Kendrick Lamar Announces New Album & Departure From TDE - Music

travelful
BEA's Official Florida Man

Age: 27
Location: Davenport, Florida

Figured I'd make this thread to discuss the news as I know we have a lot of Kendrick fans on the website myself included.

Here is the quote from Kendrick:

Quote:

I spend most of my days with fleeting thoughts. Writing. Listening. And collecting old Beach cruisers. The morning rides keep me on a hill of silence.

I go months without a phone.

Love, loss, and grief have disturbed my comfort zone, but the glimmers of God speak through my music and family.

While the world around me evolves, I reflect on what matters the most. The life in which my words will land next.

As I produce my final TDE album, I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years. The Struggles. The Success. And most importantly, the Brotherhood. May the Most High continue to use Top Dawg as a vessel for candid creators. As I continue to pursue my life’s calling.

There’s beauty in completion. And always faith in the unknown.

Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts. I’ve prayed for you all.

See you soon enough.

-oklama

So we are not only getting a new record but it will be his last with the label. How does everyone feel about this? Any theories on why he would leave TDE? Will he start his own label (pgLang?)? Etc...

It seems like forever ago now but TDE used to be my favorite label and one of the hottest in music for about 5 years or so. Black Hippy was killing it and their chemistry together made the label so exciting. Since 2017 though....the label has basically been MIA and the music we have gotten has been pretty mid. I've long thought that TDE controls the artistic direction of their artists a lot more than they let on. Its been years now since I've followed TDE that closely but I remember they always claimed the artists have 100% control over their art. Contrary to that I remember SZA going to Twitter to basically calling the label toxic and that they were holding her music against her wishes.

After DAMN. it seemed to me that the label was looking to continue down a more pop approach with their other artists and it flopped. Jay Rock's last album Redemption was a huge drop in quality compared to 90059 and was not at all the direction I expected him to go as the most gritty and aggressive rapper on the label. I mean he was even singing (very poorly) for whatever reason on Redemption it just didn't seem that he was playing to his strengths at all. Maybe that's because of TDE not really wanting another street rap album in 2018 that likely won't produce hits. That's just a guess though who knows maybe that is the direction Jay Rock wanted to go. The album was basically a flop regardless from what I remember. Music nerds didn't like it and I don't think it sold much better than 90059 did. Q's last album was also a disappointment and not at all up to par with his previous albums. Q is no stranger to radio friendly pop rap songs so I can't say he was being shoved down a DAMN-esque lane but that album also felt forced in a way and didn't feel authentic to me. It certainly was a flop for the label and Q.

SZA has been M.I.A, Ab-Soul is M.I.A, Isaiah Rashad was M.I.A until recently. It's like the label just stopped making music and killed their own hype. The names associated are big enough to keep some level of interest with Kendrick being the elephant in the room but now with him leaving they will really need to start actually making music again on a regular basis. I think they have a lot of untapped potential in artists on the roster to maintain well if they can actually get some quality material out there. I really can't understand why some artists have just disappeared for so long even when they have hype around them. I mean I get covid definitely fucked shit up for the music industry and I'm sure TDE wasn't exempt from that but still Ab-Soul and Rashad were missing for years prior to covid and the drop in quality was already there for Q and Rock which doesn't help maintain a positive image for fans throughout the pandemic.

Kendrick leaving TDE could be good for the other artists on the label if his artistic direction negatively impacted the other artists who are trying to do their own thing.

I'm so excited to see what this Kendrick album will bring us and what he will do next. I'm just upset that we never got a full length Black Hippy album or at least a mixtape of Black Hippy remixes or something.

What is everyone elses thoughts on the news about Kendrick, TDE, etc?
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Luigii

Gender: Male
Age: 28

Honestly, Kendrick has hit a certain echelon that only a few acts or bands ever get to achieve that the idea to leave the label makes sense. Shocking but understandable. Now with the incident of Ab Soul and Isaiah, sometimes acts end up hitting certain ruts that cap off that particular drive. May it be death in the family/friend, having to be responsible with a family or other circumstances are indicators. Hopefully TDE finds some new and exciting acts in the future. The label will need it.

But as for the record, yeah I'm excited.

DommeDamian
Imperfect, sensitive Aspie with a melody addiction

Gender: Male
Age: 23
Location: where the flowers grow.

Honestly, I could care less about K.Dot leaving a label, as long as the music gets better.....
And I'm not a fan of the entire situation, just drop the fucking record man.
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Last edited by DommeDamian on 08/29/2021 09:17; edited 1 time in total

LedZep

A bit off topic but did people here like Damn. when it dropped? Wasn't active back then. Is there any change in opinion between 2017 and now? Personally, I did like Damn when it dropped but knew it was the weakest of the 4 and since then I've played it only a few times (2018-now), which for a K Dot album is dreadful. I still regularly play Good Kid and TPAB, as well as the debut occasionally. Hope he goes out with a bang and really REALLY hope that Black Panther work was just a side job half flop and not an indication of Kendrick's declining songwriting craft.
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Finally updated the overall chart

2020s
90s

travelful
BEA's Official Florida Man

Age: 27
Location: Davenport, Florida

LedZep wrote:

A bit off topic but did people here like Damn. when it dropped? Wasn't active back then. Is there any change in opinion between 2017 and now? Personally, I did like Damn when it dropped but knew it was the weakest of the 4 and since then I've played it only a few times (2018-now), which for a K Dot album is dreadful. I still regularly play Good Kid and TPAB, as well as the debut occasionally. Hope he goes out with a bang and really REALLY hope that Black Panther work was just a side job half flop and not an indication of Kendrick's declining songwriting craft.

I thought DAMN. was fantastic. It actually currently sits at my #18th hip-hop album of the 2010s on my chart. Only skip is HUMBLE. and even that was better than most of the pop rap hits over the last decade or so.
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2020's Hip-Hop
2020's Country

DommeDamian
Imperfect, sensitive Aspie with a melody addiction

Gender: Male
Age: 23
Location: where the flowers grow.

LedZep wrote:

A bit off topic but did people here like Damn. when it dropped? Wasn't active back then. Is there any change in opinion between 2017 and now?

Disliked it when it dropped, hate it with a passion now.
_________________
My Top 100 :
www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?c=4...amp;page=1

My music:
- www.hyperfollow.com/dommedamian
Spotify: ----------------------------------------------------↓

Last edited by DommeDamian on 08/23/2021 06:10; edited 1 time in total

RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

Location: Ground Control

Yeah I dug the more pop direction of DAMN. I know the elitists didn't.

I will say it's been a bit since I've listened all the way through, but the tracks that come up in playlists and the such I still dig.

For me pop is often a great way of getting rid of the shroud of mystery and let the sunshine in. I know lots love the shroud of mystery and I do too, but sunshine is just so much more beautiful in communicating to all humans.

baystateoftheart
Neil Young as a butternut squash

Age: 29
Location: Massachusetts

LedZep wrote:

A bit off topic but did people here like Damn. when it dropped? Wasn't active back then. Is there any change in opinion between 2017 and now? Personally, I did like Damn when it dropped but knew it was the weakest of the 4 and since then I've played it only a few times (2018-now), which for a K Dot album is dreadful. I still regularly play Good Kid and TPAB, as well as the debut occasionally. Hope he goes out with a bang and really REALLY hope that Black Panther work was just a side job half flop and not an indication of Kendrick's declining songwriting craft.

Yes. BEA's #1 album of 2017 then and now. I think it's a great album and his third best (although Section.80 has higher highs). Can't say I'm confident this next one will be great though. Rumor has (had?) it that it will go in a rap rock direction... Confused

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RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

Location: Ground Control

He'll do great as long as he brings Anthrax along... hehe.