Lo que lo lleva a otro nivel es su capacidad y deseo de experimentar y llevar sus trabajos a otros niveles. Kendrick Lamar es grande es quizá de manera técnica entre los mejores raperos actuales y diría que casi seguro el mejor de los recientes. Cuando el hip-hop estaba en un punto bajo entre mumble rap y con la idea de escuincles sin talento al máximo está este disco como un gran respiro. Every time I started to get drawn in by a creative arrangement or an original musical idea, I'd get pulled out by Kendrick's tedious raps or by a track which tried to get by solely on production tricks.It's frustrating, but at least there's some ambition here.Įn una década en la que la mayoría de la música sonaba demasiado similar y gastada. Sometimes, the tunes are basic and boring-at other times, they point at the complexity and interest that's possible in hip hop. Kendrick Lamar is a poor lyricist and barely an okay rapper. The production is consistently first rate. In terms of quality, To Pimp A Butterfly is all over the map. Broken rhythms, choral elements which cut against the rhythms, production tricks, subtractive strategies straight out of Stockhausen, evocative use of jazz samples, and for once Kendrick Lamar has an interesting subject, although he doesn't approach it with much insight or grace or wit. Can't fault the production-lots of bells and whistles, but it isn't enough to sustain interest.The album recovers nicely with Institutionalized. This tune has a driving rhythm and bass line, but it's pretty darned straightforward musically. The next cut King Kunta takes several steps back in terms of complexity and interest. Boring, but musically it's interesting.Oh, okay, I thought I was losing my mind. The rap is the usual bitches and money whinging. It's legit modern jazz with hip hop influenced drums. Again uncharacteristically, the music that underscores the interlude that follows isn't tossed off. More to the point, it's tastefully arranged and its interesting. You could listen to this track a dozen times and not catch everything. It's a pity the lyric content isn't more interesting, but you can't have everything. A sinuous synth bass is interwoven with a chorus that cuts against the primary rhythm (I'm hearing the influence of George Clinton here), the main rap, seemingly arrhythmic Fender Rhodes tinkling, horn hits, and so on. Thankfully, the lame and childish attempt to parody early seventies soul only lasts a few seconds before a knotty swaggering rhythm kicks in. I'm always complaining about how basic most hip hop and rap is, but you can't easily level that criticism at To Pimp A Butterfly.
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