Untitled Unmastered.
by Kendrick Lamar

From Skinny TOP 100 COMMENTER 03/06/2016 10:53 | #161410 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Some initial thoughts: the sound quality doesn't bug me. Sure, this could have a bit more polish, but at no point does it significantly detract from the music. That said, there's something narcotic about the production here - the songs we've already heard lack the punch and the urgency of their telecasted versions. I also feel like Kendrick can be guilty of using lots of words to not say very much; he makes vague points about society or race, but doesn't back them up with any specific details, so the whole thing can occasionally come across as a pseudo-intellectual hippie ramble. (By the way, that isn't a trait I hate, just one that I've noticed over the course of both TPAB, my favourite hip-hop album of last year, and now this release.) Perhaps the best thing about this album is the amorphous, elastic nature of both the instrumentals and Kendrick's rapping - everything here flows beautifully, somehow turning a collection of demos and offcuts into one of the most cohesive albums of the year. That said, this mirrors the whole 'hippie ramble' nature of the lyrics, and it's easy to see why these songs were left off TPAB - they're too slight, too easygoing, too wispy. It's also reached a point where Kendrick seems to be getting praise from all corners for essentially making Roots albums - have we become so far removed from that organic, jazzy sound in hip-hop that (admittedly excellent) Soulquarians retreads are held up as revolutionary? Overall, though, this is really great, and as an extension of the themes laid out on TPAB, it's a very worthwhile release that will get plenty of play from me this year. Maybe it's because I've been listening to Erykah recently, but this album definitely reminds me of New Amerykah Part 2 (though obviously not as good), and I could re-use many of the phrases I've used elsewhere to describe that album here: "rambling, almost structureless songs ... it glides by totally frictionless ... the utter effortlessness with which (Kendrick) is able to ride ever groove ... a coherent mood piece". The fact that a collection of songs deemed not worthy of making the last album can still come together to form a very good release that could be a genuine, capital-A 'Album' just goes to show how comfortable Kendrick is becoming in the jazz-rap sound he's been exploring, and of other rappers I can only think of Future (potentially), right now, who is so entrenched in his own aesthetic as to be able to pull that off. Still, for all its strengths, this is the weakest Kendrick full-length in a long-time, but as a stopgap release it's very welcome.

From travelful 03/05/2016 00:14 | #161331 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Kendrick just keeps solidifying his greatness. I'm convinced when his career is all said and done he will be widely considered the greatest hip-hop artist to ever walk on the planet.

Similar to his music on TPAB, but grittier and bleaker. It is also a bit more abstract, as the track list doesn't follow a conceptual plot/flow like his previous records. However, the songs are still very well placed and are very atmospheric and almost psychedelic in a sense. Kendrick's Untitled Unmastered to his To Pimp a Butterfly is what Radiohead's Amnesiac is to their Kid A in a sense; it may just be songs that didn't fit onto TPaB, but at the same time the songs work very well together and form a great album.

From HoldenM TOP 100 COMMENTER 03/04/2016 05:38 | #161232 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

All hail King Kendrick. This should just be titled Victory Lap.

From Sean 03/04/2016 06:36 | #161237 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

If you needed anymore proof he is the preeminent artist of right now