BYHH GW2: Group B - 1994 vs. 2015

[Repo]

[RoundTheBend]

1994 (captain: baystateoftheart) - possibly will revisit... it's quality but I'm not in love with anything except for Organized Konfusion... may revisit before settling on the (10.5)
Digable Planets - Blowout Comb (2.5)
Organized Konfusion - Stress: The Extinction Agenda (3)
Erule - Listen Up (2.5) can see why this is a summer playlist jam for ya skinny
A Tribe Called Quest - Electric Relaxation (2.5)

vs.

2015 (captain: Purplepash) (10)
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly (3) - no comment needed
Vince Staples - Summertime '06 (2.5)
Dr. Dre - Talking to My Diary (2)
ASAP Rocky - L$D (2.5) - I've never heard a hip-hop song like this before tbh. I really liked it at first, but can't tell if it is just novelty just yet.

Nothing final here - just wanted to give my first gut reaction here.

Upon final review, 1994 gets the cake.

[PossiblyMichigan]

Yeah not to underestimate the impact of To Pimp A Butterfly at all, it's a fantastic album but 6 years on Kendrick's pleas for afro collectivism seem a little bit more disingenuous than they did on release (this isn't my white take overreaching, it's stuff I've read and found myself agreeing on in Noname interviews re Kendrick and J Cole's community outreach). Not to use this to discredit how good TPAB is but it's the things like that that are gonna make me separate such a tough bracket. Well that and a rather lackluster Dre song. Andddd that Vince Staples album while really good is certainly overstuffed, especially in comparison to the much much tigher Big Fish Theory. Also yeah, Digable Planets, one of my favorite groups ever. Stress: The Extinction Agenda blew my mind when I was first getting into hip hop. Does it less so but I greatly enjoy it still. That Erule single is great. Muchhhh tighter matchup than I thought going in.

[babyBlueSedan]

I gave Blowout Comb another listen, and my opinion on it hasn't really changed. The music is nice but the vocals being buried so much makes it hard for me to focus on them. Which would be fine if I found the music amazing, but I don't. It's just nice. It probably sounds better in the summary than in February, but I'm not sure a different setting would be enough to sell me on it.

Despite not really caring for Blowout Comb I still expected to vote for '94 because "Listen Up" is easily the best single in this group and "Electric Relaxation" is easily the second best. But after thinking about it more I'm going with 2015. I listen to those two albums much more than I do Organized Konfusion, and though the '94 team feels more complete I just can't get over the fact that I much prefer those albums. And the 2015 singles aren't weak exactly, just not amazing.
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[cestuneblague]

Yeah To Pimp a Butterfly is a giant, gonna make any team formidable, and Summertime '06 is actually still my favorite hitherto Staples release, I don't mind the inconsitiency because I love the many moods and different stories/impressionistic moments here that aren't quite as prevelant on the admittely tighter and more mature craft of his following albums. But... I really don't care for those singles at all.

94 has two albums I like but don't really love (although Stress is def close), but I may like the overall team better than '15 perhaps because of the very lopsided singles comp. Still doing some listening so vote can still be won either way.

[Hayden]

I should be able to figure this one out by now, but I really can't. I wish 2015s singles were just a bit stronger... I think To Pimp A Butterfly adds this massive weight, but the Dre/A$AP selections drag the team down a smidge.

I'd rank the albums like this—
1. To Pimp A Butterfly (way out front)
2. Stress
3. Blowout Comb
4. Summertime '06 (which isn't toooo far behind really)

And the singles like this—

1. Electric Relaxation (way out front)
2. Listen Up
3. Talking To My Diary
4. L$D (which is quite far behind)

Which adds up to... maybe a slightly more consistent '94 team? I think. I'm just having a hard to going against Kendrick here.
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[travelful]

This was one of the toughest match-ups for me this round. Ultimately I think Kendrick carries the 2015 team just barely enough for my vote. I love all four albums here, however I think TPAB's weight gives a nice lead before getting into the singles. I think I'd rank the albums like this:

TPAB>>Stress>=Summertime 06>Blowout Comb

There are better 2015 singles to use, but I respect the L$D pick. It's awfully nostalgic for me nowadays and addicting enough that it is one of the standout singles of the year in retrospect. The Dr. Dre track is meh, not necessarily bad when listening but pretty forgettable just like the album it's on. Both 94 tracks are just killer 10/10 tracks.

[RoundTheBend]

[Repo]

[baystateoftheart]