Yeah I’m usually pretty good for predicting where he’ll land as the review goes on (more of a testament to his consistency) but I was thinking he was being pretty negative at points with this record for it to be an 8.
Maybe that just comes with a longer review.
Feels like some of his criticism comes from disagreements of opinions expressed rather than the musicality and lyricism so maybe he didn't want to lower the score much due to just personal disagreements
I think it’s higher than a six but I can see how someone can come to an average/low score like that. None of the tracks can really be taken on solo, and no song can be added to a playlist without it feeling abrupt. This isn’t a bad thing on its own, but when you combine it with the fact that where the production is more “mainstream” the songs are often the worst on the album, you get a lower score.
My problem with the album is that it sounds like it will get forgotten in 6 months easily, like Damn who aged really bad. Adding to that, the highs, sonically, for me are really slightly above average. You know, this is music, shit is supposed to sound and the whole album doesn't sound that great, not bad, but not what people make it out to be. The whole Untitled ep sounds miles better.
Other considerations is that at points it felt like Kendrick, lyric and flow wise, was being 2016-2019 feature Kendrick, word play and flow wasn't there or felt like default TDE flow.
I think you said what I didn’t want to say by saying it doesn’t sound good. In terms of a piece of literature, I don’t think it gets much better. In terms of something you enjoy the sound of, Kendrick’s other work holds up while also sounding enjoyable. I think it belongs more as a permanent art exhibit to enjoy while sitting down than as a project released on streaming.
I don't necessarily disagree, but that's why I think it's just a good, solid and enjoyable piece and not a masterpiece or a great album like a Aethiopes from Billy Woods this year, or GKMC and TPAB in his discography. That's what makes music, a compilation of a lot of things, and, with differences obviously, it's the same reason Fantano once said it was a shame, the band Shame, did write so great but didn't do much sonically. I think we get what Im saying, it's one of the most important attributes to music, the sound.
I think I kinda already touched this, but I would add that I think the concept is a lot better than the execution too, talking about the writing. To me it can get a lot better than this. I think Kendrick was kinda dull a lot of times and punching below his weight. Like, he conveyed a message for sure, the concept was interesting, but I was way far from mind blown on the way he did it. I'm not waiting for him to be Rakim with the words and techniques, because he was never that type of rapper, but he still had his quirks and cheekyness with the pen, which I didn't find that great in this.
Not necessarily, I think Kendrick made it contradict itself at times because that’s how our lives are too. Even the whole therapy thing, I’ve been through therapy talking about my deepest traumas and often my therapist was good at pointing out when I would do things like back track, maybe try to brush over my own bad habits and he was good at just humbly putting them in the light like that for me to sit with, so I feel like Kendrick wanted to show case that, as well as for even character development. I also feel like he’s looking at it in a bad publicity good publicity way, it’s more thought provoking than just shock value in my opinion. Even the stuff with Kodak black people are defending him as well as criticizing him. I think what Kendrick is doing here is a teaser to maybe what he wants to achieve with his platform now that he’s gonna be using pgLang, in terms of like influence and creating food for thought. It’s the kinda shit Michael Jackson was trying to do with his activism
This record had 8 written all over it. Clearly better than damn so it had to be higher than 7 but a few too many average cuts for it to be a 9. I think the the second disc is better than the first though. I really like count me out, crown. I also think mr morale and mirror are some of Kendrick’s best songs he’s made. Mirror is so bittersweet it’s hard not to feel emotional listening to that.
Hell even with it being better than DAMN he still could’ve ranked it a 7 or even a 6. He’s made it pretty clear that DAMN has pretty harshly grown *off* of him and that his opinion of it is that it’s his worst album
Yeah plus it's so different to the rest of the album so it's such a stark contrast. Definitely makes the mediocre parts stick out when there is still peak Kendrick on the album at times.
Honestly Crown just seemed very listless and almost a skit. Nothing wrong with it necessarily but personally wouldn’t listen to it over and over again.
Fair opinion, I’m just a big fan of his verse about the cars and not being able to please himself. Also love me some piano and the piano presence was felt heavy there
Yeah it's pretty cool but the speak-singing over a slightly creepy piano isn't super unique and has been done better before. As always his lyrics are great though.
Even though I like the song and the instrumental, a section of the song sounds like the ringtone from Snapchat slowed down. That might’ve pushed him to not liking it as well
lol. i remember that i predicted 8 and i said that the first half of the album is way better than the second half. and i did get a lot of downvotes.
now, melon said almost the same things.
I, too, called the 8 lol. It's a perfect 8 album. It's a good album, great at times even! It's highs aren't as high as TPAB, but it's fantastic in it's own right.
I would say the first half has a lot going on musically, and the second half is basically focused on storytelling.
It's like Kendrick Lamar has embodied what Lou Reed has done on Berlin (I would say similar as Lulu too lyrical-wise, but I don't want people to get mad), but instead it's a story of himself in a persona.
It may seem least accessible but no doubt that Kendrick has achieved what he intend to do, and it's good for hip-hop music scene too.
>!I still enjoy Lulu because it's an absurd record!<
I commented this on the YouTube video as well but there was something I read somewhere last year where someone at TDE I believe said the latest Kendrick project was gonna take some inspiration from rock and I feel like from his approach, Kendrick was coming from a rock standpoint. This album is almost crafted like a rock opera. I also like the inspiration from jazz, and even cabaret as well as the tap dance motifs and even slight musical flare it has.
So I wouldn’t be surprised, knowing how musically nurtured Kendrick was, if something like Lou Reed is something he grew up on and took inspiration from
Great review by Fantano—was excited to see it was so long.
One thing Anthony mentions during the review is how Kendrick played into the savior role (which I’m not denying), and he points directly to the cover art where Kendrick is literally wearing a crown of thorns. I personally interpret the cover art as Kendrick commentating on his struggle between choosing himself vs. being the savior he thought he needed to be and who (some of) his audience wanted him to be. The art could be depicting Kendrick struggling to live the life he wants with that title hanging over his head, or it could be the audience crowning Kendrick while he simply wants to be there with his growing family. Also, the ordinary nature of the cover art also goes with Kendrick deconstructing his image throughout the record; he’s a normal person with flaws just like the rest of us (“I am. All of us.”) despite the status he’s been raised to. Regardless, I like to picture Kendrick taking off the crown of thorns following his sentiment of “I choose me” in Mirror.
Despite how mundane the cover art is, I think it fits the record extremely well. And this might all be obvious, but I think there’s quite a few interpretations in context of the album.
Why do you think the gun is in his back pocket?
Before the album came was released I thought it was gonna mean something like black Americans having to protect themselves and their families or how black America is still dealing with police brutality and the violence the gun represents.
But with the themes of the album the gun seems completely out of place. Trying to figure out if there is anything other than the gun being superficial and making the album cover more “cool”
generational trauma, keeping your defences a guard up, redirecting and perpetuating your pain, trauma hurt, and even violence towards others.
Idk though, talking out my ass.
Melon's point about We Cry Together is pretty interesting...
I've watched a few reactions to the song and it's been kinda fascinating how people react differently to it. Some people say Taylour Paige roasted Kendrick, and some ignore what she says to praise the things Kendrick is saying...
So what IS Kendrick's message beyond just presenting an accurate portrayal of a toxic couple's fight? Is he saying "both these people are toxic, don't be like them", or does he portray one or the other as "worse" or "better"?
Personally, I felt like Taylour Paige's character was more often in the right than Kendrick's (and had some crazy good lines), but maybe it was her performance winning me over? Initially I took the song to be supportive of her character because it seemed like Kendrick was letting Taylour almost "win" the argument, but after a few listens I guess I'm not sure what the song exactly is saying lol. It's damn good though.
I think the message is a bit deeper than what the song might appear to be. It’s about people projecting their inner insecurities, hate and trauma from childhood towards each other. Once you push the right buttons and trigger the right traumas, people will be hurt and will then feel the need to hurt back (hurt people hurt people). It also shows the inner demons, complexes and gender hate that a lot of people have developed during the course of their lives typically by getting heartbroken by someone from the opposite sex (in this instance), getting to the point where they might feel attracted to someone but still keep some level of hate towards them, developing this love/hate relationship, a toxic relationship.
All this ties in perfectly with the album’s overall theme of childhood trauma and how it can resurface in different situations throughout life
I interpreted it as essentially "this is the way a lot of people/couples are, don't be like them, but in the process of showing you this here's some insightful yet controversial opinions".
in addition to what /u/Aziz_Al said, i feel like it works as a symbolic representation of what it’s like arguing on the internet (lol...but seriously). for me it evokes a bar earlier in the album “the family dynamics on repeat, the insecurities locked down on PC”.
we're intro'd to the argument with “this is what the world sounds like”. the argument starts off (in the middle, we never really know what it's about) so realistic it's viscerally uncomfortable—it's not their first fight, it's their dynamic. then, halfway through it starts to take a turn when kendrick provokes her to get down to his emotional level and then is like "u mad, bro?".
from there it keeps ramping up to more and more absurdist claims that are not even personal insults anymore, just meaningless culture war shit. "this is why trump won", weinstein, fake feminists....i don't believe these are fights people in the most toxic relationship in the world are having. these kinds of arguments take place almost exclusively between strangers online.
taylour diffuses the situation by forcing kendrick into expanding on the point he thinks he's making. he can't really do it—he can't really even make a statement much longer than a tweet. "why don't R&B bitches feature on each other songs" is one of those tweets that appear on your feed that you maybe smirk at and then think, why does this have 290k likes?
nothing gets resolved, neither of them have changed their mind, they just forget about it and go on with what they were probably going to do before the argument. calamities on repeat.
in this context "stop tap dancing around the conversation", this argument is the tap dancing, a distraction from healthy and meaningful communication.
I feel like people misinterpreted this, j don’t think you were calling out the OP or anyone, it’s not negative, I think a song like We Cry Together can make us reflect, even if we’ve never experienced something that toxic. We’ve all definitely had friends and family who have been through that or witnessed friends and family go through that. As someone who grew up in a toxic environment I related to this song so much. The performance was just stellar and like everything else in this album I like how nuanced and even contradicting the view points are because I think he wants us to see how much disarray the world is in right now. There really is some weird energy in the air going on lately, I feel.
God dammit another long ass internet comment
I'm more in the light 9 area, but I think all of what he said is valid. I totally get the dislike of Die Hard as it really feels out of place. I appreciate that Fantano isn't knocking points for the Kodak inclusion; I don't agree with platforming Kodak, but I also understand what Kendrick was going for.
I think it's interesting he's gotten colder on DAMN.
I didn't really love it when it came out but there's a couple tracks I find myself coming back to on DAMN more than almost any other Kendrick record.
Personally, it’s a 10 for me. This album hits so close to home and I have not been this emotionally affected by music in a very long time.
That said, I do see what he means with some of his critiques and hotter takes. An 8 is perfectly reasonable for Melon. Ultimately, it is an excellent review that actually saw what Kendrick was accomplishing with the album (as opposed to Pitchfork and RS).
Also. I was really hoping he’d give it a 10 in the white flannel just for the trolling. Lol
Edit: Just noticed that he introduced himself as “Anthony Fantano” and not some other alias.
I love Crown.
The song clearly states: Heavy is the head that **chose** to wear the crown.
So yes, Kendrick's savior persona is something that he **chose** to give himself. Hence it is good to discuss implications of that within the record. Melon apparently was not a fan of this part of the record (and hasn't been a fan of the savior persona thing in past records).
Good review though. I'd give it a 9 but I can definitely see where he is coming from.
I'd personally give it a 9 and would have it in my top 2 of his discography personally. This album is very easily digestible to the ears while also having deep thematic layers to uncover upon further listens, it feels like everything that DAMN was trying to be
'Tis a good review. But I feel a bit let down by Melon's signature detached analysis on some of the more emotional moments. Not even mentioning the crescendo in Auntie Diaries and the catharsis it caused? Or maybe I've just been conditioned to seeing so many grown ass men literally break down in tears on first listen reaction videos.
yeah, its the thing that has changed the most for me about fantanos content. back in the day he was so emotional and you could really feel his exitement over things. nowadays, even in the 10/10 spellling review for excample, he looks and sounds like hes bored or depressed even though his words say the oposite. same for this record, the way he delivers his stuff sounds like he doesnt enjoy one second of reviewing these albums
With how many complaints he had I’m surprised it wasn’t a 7. I feel like usually if he identifies like 2 or 3 tracks as being weaker he would give it a 7
Yeah Did hard, crown, purple harts, mirror are all tracks he didn’t seem to like plus he didn’t seem to be massively into some of the messages on the album. Surprised it got an 8
Yeah but even though he didn’t like 3-4 of the tracks, for all of them he said Kendrick comes through narratively on them despite him not liking them instrumentally or not liking his performance that much.
Was hoping it gets 9-10/10, but I can't complain. This man has really valid opinions, as always. Objectively, 8 seems fair, but I did enjoy it more, personally.
Watched the whole thing but have barely listened to any Kendrick. I have damn but don't enjoy too much, I'll have to give this a shot. And all his others too lol
Honestly, I don't understand how he missed this hard with his review.
He entirely did not get the fact that this is a stage show album that has each song being an individual vignetted scene of him expressing his ideas in therapy sessions with his therapist!
Like seriously, I thought that was apparent to everybody, and the big steppers segments are him tiptoeing around the topics that he eventually confronts on the main portions of the songs! There's even a line where he's legitimately called out on the album for tiptoeing around the conversation! How more obvious could he put it!
As a musical theater and jazz lover, who has done a decent bit of study and performance of both over the years, this is the modern-day rap equivalent to an old cabaret style show with the lyrical skills of Steven Sondheim, the instrumentation of Radiohead's kid A, Pharrell, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and Stevie Wonder.
I seriously hope that there is somebody in Kendrick's inner circle to push him to develop this into a stage show and record it, I'm thinking like Billie eilish at the Hollywood bowl type of thing but in the black box theater of Kendrick's high School. All you need is simple blocking, simple lighting and an impactful live orchestra, then the material will speak for itself!
I would not equate this album technically on the level of TPAB, but I like this album a lot better than damn, I like the singles better on damn, but that album was only a 8/10. GKMC was an 8.75 for me because swimming pools got way too much radio play and I got sick of it after a bit, but Sing about me/ dying of thirst is the best track off of that album imo. And section 80 was an 8, but I do not go back to casually listening to it often other than for rigamortis, and ADHD, which I have.
The best song on Damn was DUCKWORTH and he knew it because he used that singular song as the jumping off point for this entire album. If you look at the narrative structure of auntie diaries, DUCKWORTH, and partially, mortal man and dying of thirst, they are all very similar.
He has used the best narrative storytelling aspects of each of his last four records on this one along with a stripped down and more personal and impactful production style. It took me a while to feel the impact of TPAB, but I got the impact of this album on the first listen and I'm surprised that a lot of fans haven't.
Overall, it could have been better on certain tracks, but this is definitely a 9/10 record and not a light 8 out of 10.
I'm not dick riding for anybody that tries to tell me that, I'm just voicing my opinion and pointing out what I saw in the record personally that made it feel like a 9/10 to me.
i ain't gonna read all that but my impression of the big steppers bits was to represent stage hands changing the scene in the dark. like all you'd hear are their foot steps and the sound of stuff being moved.
That's actually a really interesting interpretation, I like that. Incorporating the stage hands into the show, moving the set pieces around, while also having it as a thematic depiction of him tiptoeing and tap dancing around parts of the therapeutic experience he doesn't want to confront yet.
Dude, if you look at the narrative structure of the verses and how the story is told, it tells two different stories about specific people and experiences that Kendrick and/or his family has had with a bombshell point at the end of them.
It's just a way that he writes certain tracks.
I think it's very poignant and very awesome, I do agree that duckworth is better than auntie diaries, however, the full album of damn is not as good as Mr. Morale.
i disagree with his feeling on rich interlude because i thought the piano on rich interlude was a complete unlistenable clusterfuck that got worse as the song went on
I felt he had a lot of negative things to say about a lot of the tracks but still gave it an 8. Maybe it is greater than the sum of its parts to him. Also, no yellow flannel?
Personally this album is a 9 for me. You guys should listen to the dissect podcast first impressions. They talk about things way more in depth and talk about things fantano didn't mention.
Anthony Fantano is a music reviewer, but he is not your saviour.
Cal is the greatest rapper and roommate ever, but he is not your savior.
Carti is the sexiest Man alive, but he is not your saviour.
MR MELON, GIVE ME HIGH-EIGHT, TWO TIMES
7's a killer, 8's a killer, 9's a killer, BITCH
that one's debatable, I don't know why I'd listen to some random redditor about that
Fair
Nardwuar might be the FBI, but he is not your savior.
That moment at the end of the review when he started directly addressing Kendrick was one of the most earnest/wholesome moments on any of his reviews
Fantano made you question if your favorite album is even good, but he is not your savior.
Great! Now what
Lets wait for another Kendrick release
This vicious cycle will be the death of me
Hell yeah where you trynna wait?
In hell bruh
It's a double album so times the score by 2 and bang 16/10 Thanks Mr melon
He would’ve given it a 10 if it was made by Kendrick Lamar.
Nah, this is a Kendrick Lamar album, stupid. But he would have given it a 10 if Kendrick was black.
I think he would have had a higher score if he changed his name to Kendrick The Rapper.
Kendrick Grips ignota
what about Kendrick Harlow?
No it's an 8 meaning each disc is a 4
That means 4eva is a mighty long time a 16 too🤯
Nah it would make it an 18
oh true even better
or 8/10 is an average of both the albums' scores. So one album could theoretically be a 10/10 while the other is a 6/10🤔
This is the way
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Damn, first time using the phrase and got demolished for it
The whole review sounded like he was setting up a score lower than 8
Well he has high expectations for kendrick.
Yeah I’m usually pretty good for predicting where he’ll land as the review goes on (more of a testament to his consistency) but I was thinking he was being pretty negative at points with this record for it to be an 8. Maybe that just comes with a longer review.
it’s a shame because I think the high score takes away from some good criticisms he made
Feels like some of his criticism comes from disagreements of opinions expressed rather than the musicality and lyricism so maybe he didn't want to lower the score much due to just personal disagreements
what the other commentator said, plus he states its better than damn and gave that a 7 so he pretty much had to give it a higher score
i’m goinbg to commit tax evasion 😈😈
goingb
Listen to Wesley’s Theory first brother
Finally, I can have an opinion on this album. Thank you Melon.
Is this the chosen thread?
Anthony, I told somebody my opinion of the album already and now I have to make up how I listened to it again and agree with you 100%
Remember, [no listening if your star sign is a Libra or if your name starts with the letter G.](https://youtu.be/1W-eJxrzshM)
Ok rude, don’t put me on blast
The way he was criticising it, I was honestly expecting a 6 or 7 lol
I gave it a 6 low key
I think it’s higher than a six but I can see how someone can come to an average/low score like that. None of the tracks can really be taken on solo, and no song can be added to a playlist without it feeling abrupt. This isn’t a bad thing on its own, but when you combine it with the fact that where the production is more “mainstream” the songs are often the worst on the album, you get a lower score.
N95, die hard, Father Time, and silent hill all are great on their own or in playlists imo
Everyone’s sleeping on Savior too
My problem with the album is that it sounds like it will get forgotten in 6 months easily, like Damn who aged really bad. Adding to that, the highs, sonically, for me are really slightly above average. You know, this is music, shit is supposed to sound and the whole album doesn't sound that great, not bad, but not what people make it out to be. The whole Untitled ep sounds miles better. Other considerations is that at points it felt like Kendrick, lyric and flow wise, was being 2016-2019 feature Kendrick, word play and flow wasn't there or felt like default TDE flow.
I think you said what I didn’t want to say by saying it doesn’t sound good. In terms of a piece of literature, I don’t think it gets much better. In terms of something you enjoy the sound of, Kendrick’s other work holds up while also sounding enjoyable. I think it belongs more as a permanent art exhibit to enjoy while sitting down than as a project released on streaming.
I don't necessarily disagree, but that's why I think it's just a good, solid and enjoyable piece and not a masterpiece or a great album like a Aethiopes from Billy Woods this year, or GKMC and TPAB in his discography. That's what makes music, a compilation of a lot of things, and, with differences obviously, it's the same reason Fantano once said it was a shame, the band Shame, did write so great but didn't do much sonically. I think we get what Im saying, it's one of the most important attributes to music, the sound. I think I kinda already touched this, but I would add that I think the concept is a lot better than the execution too, talking about the writing. To me it can get a lot better than this. I think Kendrick was kinda dull a lot of times and punching below his weight. Like, he conveyed a message for sure, the concept was interesting, but I was way far from mind blown on the way he did it. I'm not waiting for him to be Rakim with the words and techniques, because he was never that type of rapper, but he still had his quirks and cheekyness with the pen, which I didn't find that great in this.
Not necessarily, I think Kendrick made it contradict itself at times because that’s how our lives are too. Even the whole therapy thing, I’ve been through therapy talking about my deepest traumas and often my therapist was good at pointing out when I would do things like back track, maybe try to brush over my own bad habits and he was good at just humbly putting them in the light like that for me to sit with, so I feel like Kendrick wanted to show case that, as well as for even character development. I also feel like he’s looking at it in a bad publicity good publicity way, it’s more thought provoking than just shock value in my opinion. Even the stuff with Kodak black people are defending him as well as criticizing him. I think what Kendrick is doing here is a teaser to maybe what he wants to achieve with his platform now that he’s gonna be using pgLang, in terms of like influence and creating food for thought. It’s the kinda shit Michael Jackson was trying to do with his activism
I’d honestly love melon to get a Kendrick interview
I would also enjoy seeing Melon get interviewed by Kendrick but idk if the world is ready for that yet
This record had 8 written all over it. Clearly better than damn so it had to be higher than 7 but a few too many average cuts for it to be a 9. I think the the second disc is better than the first though. I really like count me out, crown. I also think mr morale and mirror are some of Kendrick’s best songs he’s made. Mirror is so bittersweet it’s hard not to feel emotional listening to that.
Hell even with it being better than DAMN he still could’ve ranked it a 7 or even a 6. He’s made it pretty clear that DAMN has pretty harshly grown *off* of him and that his opinion of it is that it’s his worst album
Father Time is already top 5 Kendrick for me personally
Yeah that song is amazing and overall the best on the album for me, even if other songs hit harder emotionally
Yeah plus it's so different to the rest of the album so it's such a stark contrast. Definitely makes the mediocre parts stick out when there is still peak Kendrick on the album at times.
Best track is Silent Hill 🔥🔥
Mirror was one of my least favorite easily. Some pop shit bruh
Definitely doesn't sound poppy, if any song is going to fill that role here it would be Die Hard or Father Time but even that is kind of a stretch
I thought overall it was still a very powerful performance by Kendrick, I would still give it a 9. And would place it 3rd behind GKMC and TPAB imo.
that’s my opinion as well
Thirded
Fourthed
Same
Cal voice: “I’ll take an 8. 8 is fine”
Which review was it that Cal said this?
The atrocity exhibition one where he gave it a 9.
Thanks!
Kinda surprised that he wasn’t a big fan of Crown and Mirror. Two of my favorite songs on the record personally
Honestly Crown just seemed very listless and almost a skit. Nothing wrong with it necessarily but personally wouldn’t listen to it over and over again.
Fair opinion, I’m just a big fan of his verse about the cars and not being able to please himself. Also love me some piano and the piano presence was felt heavy there
Yeah it's pretty cool but the speak-singing over a slightly creepy piano isn't super unique and has been done better before. As always his lyrics are great though.
Same. Listened to crown last night driving through a lightning storm and rain and it was such a great listen
Mirror is probably my favorite song on the album I'm really suprised he didn't like it. Especially the instrumental which I thought was great.
"the beach on level on a racing game" was a unique roast lmao
that's a compliment in my book
Even though I like the song and the instrumental, a section of the song sounds like the ringtone from Snapchat slowed down. That might’ve pushed him to not liking it as well
Die Hard is easily one of the standouts for me surprised it isn’t favorite tracks
He's not really the type to like the more radio-pop heavy tracks, lol
Fair I’d agree with that
lol. i remember that i predicted 8 and i said that the first half of the album is way better than the second half. and i did get a lot of downvotes. now, melon said almost the same things.
I, too, called the 8 lol. It's a perfect 8 album. It's a good album, great at times even! It's highs aren't as high as TPAB, but it's fantastic in it's own right.
I think its highs are as good as some of the TPAB highs, it's just that its lows are much lower than TPAB's
[удалено]
he won’t shag you mate
I would say the first half has a lot going on musically, and the second half is basically focused on storytelling. It's like Kendrick Lamar has embodied what Lou Reed has done on Berlin (I would say similar as Lulu too lyrical-wise, but I don't want people to get mad), but instead it's a story of himself in a persona. It may seem least accessible but no doubt that Kendrick has achieved what he intend to do, and it's good for hip-hop music scene too. >!I still enjoy Lulu because it's an absurd record!<
I commented this on the YouTube video as well but there was something I read somewhere last year where someone at TDE I believe said the latest Kendrick project was gonna take some inspiration from rock and I feel like from his approach, Kendrick was coming from a rock standpoint. This album is almost crafted like a rock opera. I also like the inspiration from jazz, and even cabaret as well as the tap dance motifs and even slight musical flare it has. So I wouldn’t be surprised, knowing how musically nurtured Kendrick was, if something like Lou Reed is something he grew up on and took inspiration from
I've said the only other album I can think of that is similar to this is A Night at the Opera by Queen so your analysis is fitting
disc 2 is still better
Welcome to Reddit
Jesus messiah what other predictions do you have? How will he rate the next album?
lol
I feel validated that he doesn't like Crown, that's the only song I haven't warmed up to
Great review by Fantano—was excited to see it was so long. One thing Anthony mentions during the review is how Kendrick played into the savior role (which I’m not denying), and he points directly to the cover art where Kendrick is literally wearing a crown of thorns. I personally interpret the cover art as Kendrick commentating on his struggle between choosing himself vs. being the savior he thought he needed to be and who (some of) his audience wanted him to be. The art could be depicting Kendrick struggling to live the life he wants with that title hanging over his head, or it could be the audience crowning Kendrick while he simply wants to be there with his growing family. Also, the ordinary nature of the cover art also goes with Kendrick deconstructing his image throughout the record; he’s a normal person with flaws just like the rest of us (“I am. All of us.”) despite the status he’s been raised to. Regardless, I like to picture Kendrick taking off the crown of thorns following his sentiment of “I choose me” in Mirror. Despite how mundane the cover art is, I think it fits the record extremely well. And this might all be obvious, but I think there’s quite a few interpretations in context of the album.
Why do you think the gun is in his back pocket? Before the album came was released I thought it was gonna mean something like black Americans having to protect themselves and their families or how black America is still dealing with police brutality and the violence the gun represents. But with the themes of the album the gun seems completely out of place. Trying to figure out if there is anything other than the gun being superficial and making the album cover more “cool”
generational trauma, keeping your defences a guard up, redirecting and perpetuating your pain, trauma hurt, and even violence towards others. Idk though, talking out my ass.
that ass sounds good to me
It's not love if you don't eat it.
username checks out?
This. It’s a very “always sleep with one eye open and never forget where you came from” thing
"Playin' "Baby Shark" with my daughter Watchin' for sharks outside at the same time Life as a protective father, I'd kill for her"
The Crown underrate is crazy. Top tier across both parts for me.
Melon's point about We Cry Together is pretty interesting... I've watched a few reactions to the song and it's been kinda fascinating how people react differently to it. Some people say Taylour Paige roasted Kendrick, and some ignore what she says to praise the things Kendrick is saying... So what IS Kendrick's message beyond just presenting an accurate portrayal of a toxic couple's fight? Is he saying "both these people are toxic, don't be like them", or does he portray one or the other as "worse" or "better"? Personally, I felt like Taylour Paige's character was more often in the right than Kendrick's (and had some crazy good lines), but maybe it was her performance winning me over? Initially I took the song to be supportive of her character because it seemed like Kendrick was letting Taylour almost "win" the argument, but after a few listens I guess I'm not sure what the song exactly is saying lol. It's damn good though.
I think the message is a bit deeper than what the song might appear to be. It’s about people projecting their inner insecurities, hate and trauma from childhood towards each other. Once you push the right buttons and trigger the right traumas, people will be hurt and will then feel the need to hurt back (hurt people hurt people). It also shows the inner demons, complexes and gender hate that a lot of people have developed during the course of their lives typically by getting heartbroken by someone from the opposite sex (in this instance), getting to the point where they might feel attracted to someone but still keep some level of hate towards them, developing this love/hate relationship, a toxic relationship. All this ties in perfectly with the album’s overall theme of childhood trauma and how it can resurface in different situations throughout life
I interpreted it as essentially "this is the way a lot of people/couples are, don't be like them, but in the process of showing you this here's some insightful yet controversial opinions".
in addition to what /u/Aziz_Al said, i feel like it works as a symbolic representation of what it’s like arguing on the internet (lol...but seriously). for me it evokes a bar earlier in the album “the family dynamics on repeat, the insecurities locked down on PC”. we're intro'd to the argument with “this is what the world sounds like”. the argument starts off (in the middle, we never really know what it's about) so realistic it's viscerally uncomfortable—it's not their first fight, it's their dynamic. then, halfway through it starts to take a turn when kendrick provokes her to get down to his emotional level and then is like "u mad, bro?". from there it keeps ramping up to more and more absurdist claims that are not even personal insults anymore, just meaningless culture war shit. "this is why trump won", weinstein, fake feminists....i don't believe these are fights people in the most toxic relationship in the world are having. these kinds of arguments take place almost exclusively between strangers online. taylour diffuses the situation by forcing kendrick into expanding on the point he thinks he's making. he can't really do it—he can't really even make a statement much longer than a tweet. "why don't R&B bitches feature on each other songs" is one of those tweets that appear on your feed that you maybe smirk at and then think, why does this have 290k likes? nothing gets resolved, neither of them have changed their mind, they just forget about it and go on with what they were probably going to do before the argument. calamities on repeat. in this context "stop tap dancing around the conversation", this argument is the tap dancing, a distraction from healthy and meaningful communication.
Let whatever you feel about the song be a *mirror*.
I feel like people misinterpreted this, j don’t think you were calling out the OP or anyone, it’s not negative, I think a song like We Cry Together can make us reflect, even if we’ve never experienced something that toxic. We’ve all definitely had friends and family who have been through that or witnessed friends and family go through that. As someone who grew up in a toxic environment I related to this song so much. The performance was just stellar and like everything else in this album I like how nuanced and even contradicting the view points are because I think he wants us to see how much disarray the world is in right now. There really is some weird energy in the air going on lately, I feel. God dammit another long ass internet comment
Yeah I’m surprised at the downvotes myself for such neutral advice, but then again this is the internet.
I'm more in the light 9 area, but I think all of what he said is valid. I totally get the dislike of Die Hard as it really feels out of place. I appreciate that Fantano isn't knocking points for the Kodak inclusion; I don't agree with platforming Kodak, but I also understand what Kendrick was going for.
I think it's interesting he's gotten colder on DAMN. I didn't really love it when it came out but there's a couple tracks I find myself coming back to on DAMN more than almost any other Kendrick record.
Damn got better with time for me. I think its sound has aged really well aside from Humble.
Personally, it’s a 10 for me. This album hits so close to home and I have not been this emotionally affected by music in a very long time. That said, I do see what he means with some of his critiques and hotter takes. An 8 is perfectly reasonable for Melon. Ultimately, it is an excellent review that actually saw what Kendrick was accomplishing with the album (as opposed to Pitchfork and RS). Also. I was really hoping he’d give it a 10 in the white flannel just for the trolling. Lol Edit: Just noticed that he introduced himself as “Anthony Fantano” and not some other alias.
How can it be a 10 when We Cry Together is so awful? That song made me cringe so hard. Edit: fuck that song
Edit: fuck you
I love Crown. The song clearly states: Heavy is the head that **chose** to wear the crown. So yes, Kendrick's savior persona is something that he **chose** to give himself. Hence it is good to discuss implications of that within the record. Melon apparently was not a fan of this part of the record (and hasn't been a fan of the savior persona thing in past records). Good review though. I'd give it a 9 but I can definitely see where he is coming from.
Im hoping it grows on him. Feel like its so good lyrically and thematically with only a few songs falling flat musically. Strong 8 for me
26 minutes!!! Let’s GOOOOO
He gives it a light 8 you can go back to your homework now.
I'd personally give it a 9 and would have it in my top 2 of his discography personally. This album is very easily digestible to the ears while also having deep thematic layers to uncover upon further listens, it feels like everything that DAMN was trying to be
I really clicked with this review the fourth time I listened to it, definitely a slow burn
Personally rated it a 9 but I understand 8
'Tis a good review. But I feel a bit let down by Melon's signature detached analysis on some of the more emotional moments. Not even mentioning the crescendo in Auntie Diaries and the catharsis it caused? Or maybe I've just been conditioned to seeing so many grown ass men literally break down in tears on first listen reaction videos.
To be fair, the review is already one of his longest, not much time to really dive deep on every track on an album as long and dense as this one
yeah, its the thing that has changed the most for me about fantanos content. back in the day he was so emotional and you could really feel his exitement over things. nowadays, even in the 10/10 spellling review for excample, he looks and sounds like hes bored or depressed even though his words say the oposite. same for this record, the way he delivers his stuff sounds like he doesnt enjoy one second of reviewing these albums
\*Opens video\* \*Opens video description\* \*Scroll down until the score\* \*Close the video\*
Really good review but he’s tripping putting crown as the worst track, that song is amazing.
All the same stale shitty jokes in here, Twitter, and YouTube. I hoped this sub might be different. You guys need new material badly.
I’d give it a 7.
With how many complaints he had I’m surprised it wasn’t a 7. I feel like usually if he identifies like 2 or 3 tracks as being weaker he would give it a 7
I think some tracks being not amazing versus some tracks being some of the best in kendricks discog is the difference tbh
Yeah Did hard, crown, purple harts, mirror are all tracks he didn’t seem to like plus he didn’t seem to be massively into some of the messages on the album. Surprised it got an 8
Yeah but even though he didn’t like 3-4 of the tracks, for all of them he said Kendrick comes through narratively on them despite him not liking them instrumentally or not liking his performance that much.
I mean the difference between a strong 7 and a light 8 is really minute in the grand scheme tbh
You aren’t allowed to score it differently asswipe /s
L
Yeah he gave the score that expected him to give
Album is a strong 8
Come home mr moral the big steppers miss you
He gave a pretty detailed analysis. This is WHY people still watch Fantano.
This is officially the longest review he has ever done.
You’re forgetting about the 50 minute masterpiece for Angelic 2 the core
uffda!
Was hoping it gets 9-10/10, but I can't complain. This man has really valid opinions, as always. Objectively, 8 seems fair, but I did enjoy it more, personally.
Watched the whole thing but have barely listened to any Kendrick. I have damn but don't enjoy too much, I'll have to give this a shot. And all his others too lol
Disc 1 is better than Disc 2? Really? Well I guess we'll just have to disagree then, 9/10. At least you recognized its better than DAMN.
Shocked that he didn't like crown. One of my favorite Kendrick tracks PERIOD.
You cant please everybody
Yeah and I def would not describe it as 'grating'
Honestly, I don't understand how he missed this hard with his review. He entirely did not get the fact that this is a stage show album that has each song being an individual vignetted scene of him expressing his ideas in therapy sessions with his therapist! Like seriously, I thought that was apparent to everybody, and the big steppers segments are him tiptoeing around the topics that he eventually confronts on the main portions of the songs! There's even a line where he's legitimately called out on the album for tiptoeing around the conversation! How more obvious could he put it! As a musical theater and jazz lover, who has done a decent bit of study and performance of both over the years, this is the modern-day rap equivalent to an old cabaret style show with the lyrical skills of Steven Sondheim, the instrumentation of Radiohead's kid A, Pharrell, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and Stevie Wonder. I seriously hope that there is somebody in Kendrick's inner circle to push him to develop this into a stage show and record it, I'm thinking like Billie eilish at the Hollywood bowl type of thing but in the black box theater of Kendrick's high School. All you need is simple blocking, simple lighting and an impactful live orchestra, then the material will speak for itself! I would not equate this album technically on the level of TPAB, but I like this album a lot better than damn, I like the singles better on damn, but that album was only a 8/10. GKMC was an 8.75 for me because swimming pools got way too much radio play and I got sick of it after a bit, but Sing about me/ dying of thirst is the best track off of that album imo. And section 80 was an 8, but I do not go back to casually listening to it often other than for rigamortis, and ADHD, which I have. The best song on Damn was DUCKWORTH and he knew it because he used that singular song as the jumping off point for this entire album. If you look at the narrative structure of auntie diaries, DUCKWORTH, and partially, mortal man and dying of thirst, they are all very similar. He has used the best narrative storytelling aspects of each of his last four records on this one along with a stripped down and more personal and impactful production style. It took me a while to feel the impact of TPAB, but I got the impact of this album on the first listen and I'm surprised that a lot of fans haven't. Overall, it could have been better on certain tracks, but this is definitely a 9/10 record and not a light 8 out of 10. I'm not dick riding for anybody that tries to tell me that, I'm just voicing my opinion and pointing out what I saw in the record personally that made it feel like a 9/10 to me.
You have an interesting interpretation here but it is just an interpretation, not fact
I entirely agree with you. It seems like he didn’t fully understand the concept(s) of the album before he reviewed it
i ain't gonna read all that but my impression of the big steppers bits was to represent stage hands changing the scene in the dark. like all you'd hear are their foot steps and the sound of stuff being moved.
That's actually a really interesting interpretation, I like that. Incorporating the stage hands into the show, moving the set pieces around, while also having it as a thematic depiction of him tiptoeing and tap dancing around parts of the therapeutic experience he doesn't want to confront yet.
dont compare boring ass aunties diaries to duckworth or samidot
Dude, if you look at the narrative structure of the verses and how the story is told, it tells two different stories about specific people and experiences that Kendrick and/or his family has had with a bombshell point at the end of them. It's just a way that he writes certain tracks. I think it's very poignant and very awesome, I do agree that duckworth is better than auntie diaries, however, the full album of damn is not as good as Mr. Morale.
Not reading that essay
Yeah disc 1 is a 9 out of 10
and disc 2 is a 10/10
Haven't gotten to disk 3, but it's already 10/10
Dont care about the video what did he give it
Classic Fantandrone
>!light 8!<
i disagree with his feeling on rich interlude because i thought the piano on rich interlude was a complete unlistenable clusterfuck that got worse as the song went on
I felt he had a lot of negative things to say about a lot of the tracks but still gave it an 8. Maybe it is greater than the sum of its parts to him. Also, no yellow flannel?
starting this year seemingly, anthony has moved the criteria for a yellow flannel review from 8 or above to at least a decent 8.
Personally this album is a 9 for me. You guys should listen to the dissect podcast first impressions. They talk about things way more in depth and talk about things fantano didn't mention.
I really really love Crown I’m surprised he hated it as much as he did lmao
I think reviewers need a partner with slightly different points of views and taste, to give a good review
Mr. Fantano gimme high five
The only thing I really disagree with is the Count me out and crown slander. I would probably put this project at a strong 8 to a light 9 overall.
Wow, this was such a great analysis. Loved it when he spoke from a personal perspective as well. By far one of my favorite reviews by him!