"If these POLLs could talk" - Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly

I completely disagree - I think the material here is mostly as strong taken individually as well as collectively.

It's more how I find myself listening to it. It's not that the material isn't strong, just that his music has a collagey / cut-up vibe to it that makes me not really pay attention to individual songs so much

Like, obviously it is best listened to from beginning to end, like a lot of albums are - but shuffle play doesn't ruin the LP either.

fine, you're right and i'm wrong

I basically never listen to "For Free," "u" or "Mortal Man" tbh

I think I've played "u" more than any other song on this album aside from maybe "The Blacker the Berry"

That's probably the same with me with 'Mortal Man', tbh.

The a cappella rap at the end of 'i' into 'Mortal Man' is a great bit of sequencing - really wouldn't want it any other way!

"complexion" is the worst song on this record, though rapsody's verse is good. feels like a bad common track

kunta is great obv but i feel like it loses momentum after the beginning

momma is probably my favorite. opener is dope too

think im gonna go with hood politics, lyrics are a little on the nose, but my favorite example of his rappin-ass-rapping on the record, and the sufjan flip is genius

Aw, I really like 'Complexion'!

Yeah, Complexion is awesome

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Sometimes it feels like every time I listen to this album I have a different favourite, right now 'The Blacker the Berry' is flooring me.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Damn I did not expect a blow out

you got a bone to pick?

Only 4 votes for These Walls?????????????

Life ain't nothing but dark smooth jazz

I think "The Blacker the Berry" is a more viscerally powerful song than "Alright," but I'm pretty in sync with these results. "u" is certainly one of the album's more distinct tracks, but it's not one that I ever listen to out of context.

just glad For Free got a vote

I'm far more surprised at 'Momma' getting more votes than 'Wesley's Theory' than the amount of votes for 'King Kunta', which is indeed awesome.

I'm a little bummed that "For Sale?" didn't get a vote, such a beautiful (if a little meandering) track.

Yeah, both that and 'Complexion' both deserved a vote.

I just listened to this in its entirety in the car today, at my son's behest (he loves DAMN but was too young when TPAB came out and hadn't actually heard it all), and these results basically mirror my mental ranking as we were going through the album. (I still wish the single version of i was on there -- it's a great track, and he the fake-live treatment with the negus lecture totally steps on it.)

I'll never get why people are so down on the album version of 'i', which fits better conceptually than the single version would. The transition from that into 'Mortal Man' is one of my favourite moments on the record.

Damn, yall really like King Kunta

I'm a little bummed that "For Sale?" didn't get a vote, such a beautiful (if a little meandering) track.

― bodak horseman (voodoo chili), Thursday, October 12, 2017 1:58 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yea that is a good one

xpost:

It's one of the most conventional tracks on the record and reminiscent of a certain type of '90s hip-hop style, so it's not really surprising!

I'll never get why people are so down on the album version of 'i', which fits better conceptually than the single version would. The transition from that into 'Mortal Man' is one of my favourite moments on the record.

Because it works conceptually but the second half is a chore to listen to.

"king kunta" is very conventional yes, but i thought people liked this album for being "difficult" and not conventional? bizarre pick for favorite track, i wouldn't call it a highlight on any of kendrick's albums

Conventional in what way? Because it's catchy? Or are there other songs you think it's ripping off?

xpost:

For me the appeal of this album is a combination of the lyrical content, the delivery of said content, the production throughout which is so OTM and the way everything is tied together conceptually. The whole package of this thing is incredible. One of the few "long" albums that doesn't feel overlong and keeps me completely engaged throughout. I don't think it's a difficult or even a challenging record - it's pure ear candy to me and exciting to listen to.

catchy and adheres to conventional structure, don't think it's ripping anything off in particular xp

U is so good it's way too low here. Xpost up thread that U captures depression/self loathing perfectly OTM

prefer DAMN tho overall, TPAB is conceptually solid but DAMN is more digestible to me overall as just a record to put on and roll

Complexion and you ain't gotta lie are really great album tracks too

I love DAMN., but I'll never prefer it to this.

U is one of the most haunting and true songs i've ever heard. starting to prefer this to DAMN, just needed time

for sale is so good

turrican otm throughout this thread

Thanks Ross - this is still very much my album of the decade, although The 1975's I Like it When You Sleep... isn't too far behind.

i will probably have to hear that 1975 record. yeah i prefer TPAB to DAMN by a margin now, but i still feel DAMN is easier to listen to front to back, and also the reverse version is really cool. TPAB really needs to be absorbed as a whole statement and im not sure if im alone in feeling that kendricks speech to the crowd and subsequent interview with Tupac are almost tear inducing in their call to justice.

There's a few people that don't really like stuff like the ending to the album version of 'i' and the long outro to 'Mortal Man', but I disagree - I couldn't think of a better ending to the album. I just think it's perfect.

agreed!

honestly i love the poem throughout and any time Kendrick just drops monologues, he is always engaging.

the only kendrick song i can think of disliking is the acoustic one on untitled

The jam session?

yeah, the one with singing about the head or whatever - felt like one of those moments where an artist is surrounded by people telling them they can do anything, so they do without considering that it maybe sucks.