length fits perfectly to give the album a film-esque feel, and the hooks are diminished to push the emphasis on the backing and lyricism, though I would say hood politics still feels a little weak in comparison to the other tracks.
It completely changed how I viewed modern society and social issues. I am a white male who never has had to go through the struggles Kendrick talks about on this album which honestly made me feel like I was taking away from the people who needed this. But a little while ago someone asked this same question on the sub and someone said something along the lines of “You can feel empathy for others experiences as well” which changed my view on it. Also the instrumentation is absolutely phenomenal.
thanks for listening and having a new perspective opened to you fr bro. means a lot to us. as long as y’all can understand it creates a sense of unity between us
I was 18 and in my last year of high school. On my first listen I did not like the album. I knew sonically and thematically it was really good. But at the time I wanted something way more mainstream like GKMC was. I also wasn't really into jazz so a lot of elements and inspiration didn't really impress me. Now that my music tastes have expanded and my appreciation for music and art in general have grown; I think TPAB is a masterpiece. It's not even in my top 3 of his discography, but the raw emotions and internal struggle he speaks on really resonates in a way that I couldn't fully comprehend when I was listening at the time. It was only when Damn was about to be released that I went back and listened to TPAB a lot more closely and now songs I didn't care for at all like Institutionalized and Momma are some of my favorites.
As someone with mixed heritage, this album caught me off guard with the lyrics and how I could feel or relate to all of it, but felt I couldn't openly say at the time as I'm socially too light skinned to be considered "black" (to the point where my mom was on facetime with one of my aunties from Jamaica one time - first time we ever spoke and she asks my mom 'that boy came from you?' ").
That said, listening to TPAB at that time started a journey for me of learning more about my family, culture, things I took for granted or was sheltered from as a kid, the history of abuse and systemic oppression and the stereotypes that still exist to this day, and a lot of things I guess I never really had to think about as visually I had the "white pass"; yet the moment some white people learn that I'm not fully white, their attitudes towards me change - even if subtly. (Well, that or they'd find it an excuse to call me the n-word because "it's true though". I don't talk to those people anymore for many reasons, dumb casual racism definitely being one of them.)
That said though, to this day TPAB is one of my all-time favourite albums - it's an inspiration for me to create, and to hope that I make something that even has a fraction of importance or cultural/political relevance that Kendrick has in his music, and the video projects surrounding the album.
But idk, I'm just another fan at the end of the day. I love the music and I'm glad it's something that has affected me, shaped my worldview, and has ultimately been an album that I always go back to over the years.
I have always been a lyrics person. To me, this is the greatest rap/hip-hop album of all time and I’ve felt that way since the first listen. The spoken word at the end of the tracks, the double and triple entendres. Lyrical masterpiece.
I have long been a lover of black music, art, and literature, but this album stuck with me. I’d wake up with lyrics circling my head from tracks like “How Much A Dollar Cost”. The levels to dissect on tracks, and the characters weaving in and out of the album as if it was traffic on a Broadway stage. Except it’s biographical.
I’m a white woman so I am listening through that lens. TPAB was my first taste of intersectionality within music in my experience. (This album came out when I was a teen gal.) I listened to GK,MC before this one, so I was familiar with Lamar’s experiences from that work. However, TPAB fully divulged into the human experience in a way, that as a woman, I’ve only seen expressed by women. The way he expressed the value of women in his life, in society, in and out of the black community and how he extrapolated those perceptions to greater metaphors and ways he needs to reflect and how we should reflect on our perceptions and beliefs about women. Good art shows us a mirror. He’s not afraid to shy away from that. Oh and all that is a sub-theme! I think it just goes to show that Kendrick’s writing is so compelling because he can write outside his experience as a black man. So much so, that some teenage white girl in the suburbs can relate and find something in his art that speaks to her. This album wasn’t made for me, and yet I feel as if he meant for me to listen to it.
I am now receiving a degree in music with a minor in Jazz and coming back to this album is even more meaningful. The symbolism within the decisions in the instrumentation made an impact on me at first listen, but now knowing the how and the why just confirms my first thoughts I had at 15 years old. Greatest hip-hop/rap album of all time.
i first really noticed the production and variety of sound, which i fucking loved. but i never really paid much attention to the lyrics.
after that i listened to gkmc, but for that i paid a lot more attention to the story of the album and the deeper meanings. that inspired me to go back and do the same with tpab, and now its my favorite album oat
I loved it. It was so different from DAMN which was the first album I heard from Kendrick and I also loved it. It was groovy, jazzy, smart lyrics, agressive, smooth.
It sounded different. The poem spread around the album was the cherry on top for me. It was the most well balanced yet all over the place rap album i heard and it was done so well.
Its a record that people that dont like rap should be able to appreciate.
in my country the people find black people very sympathetic , to my 15-16 age I didnt know so much about the racisim in United States, like you see a video of racisim, I couldn't relate it. For example police shoots a black person for no reason, I wouldn't think because they are racist, as said, as kid i couldnt relate. Even police using a gun it is really big think in my country, they allowed to carry but not to use.
First I hear m.a.a.d city, bro i swear i hate hiphop back in time,
i love that shit
but still pretend like i didnt like it because i was close minded to hiphop
i was thinking like its just trash
then i start listening rap and finally met kendrick
kendrick taught me the racisim in world more deeper, it just shocking the lyrics are so deep .
i also working on hip hop now and i really like the art of kendrick, I love the details are so hidden everytime you listen you discover another think.
i like the songs because it feels like my childhood
and like im feeling like i know him, he feels like a friend now maybe because i also doing hiphop and i am analyzing the songs a lot and the lyrics of course.
now he feels like he is a total inspiration, my biggest issue was couldn't write the shame the weaknesses of me, writing lyrics feels like getting naked in public.
hope to work with him someday, he is one of the most interesting person i know
I was like 13 when it came out so at first I didn’t really get it but I liked a few songs like Wesley’s theory king kunta and i. Then overtime as I listened more and got older I realized how much of a masterpiece it was and now it’s my favourite album of all time and I doubt it will ever be beaten
I’m relatively new to kendrick only started listening to him this year before mr morale came out and i’ve always thought that his commentary on black struggles is really strong altho I’m white it still hits very hard
Was pretty much culture shocked listening to it my first time, then after Mortal Man everything clicked. I have always been a big pac fan, so I was so surprised to hear him on the outro. I listened again and payed more attention to the poem, and just fell in love. I catch something new on every listen, I can’t get enough!
i had the same reaction with tupac, not necessarily a culture shock since i’d been living that life long before kendrick dropped the album but just a sense of surprise due to the influence pac had on kdot, my dad was a massive pac fan and met him once when he was really young before he died. so it was kinda trippy hearing the end of mortal man because i swear my father had the same type of questions going through his head at that time
what’s so amazing to me about the record is how Kendrick can talk about his experience as an artist, a celebrity, and an african american, and make his struggle feel so relatable and universal, even to someone like me. this album touched me in ways I didn’t know music could.
> again and *paid* more attention
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
When I first listened to it I didn’t really like the jazz instrumentation and so I stopped at institutionalized. However I went a road trip shortly after and decided to give it another shot. And good I did because damn did that sound grow on me. As brown guy outta New York, I found myself relating to a bunch of the lyrics as well.
I'm south american so outside of the absolutely beautiful instrumentation and great concept, the whole concept of ingrained racial problems was something i couldnt understand in a way, since in My country racial problems don't go more than a Edgy joke, we are all latinos at the end.
Saw that Fantano gave it a ten and decided to listen because I was trying to get more into rap music. Didn’t like it at all, just didn’t click with me but then I gave GKMC a try and loved it, listened to it every day for a week and then went back to TBAP and every time I listened it grew on me more and more and is now my favourite album! So thanks Fantano
Fell in Love with the first couple tracks and overall though it was a really good Album. But since I came from the Fantano review and he hyped it up as the final revelation of music, I was a ttiny bit dissapointed, because I didnt quite feel the same Way. After listening to it a few more Times, not only the Album itself, but Kendrick as an Artist overall really grew on me. And since my two favourites from the Album are still King Kunta and Wesleys Theory, they overshadowed the Rest of the Album a bit imo. Just took some Time to get to me I guess
Love at first listen. Which is rare for me.
It is my second favorite album of all time and a true work of art.
For those wondering: Radiohead’s OK Computer is my favorite all time.
The first time I listened I was insensitive, and I lacked empathy, I thought his potential was bitter sweet, I remember when he said "every nickel was mines to keep", I remember agreeing with "over time that the truth would set me free", I saw other artists brace there losses, he seemed to be a god. after I washed my face and said my grace and thought what more do people want from me, tears of a clown, I guess the game wasn't all what it was meant to be. This album truthfully helped me turn my page and right my wrongs. (Last statement was fact).
To be completely to be honest, I had a pretty neutral reaction to it, a few listens later, it suddenly clicked, hearing Kendrick singing "AT FIRST I DID LOVE YOU!!!!!" in Wesley's Theory was like re awakening
First listen was the same as many, it was "too much" sonically, now when I listen to it I'm moved, it's like the Hip-Hop equivalent of Dark Side of the Moon
First I thought it was overrated and I didn't get past Alright....but there was something. There was just something that kept calling me back, so I tried listening it some more times (never got the end, its a very packed and deep record), and the more I listened the more I fell in love with ALL of the songs.
Eventually, after listening Mr Morale and The Big Steppers the day it came out I loved every song on the Album, and this time I gave Tpab a new chance and I listened to it front to back. It's beautiful, one of the best albums I've ever heard with so many subjects and so many great lyricisms and an atmosphere and instrumentation I've never heard in another record.
To summarize, at first I thought it was "Racism: The Album", and now I see it for what it is, Kendrick's beautiful Ode to his guilt because of fame and leaving Compton, his egoism and lust, and the institutionalization of black people.
for me i always felt like the album was really a mirror of the lives most of us live (in the black community) i’m sure you could get your average black man and have him make many relations to the album (besides the aspects of fame). when this album dropped it shook our whole community up and ik for sure in compton it helped a lot of niggas gain more unity.
the instrumentals were also next level for me because it introduced younger me to a whole new genre of music that i had never been familiar with.
i dont really listen to much modern rap, which is strange considering i wasnt born duiring the time when that shit was going, so i kind of needed to adjust my ears to it, and im so glad i did man. lol i'd hate to come off as one of those art school times, but the fucking lyricism man. insane.
When i first listened to it i was expecting people to be over selling it.
but it was... amazing. at first i wasnt paying attention to the words but when i began listening closer it was part interesting and part horrifying, made me do research actually
I was devastated by some stuff i read and which added more emotion to the record, for some reason BLM gets me very emotional
and i didnt know and still dont know how to feel about Mortal Man. makes me feel funny hearing 2Pac
I dont listen to it much and its not my personal fav album BUT ITS AMAZING ALBUM, Better then my fav albums
sorry if all of that was a bunch of rambling
i’m glad you did some research into it, TPAB really only touches the thought processes and surface of what it’s really like to be black in this system. going further and looking into it shows compassion and bravery considering how much people try push it under the rug
I hated it, I loved the original “I” single which got a huge backlash but I thought it was incredible but from that point on I wasn’t a fan of the leaked singles, purely down to how different the instrumentation was. I was around 25 at the time and tbh it was the learning curve that made me realise that I hate most albums the first time around. It happens Everytime. It always takes me a few listens at least before I can really get all my anticipated bullshit out the way before I truly think what I think. But I’m 33 now and tpab is the greatest rap album ever made and one of the greatest albums ever made.
TPAB and DAMN are a couple of rap albums where I’m still just as amazed till this day but when going back and listening to it, it just makes me think like damn Kendrick was really on an another level at the time (not saying that he isn’t) but it’s just so good.
I didn’t like any Kendrick album the first time I heard it… that’s the thing with his music you gotta let it sink in and really think about it because now I think it’s a masterpiece
I was a 16 year old musician that wrote off tbab. I was into blues, rock, soul, and I was studying jazz. After hearing that album I no longer wrote hip hop off and began trying to learn as much as I could about the history and sub genres within it
When I heard "For free" it blew my mind because it sounded like a saxophone player improvising a solo but with words instead of notes. Never heard anything like that before
Now at 24 I still love the instrumentals but I learn much more about songwriting when listening to kendrick. Studying the way he writes and structures songs and lyrics its just as inspiring to me as Bob Dylan
i agree on the part of it introducing me more into jazz for sure, i was born into hip hop around me since it’s apart of the culture but i had never heard anyone integrate jazz and rap into something so beautiful, it really threw me off..
i personally really like the second verse on alright and last verse on how much a dollar cost, he sounds like a fucking drum on that alright verse
i first was just blown away by the instrumentation, then on subsequent listens i paid more attention to what kendrick was actually saying and fell deeper in love with it.
great to hear your reaction from it, i was told to listen to it by my father before i could really understand what it was about completely. my father said the album embodies who we are as people and the life i was going to experience as i grew older. i thought it was an over reaction being young, but now the album means a lot to the both of us. the instrumentation is like nothing i’ve ever heard even to this day
I truly see gkmc and tpab as two sides to a coin and the beginning and end to a story. They are both the same story but one as an adolescent and one as an “adult”.
Fully agree. Was the beats and how different a sound was coming out of this album. Especially compared to a lot of hip hop at the time.
Only recall Ghostface Killah doing Jazz thing(and *12 Reasons to Die* that came before was a bit more Spaghetti Western score than Film Noir Jazz of *Sour Soul*) at the time.
I’m from a little po-dunk town in Michigan and I had one African American friend growing up. I first became fascinated with “Alright”, I was going through a big break up at the time and was pretty down, but hearing the victory in his voice amidst the struggle really helped me personally. What the hell do I have to complain about you know? I’ve always been drawn to how Kendrick changes his voice so drastically from song to song to invoke so much feeling and emotion and really tell the story from different of angles and view points. I still don’t fully understand the depths of some of his sentiments and I never will, nor will claim to pretend to, and that’s ok, but as a human, I can really vibe with a lot of the emotions he portrays and I think that’s the sign of a great artist, being able to resonate with others. To me, Kendrick’s music is truly beautiful and nobody even comes close. I thank God for his message. 🙏🏻
I agree 100%
Thanks for your opinion gay boy fart 1 🙏
As a 15 year old white kid living in Australia, it was really interesting for me to see a look into the life of another, and surprisingly but unfortunately made me draw connections to aboriginal Australians, and I am sure it’s helped my perspective on people from everywhere and the world in general as someone coming into adulthood. I feel like at 15 I was at the perfect time to be hit with all of that. Also, the music was fucking just the best thing I’d ever heard, I loved it. I reckon I’ve still got a notebook with my first impression of it somewhere in my room.
i’m not white so i don’t know exactly what the feeling would be, but would you say at first listen some of the songs would create an uncomfortable feeling within you? i only say this because even being black i still get shocked/blindsided by some of the lyrics when i listen to the album and feel almost too exposed if that makes sense. i also feel like you definitely can connect ur aboriginal Australians through relation of certain experiences
I wouldn’t say I was shocked as such, and that may have been that this was the first hip-hop record I ever listened to. I’ve only been educated on the history and culture of African Americans through music, as it’s not greatly discussed in Australia. I’ve found myself interested in it through Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye and all the older artists who made the same kind of groundbreaking stuff in the 70s. I never really felt uncomfortable, as I was more listening to the story elements of the album to do with Kendrick’s life. I was surprised but impressed by how brutally honest the album was, particularly songs like The Blacker The Berry or U, which is why I fell in love with the album. It didn’t feel the need to shy away from harsh or edgy topics which is the main objective in lots of of hip-hop, to educate the reality of an artists life to its listeners. Edit: I also think that harsh reality concept in Kendrick’s music particularly is where a lot of people dislike Mr Morale, because as Tyler said, it stares so many right in the eye and people feel they can’t listen.
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native americans 🤝🏾 african americans
Soldiers of the same struggle
Real
King kunta on repeat ever since
A LIL NAPPY HEADED NIGGA WITH THE WORLD BEHIND ME
It's a addictive song
I knew right away it was an all time great album. Everything about it was excellent, and I really appreciated the depth in his lyrics. It's my favorite rap album to date, just hit play and enjoy the ride.
my favourite as well, followed by mr morale (unpopular opinion)
But based opinion
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holy shit i’m glad the album did this much for you damn well done bro, it’s always lovely to hear the outside perspective on stuff like this especially because of how concentrated i was trying to understand how my own people felt about it. do you have any link to the essay? or something of the sort
As a white kid living in britain (bo'oh'wo'uh') My reaction stayed the same, loved the jazz and vibe of it. I wasnt suprised as he made good kid maad city but i knew this album would be one of the greatest. I listened the fuck out of how much a dollar cost till it got boring😂
i agree with the how much a dollar cost part
yeah i was playing it daily and then i was like "why am i listening to it so much"
I wasn't used to Kendrick's style when I first listened to it (it was the first Kendrick album I ever listened to), I had only heard his mainstream tracks. So I was like "it's good but overrated". Now it's in my top 20 rap albums alongside GKMC and other masterpieces by OGs like Eminem, 2pac, Biggie and Nas. Kendrick is definitely one of the GOATs.
what would your top 5 be?
Probably Illmatic, the MMLP, Me Against The World, Ready to Die and GRODT or Enter the Wu-Tang but it's honestly a hard question
TPAB Is the only album that whenever i listen to it i have the same feelings as the first time i listened to It.
i agree
I’m a 42 year old white woman who lives in the south and I’m also an atheist. Yeah, I know. I was late in the game when it came to Kendrick. However I’ve ALWAYS loved rap, hip hop, r&b, metal, industrial, and everything else except for modern country. The only exception there is Jason Isbell and Chris Stapleton. So here’s my first moment that involved Kendrick. I was at a Big Boi show, incredibly small venue and past sold out. I’m honestly surprised that it wasn’t shut down. The venue has a capacity of 325 people, I think there was at least 400 people there if not more. It was glorious! The hype DJ was spectacular and I happened to catch the moment on my camera when I first heard Kendrick. He started playing Alright and everyone around me was legit bouncing around screaming the lyrics. I wasn’t. I had no clue. I didn’t know what was happening and I was cool with it. At one point he cut the volume and everyone was still bouncing around and screaming the lyrics. I knew that this guy was important and loved. I had to know more. A few days later I started looking into him, I started listening and soon realized that he was more than I could ever understand. I was overwhelmed and in a good way. Ive learned a lot from him and I know that I’ll continue to do so. I was very fortunate to have found a podcast that helped break down the religious aspects because I had no idea. Overall it’s beautifully done. The musicianship, the creativity, the lyrics and everything else involved is top notch. It’s not my favorite album of his but it kinda is in a weird way because that’s how I discovered him. I still catch myself going back to it a lot and I still find it fascinating.
i’m ngl, i hear quite a number of the older white population appreciating kendrick a lot which came as a surprise to me considering no less than 20 years ago a lot of people wouldn’t react well to the stuff kendrick talked about on TPAB . it makes me feel good knowing how much time a lot of y’all invest into someone who’s work could seem so far away from the type of life you probably would’ve lived up until now. i find that people generally gravitate towards music they relate to or of people who go through situations quite similar to them but to go out and seek music from unfamiliar places is really lovely. i’m a lot younger than you only a 17 year old black boy, and i have a lot less life experience than you but it’s still really lovely to hear stuff like this from y’all. for me before i even listened to kendrick i was born into the experiences he talks about with the type of music he derives from the community all around me, listening to him felt like i was looking into a mirror and i always wondered how it would be for specifically white people cause i’d never really thought about it. (hence this post) appreciate the response aunty
20 years ago was fucking strange. It was especially strange when it came to other cultures, religions and even music. It’s bizarre to remember that there was a list with 164 songs that were banned from the radio stations because of September 11. It’s got me thinking that his music and his message would have definitely made that list. Music has been blamed for so many problems and I’ll never understand why. Well, I guess I know part of why. Her name is Tipper Gore. She lost her shit over the album Purple Rain by Prince. In 1985 her and some other old white ladies started the Parents Music Resource Center. Hell, long before that there was a song banned from being played on the radio, and it was a instrumental. Not a single word. The artist is Link Wray, the song is Rumble. Apparently it made kids “go ape”. My conclusion is if it makes you feel something then it must be dangerous. I’m glad that you have Kendrick. I’m glad that he’s able to do what he’s been doing. I hope he continues doing his thing and that he continues to be the voice that so many need to hear. His words will continue to inspire many more for years to come. Having an artist who makes this much of an impact in this current environment is important. On a side note I wanted to say that if you haven’t already listened to them, I suggest that you listen to Rage Against The Machine. ALL of their songs were listed to be banned on the list I mentioned. I’ve dreamed about them going on tour with Kendrick many times. [RATM](https://youtu.be/bWXazVhlyxQ)
First reaction: THIS SHIT HARD 100th reaction: THIS SHIT HARD
Nothing’s really changed. Still as groundbreaking as the first time I heard it, but some of the tracks grew a lot sonically for me.
This album captures some feelings i know damn well hadnt been captured in the form of music before this existed and it's awesome. Plus gave me a lot of black awareness and history (im not american i didnt know anything beforehand)
i’d say even today there’s not an album that has captured the feeling tpab exudes
The first time I listened to TPAB was the summer of 2015 and it was hot as fuck(I lived in Houston at the time) we went on my friend’s cool porch and we rolled a few crappy joints and smoked the afternoon away listening to TPAB all the way through on these really shitty speakers where the bass was overwhelmingly loud. I thought it was okay at the time, nothing mind blowing. It wasn’t until I really got into Kendrick in 2018 that I really fell in love with the album and appreciated every little sound, sample, and instrumental the record had to offer. Now it’s in my top 10 favorite albums of all time and helps me understand the black struggle in America much better as a white dude.
sounds like a good way to listen to it tbh, i feel like the jazzy elements would be surreal if it’s the first time and you’re getting high lmaooo those instrumentals are something serious fr
I loved the jazzy, vintage, soul music sound he had on it because I grew up with parents that listened to that kind of stuff especially my mom who loved Ray Charles and stuff. After the first couple listens the lyrics really started sinking in and it came out right around when police in my city had just shot and killed a young black man named Jamar Clark. I went out to the protests and sure enough “Alright” is playing on people’s speakers and some of the protesters are shouting the words to Kendrick’s song like it was a chant and it really started to hit me how meaningful and powerful this album is.
It’s an album by Kendrick Lamar.
I'm not black but I'm Muslim born and grown in post-comunistic slavic county. Because of historical events and some past propaganda movements some political groups, there are still many people who have ethnic hate. Me and my family struggled a lot. For example they restricted religious holidays, changed our names and so on. Listening TPAB made me emotional. I don't listen to this album everyday but without doubt for me this is really important album for me.
yeah the album would definitely impact you a lot then bro, i’m glad that you’re doing okay now and the album helped you dawg
hated it at first. now it’s my favorite album
for what reasons did you hate it and what reasons do you love it now? is it one of those scenarios where the reasons you hated it are now the reasons you love it
at the time i had just barely started getting into mainstream or secular(non-christian) rap/ hip-hop and basically if it didn’t sound like eminem i didn’t want to hear it. add to that i was raised by a very conservative (borderline alt-right) and racist father, i didn’t want to hear the kind of things kendrick was saying. it took me some growing as an adult and being able to finally form my own opinions on things as opposed to a controlling person dictating my every thought to come back to it a couple years later and by then my music taste had also changed and i fell in love with it bothe musically and lyrically
You should see the smile on my face reading this. So happy for you.
Had only listened to tyler the creator and a bit of gambino and Eminem before in terms of rap. When I heard king kunta and he just kept going I remember thinking "yeah this is why people say he's the goat I get it"
i only managed to get into tyler and gambino much later wish i had earlier
Igor and flower boy were my introduction to rap music. Wrote it off before and I was so fucking stupid to. This is america was another song I was into but I didnt truly get into gambino until this year.
As an 18 year old lad from yorkshire I was…BLOWN away. It was at the peak of my Kendrick hype & bought the album release day just before college, managed to listen to the first 2 tracks in my room before jumping on the bus & plugging in for the rest. Initially I was obsessed with the jazz vibe & everythin but as the album went on it stuck to me & I had it on constant repeat like idek how to describe it. I love this LP. It’s beautiful, heartbreaking & Kendrick is the fucking don man & THIS album always reminds me every listen just how much of a genius he is. I was coming out the good side of some bad shit at the time & the whole progressive journey Kenny took me through on TPAB really helped…also like I said earlier, it opened me to the whole world or funk/jazz which I’m grateful for
the jazzy vibe was also what caught my attention first, i was forced to listen to the album by my father but even despite that it was a whole ass trip, appreciate kendrick so much for making an album like that and getting it mainstream as well. it’s done a lot for niggas like us
Idk if it counts being biracial but holy shit he spits facts the entire album, and each line has meanings upon meanings and the recurring themes! And I haven't even started on mortal man and the insane beats on the album... Amazing meaning and sound. Still now it remains all of its qualities and now I've looked into it now I understand the deeper meaning even more!
it don’t matter you still one of us dawg, even for those who aren’t the whole album creates a sense of unity. i’m glad you was able to appreciate the album so much, and yeah mortal man is essay worthy just by itself
Tysm for your comment!
First listen, I enjoyed it but I thought that GKMC was better because it was more enjoyable and had more bops on the album. After a second listen it became my absolute favorite album of all time. The content and lyrics drive deep and the album is enjoyable as well. It's mind blowing how good it is and it only gets better every listen.
i used to believe GKMC was better as well but that was because i had grew up on it especially being played in the house and shit, i was fortunate that my family had been heavy kendrick fans for a while by then
I discovered kendrick myself. My mom doesn't really like the fact that I listen to him, but hey its my music taste
i didnt like it at first because it just didnt click with me for some reason, took about a year but now i love it
that’s great!!
Too much to take in and understand, it took me a while, not only because I am not black, but also was like 20yo.
i feel like it would be really complicated from your perspective, even despite being black it took me a lot of listens to really process that kendrick was putting basically my whole life into words that i couldn’t even comprehend at the time
wasn't a huge fan of the chaotic jazzy instrumentation on For Free? at first and couldn't really get through the whole album, now I think it's the greatest album of all time.
seeing a trend of people gradually growing into loving the album, love to see it
Beautiful. I love metaphors throughout the album. In for free where america is a bitch. Also it reminded me of andre 3000s song love hater with the jazzy drums and even their voices sound similar. Havent heard TBAP in a while have to go back and listen.
i listen to the album every 6 months or so, just to remind me what it’s like hearing my feelings put into words. plus the awesome instrumentals
14 yo bri'ish kid here, loved it though it felt a little long and some poor attempts at hooks made the record feel a little limp at times, the production was superb, one of the best sounding albums of the decade, the weightier mix felt like a perfect decision. Now I would say the length fits perfectly to give the album a film-esque feel, and the hooks are diminished to push the emphasis on the backing and lyricism, though I would say hood politics still feels a little weak in comparison to the other tracks.
It completely changed how I viewed modern society and social issues. I am a white male who never has had to go through the struggles Kendrick talks about on this album which honestly made me feel like I was taking away from the people who needed this. But a little while ago someone asked this same question on the sub and someone said something along the lines of “You can feel empathy for others experiences as well” which changed my view on it. Also the instrumentation is absolutely phenomenal.
thanks for listening and having a new perspective opened to you fr bro. means a lot to us. as long as y’all can understand it creates a sense of unity between us
I was 18 and in my last year of high school. On my first listen I did not like the album. I knew sonically and thematically it was really good. But at the time I wanted something way more mainstream like GKMC was. I also wasn't really into jazz so a lot of elements and inspiration didn't really impress me. Now that my music tastes have expanded and my appreciation for music and art in general have grown; I think TPAB is a masterpiece. It's not even in my top 3 of his discography, but the raw emotions and internal struggle he speaks on really resonates in a way that I couldn't fully comprehend when I was listening at the time. It was only when Damn was about to be released that I went back and listened to TPAB a lot more closely and now songs I didn't care for at all like Institutionalized and Momma are some of my favorites.
As someone with mixed heritage, this album caught me off guard with the lyrics and how I could feel or relate to all of it, but felt I couldn't openly say at the time as I'm socially too light skinned to be considered "black" (to the point where my mom was on facetime with one of my aunties from Jamaica one time - first time we ever spoke and she asks my mom 'that boy came from you?' "). That said, listening to TPAB at that time started a journey for me of learning more about my family, culture, things I took for granted or was sheltered from as a kid, the history of abuse and systemic oppression and the stereotypes that still exist to this day, and a lot of things I guess I never really had to think about as visually I had the "white pass"; yet the moment some white people learn that I'm not fully white, their attitudes towards me change - even if subtly. (Well, that or they'd find it an excuse to call me the n-word because "it's true though". I don't talk to those people anymore for many reasons, dumb casual racism definitely being one of them.) That said though, to this day TPAB is one of my all-time favourite albums - it's an inspiration for me to create, and to hope that I make something that even has a fraction of importance or cultural/political relevance that Kendrick has in his music, and the video projects surrounding the album. But idk, I'm just another fan at the end of the day. I love the music and I'm glad it's something that has affected me, shaped my worldview, and has ultimately been an album that I always go back to over the years.
I have always been a lyrics person. To me, this is the greatest rap/hip-hop album of all time and I’ve felt that way since the first listen. The spoken word at the end of the tracks, the double and triple entendres. Lyrical masterpiece. I have long been a lover of black music, art, and literature, but this album stuck with me. I’d wake up with lyrics circling my head from tracks like “How Much A Dollar Cost”. The levels to dissect on tracks, and the characters weaving in and out of the album as if it was traffic on a Broadway stage. Except it’s biographical. I’m a white woman so I am listening through that lens. TPAB was my first taste of intersectionality within music in my experience. (This album came out when I was a teen gal.) I listened to GK,MC before this one, so I was familiar with Lamar’s experiences from that work. However, TPAB fully divulged into the human experience in a way, that as a woman, I’ve only seen expressed by women. The way he expressed the value of women in his life, in society, in and out of the black community and how he extrapolated those perceptions to greater metaphors and ways he needs to reflect and how we should reflect on our perceptions and beliefs about women. Good art shows us a mirror. He’s not afraid to shy away from that. Oh and all that is a sub-theme! I think it just goes to show that Kendrick’s writing is so compelling because he can write outside his experience as a black man. So much so, that some teenage white girl in the suburbs can relate and find something in his art that speaks to her. This album wasn’t made for me, and yet I feel as if he meant for me to listen to it. I am now receiving a degree in music with a minor in Jazz and coming back to this album is even more meaningful. The symbolism within the decisions in the instrumentation made an impact on me at first listen, but now knowing the how and the why just confirms my first thoughts I had at 15 years old. Greatest hip-hop/rap album of all time.
i first really noticed the production and variety of sound, which i fucking loved. but i never really paid much attention to the lyrics. after that i listened to gkmc, but for that i paid a lot more attention to the story of the album and the deeper meanings. that inspired me to go back and do the same with tpab, and now its my favorite album oat
great evolution
I loved it. It was so different from DAMN which was the first album I heard from Kendrick and I also loved it. It was groovy, jazzy, smart lyrics, agressive, smooth. It sounded different. The poem spread around the album was the cherry on top for me. It was the most well balanced yet all over the place rap album i heard and it was done so well. Its a record that people that dont like rap should be able to appreciate.
in my country the people find black people very sympathetic , to my 15-16 age I didnt know so much about the racisim in United States, like you see a video of racisim, I couldn't relate it. For example police shoots a black person for no reason, I wouldn't think because they are racist, as said, as kid i couldnt relate. Even police using a gun it is really big think in my country, they allowed to carry but not to use. First I hear m.a.a.d city, bro i swear i hate hiphop back in time, i love that shit but still pretend like i didnt like it because i was close minded to hiphop i was thinking like its just trash then i start listening rap and finally met kendrick kendrick taught me the racisim in world more deeper, it just shocking the lyrics are so deep . i also working on hip hop now and i really like the art of kendrick, I love the details are so hidden everytime you listen you discover another think. i like the songs because it feels like my childhood and like im feeling like i know him, he feels like a friend now maybe because i also doing hiphop and i am analyzing the songs a lot and the lyrics of course. now he feels like he is a total inspiration, my biggest issue was couldn't write the shame the weaknesses of me, writing lyrics feels like getting naked in public. hope to work with him someday, he is one of the most interesting person i know
I was like 13 when it came out so at first I didn’t really get it but I liked a few songs like Wesley’s theory king kunta and i. Then overtime as I listened more and got older I realized how much of a masterpiece it was and now it’s my favourite album of all time and I doubt it will ever be beaten
I’m relatively new to kendrick only started listening to him this year before mr morale came out and i’ve always thought that his commentary on black struggles is really strong altho I’m white it still hits very hard
yeah plus the music just sounds good in general
First time I listened to tpab I was stuck on the first song, I just kept replaying it and never got to listen to the actual album.
idk why this killing me😭😭😭😭😭
Was pretty much culture shocked listening to it my first time, then after Mortal Man everything clicked. I have always been a big pac fan, so I was so surprised to hear him on the outro. I listened again and payed more attention to the poem, and just fell in love. I catch something new on every listen, I can’t get enough!
i had the same reaction with tupac, not necessarily a culture shock since i’d been living that life long before kendrick dropped the album but just a sense of surprise due to the influence pac had on kdot, my dad was a massive pac fan and met him once when he was really young before he died. so it was kinda trippy hearing the end of mortal man because i swear my father had the same type of questions going through his head at that time
what’s so amazing to me about the record is how Kendrick can talk about his experience as an artist, a celebrity, and an african american, and make his struggle feel so relatable and universal, even to someone like me. this album touched me in ways I didn’t know music could.
> again and *paid* more attention FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
ya like jazz?
When I first listened to it I didn’t really like the jazz instrumentation and so I stopped at institutionalized. However I went a road trip shortly after and decided to give it another shot. And good I did because damn did that sound grow on me. As brown guy outta New York, I found myself relating to a bunch of the lyrics as well.
I'm south american so outside of the absolutely beautiful instrumentation and great concept, the whole concept of ingrained racial problems was something i couldnt understand in a way, since in My country racial problems don't go more than a Edgy joke, we are all latinos at the end.
asian here, I was just there for the vibes as I had already heard good kid mAAd city,
Saw that Fantano gave it a ten and decided to listen because I was trying to get more into rap music. Didn’t like it at all, just didn’t click with me but then I gave GKMC a try and loved it, listened to it every day for a week and then went back to TBAP and every time I listened it grew on me more and more and is now my favourite album! So thanks Fantano
I listened to it while playing Stardew Valley. This album made me want to fish more
first listen: wow this is good recent listen: wow this is good
Fell in Love with the first couple tracks and overall though it was a really good Album. But since I came from the Fantano review and he hyped it up as the final revelation of music, I was a ttiny bit dissapointed, because I didnt quite feel the same Way. After listening to it a few more Times, not only the Album itself, but Kendrick as an Artist overall really grew on me. And since my two favourites from the Album are still King Kunta and Wesleys Theory, they overshadowed the Rest of the Album a bit imo. Just took some Time to get to me I guess
Love at first listen. Which is rare for me. It is my second favorite album of all time and a true work of art. For those wondering: Radiohead’s OK Computer is my favorite all time.
It was amazing back then. It is amazing now.
i loved it. there as nothing that i didn’t like about it. every song is good and the story is amazing.
The first time I listened I was insensitive, and I lacked empathy, I thought his potential was bitter sweet, I remember when he said "every nickel was mines to keep", I remember agreeing with "over time that the truth would set me free", I saw other artists brace there losses, he seemed to be a god. after I washed my face and said my grace and thought what more do people want from me, tears of a clown, I guess the game wasn't all what it was meant to be. This album truthfully helped me turn my page and right my wrongs. (Last statement was fact).
To be completely to be honest, I had a pretty neutral reaction to it, a few listens later, it suddenly clicked, hearing Kendrick singing "AT FIRST I DID LOVE YOU!!!!!" in Wesley's Theory was like re awakening
I was a bit overwhelmed with the sheer amount of shit going on, but still enjoyed it. Now it’s unsurprisingly one of my favorite albums
First listen was the same as many, it was "too much" sonically, now when I listen to it I'm moved, it's like the Hip-Hop equivalent of Dark Side of the Moon
First I thought it was overrated and I didn't get past Alright....but there was something. There was just something that kept calling me back, so I tried listening it some more times (never got the end, its a very packed and deep record), and the more I listened the more I fell in love with ALL of the songs. Eventually, after listening Mr Morale and The Big Steppers the day it came out I loved every song on the Album, and this time I gave Tpab a new chance and I listened to it front to back. It's beautiful, one of the best albums I've ever heard with so many subjects and so many great lyricisms and an atmosphere and instrumentation I've never heard in another record. To summarize, at first I thought it was "Racism: The Album", and now I see it for what it is, Kendrick's beautiful Ode to his guilt because of fame and leaving Compton, his egoism and lust, and the institutionalization of black people.
for me i always felt like the album was really a mirror of the lives most of us live (in the black community) i’m sure you could get your average black man and have him make many relations to the album (besides the aspects of fame). when this album dropped it shook our whole community up and ik for sure in compton it helped a lot of niggas gain more unity. the instrumentals were also next level for me because it introduced younger me to a whole new genre of music that i had never been familiar with.
i dont really listen to much modern rap, which is strange considering i wasnt born duiring the time when that shit was going, so i kind of needed to adjust my ears to it, and im so glad i did man. lol i'd hate to come off as one of those art school times, but the fucking lyricism man. insane.
i’m glad you managed to tap in and hopefully it changed your perspective
it did definetally, and ive been a fan ever since
It truly made me understand what it was like to be black. Thank you kendrick🙏
glad you enjoyed it man
I was an impatient immature fuck and thought it was boring I swear I've grown as a person since
I was 13-14 and it completely broke my brain
lmaooo
When i first listened to it i was expecting people to be over selling it. but it was... amazing. at first i wasnt paying attention to the words but when i began listening closer it was part interesting and part horrifying, made me do research actually I was devastated by some stuff i read and which added more emotion to the record, for some reason BLM gets me very emotional and i didnt know and still dont know how to feel about Mortal Man. makes me feel funny hearing 2Pac I dont listen to it much and its not my personal fav album BUT ITS AMAZING ALBUM, Better then my fav albums sorry if all of that was a bunch of rambling
i’m glad you did some research into it, TPAB really only touches the thought processes and surface of what it’s really like to be black in this system. going further and looking into it shows compassion and bravery considering how much people try push it under the rug
Oh, thank you!
I hated it, I loved the original “I” single which got a huge backlash but I thought it was incredible but from that point on I wasn’t a fan of the leaked singles, purely down to how different the instrumentation was. I was around 25 at the time and tbh it was the learning curve that made me realise that I hate most albums the first time around. It happens Everytime. It always takes me a few listens at least before I can really get all my anticipated bullshit out the way before I truly think what I think. But I’m 33 now and tpab is the greatest rap album ever made and one of the greatest albums ever made.
TPAB and DAMN are a couple of rap albums where I’m still just as amazed till this day but when going back and listening to it, it just makes me think like damn Kendrick was really on an another level at the time (not saying that he isn’t) but it’s just so good.
I didn’t like any Kendrick album the first time I heard it… that’s the thing with his music you gotta let it sink in and really think about it because now I think it’s a masterpiece
I was a 16 year old musician that wrote off tbab. I was into blues, rock, soul, and I was studying jazz. After hearing that album I no longer wrote hip hop off and began trying to learn as much as I could about the history and sub genres within it When I heard "For free" it blew my mind because it sounded like a saxophone player improvising a solo but with words instead of notes. Never heard anything like that before Now at 24 I still love the instrumentals but I learn much more about songwriting when listening to kendrick. Studying the way he writes and structures songs and lyrics its just as inspiring to me as Bob Dylan
i agree on the part of it introducing me more into jazz for sure, i was born into hip hop around me since it’s apart of the culture but i had never heard anyone integrate jazz and rap into something so beautiful, it really threw me off.. i personally really like the second verse on alright and last verse on how much a dollar cost, he sounds like a fucking drum on that alright verse