Top Dawg Entertainment had a banner year in 2013. They capped off 2012 with Kendrick Lamar’s prodigious release and rode the tidal wave of success all the way to a platinum album and even into this year’s Grammy’s. While good kid, m.A.A.d city didn’t earn anything that night other than a sanctimonious text message, the cultural impact of the album helped catapult the whole Black Hippy and TDE squad into the limelight. However, there were plenty of quality releases to come out of Top Dawg’s house prior to October 2012 that deserve to be talked about, as well. With Schoolboy Q’s Oxymoron finally arriving on iTunes (and those big brick and mortar things in the real world), we thought it would be appropriate to take a retrospective on the past releases of the label. Kendrick may be running ahead of the pack, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the label is lagging behind. TDE has been eatin’ for years. [Ed. Note: This list is meant to examine official albums over projects initially given away for free, thus omitting such releases as Kendrick Lamar’s Overly Dedicated and Jay Rock’s Black Friday.]

 9) Setbacks

Schoolboy Q will be the first to tell you he didn’t always dream of becoming a rapper. In fact, he noted that the concept behind Setbacks was to talk about all the reasons why he can’t rap. From drugs to women, Schoolboy had plenty of distractions and rap was only a means to an end. Given this, one would assume the album would more or less suck, but it’s quite impressive, especially considering all the aforementioned circumstances. Q had a long way to go to improve his mic skills, but the material was already in place for a promising career.

8) Longterm Mentality

Ab-Soul said he wanted Longterm Mentality to capture his life and his aspirations in the music business. While his debut was not meant to be a continuation of his Longterm mixtapes, it was still an all-encompassing idea of the themes presented in the previous two works. Songs like “Almost There” demonstrate Ab’s sacrifices and ambition to make it big in the game. While the album was understandably a little raw and underdeveloped, it was clear that Ab-Soul had plenty of potential and a lot more to say.

7) Cilvia Demo

Isaiah Rashad initially planned for Cilvia Demo to be exclusively verses, with each song averaging around 90 seconds. After continued studio time, the project morphed into an official EP (although even that can be debated given its LP length). Rashad seamlessly blends harmonizing, rapping and melodies into a dreamy 14-track sequence. Vices, demons, insecurities and hopes are all explored here, and are mostly handled exclusively by Rashad with minimal features, making for an even more impressive debut.

6) Control System

Ab-Soul may be the “weirdo” of the Black Hippy crew, but he comes alive through his music. His independent sophomore effort demonstrated plenty of growth for one year’s time. While Longterm Mentality focused inward, Ab turned his pen outward on Control System and broadened his subject matter to society and politics. He continued to self-analyze as well, except this time it was with far more polished beats and flows.

5) Habits & Contradictions

A year following Setbacks, Schoolboy Q had grown into a far more confident rapper. He showcased a better understanding of song structure, with a hit record in “Hands on the Wheel,” while demonstrating rarely-seen vulnerability on ‘Blessed.” Furthermore, he became infinitely more menacing and haunting on “Oxy Music” and “Nightmare on Figg Street.” The makings of Oxymoron were already in place here.

4) Oxymoron

After a few false starts, Q’s major label debut arrived to critical praise. The missteps of Setbacks and Habits & Contradictions were mostly absent on Oxymoron and we instead received a focused body of work. Furthering the introspection from his previous album, Q delved deeper into his drugs problems on “Prescription,” easily his most personal record to date. Records like “Gangsta” and “Fuck LA” showcased the aggressive side of Schoolboy that made him a TDE favorite and he even tacked on some crossover potentials such as ‘Studio” for good measure. The South Central spitter also proved he could mostly stand on his own two feet, limiting the Black Hippy features and going for self. While Oxymoron may not have been the crowned jewel of the Top Dawg catalog, it was by far Schoolboy Q’s best body of work.

3) Section.80

Kendrick had been around for a while by the time Section.80 rolled in, but it was this album that put the Compton native on the mainstream map (and caught the ear of Dr. Dre). Kendrick’s penchant for anthemic hooks was fully developed by this point, and he flexed those abilities with tracks like “Fuck Your Ethnicity” and “HiiiPower.” While there were plenty of attention grabbers such as those, it was Kendrick’s heart that kept people listening. “Tammy’s Song” and “Keisha’s Song” showed the depth that the Black Hippy capo had and his potential for crafting timeless music.

2) Follow Me Home

Following Jay Rock home was an exhausting ordeal. The Watts rapper had unsuccessful stints at both Asylum and Warner Records before finally signing to Tech N9ne’s Strange Music in 2010. Rock would then spend a while on the road and deliver his Black Friday mixtape before finally dropping his debut album in July 2011. While Follow Me Home was not a commercial success, it was critically praised for its classic West Coast lyrics and booming production. Songs like “Elbows” and “Just Like Me” demonstrated Rock’s knowledge for the importance of powerful hooks, while “Code Red” and “Bout That” delivered a menacing feel for his core audience. The album bleeds with vintage West Coast gangsterism yet sets itself apart with fresh flows ideas.

1) good kid, m.A.A.d city

No surprise here. When it came out to unanimous critical praise in October 2012, Kendrick Lamar said the only thing keeping good kid, m.A.A.d city from classic status was time. Well, it has been over a year and the album is still as good as ever, if not better. GKMC is a fully-conceived, thought-out story, the likes of which we rarely get in hip-hop. Not only does the album require your full attention in order to understand the narrative, but it also has some jams on there for you to vibe to. “Backseat Freestyle” and “m.A.A.d city” are high octane tracks that demand movement when being played, while “Money Trees” and ‘Poetic Justice” soothe your soul. Add to that moving records like “Sing About Me” and you have the recipe for a masterpiece.

Where does Oxymoron fit in to TDE’s catalog now that its available? Let us know.

The post Ranking TDE’s Albums From Worst to Best appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

In some ways, what Drake is saying makes sense. After all, the backlash towards Macklemore‘s win was almost entirely geared towards the universal agreement that Kendrick should have won. However, one can see how the other three nominees, despite being arguably the three biggest names in hip-hop for quite some time now, would feel slighted by not receiving the same apology from the Seattle newcomer.

On the other hand, it would seem that the core of Drake‘s statement is his belief that gkmc was not the only nominated album superior to The Heist. In fact, by claiming that “we all need text messages,” Drake is essentially saying Macklemore‘s album was the worst of the entries and that he should be apologizing to all four of them for snatching the award from more deserved hands.

While many dedicated hip-hop enthusiasts, myself included, would tend to agree with the notion that The Heist, while a good album in its own right, was not the “Best Rap Album” of the bunch, it’s ironic that Drake is the first one to speak up about the texted apology. After all, the media’s most notorious loose cannon was amongst those who went home empty-handed on Grammy night. In addition, one could make the claim that Nothing Was the Same isn’t necessarily a pure rap album, or even Yeezus for that matter.

In the end, the controversy surrounding The Heist‘s Grammy success is emblematic of the mainstream’s approval of “socially conscious rap” and a crossroads for the genre as a whole. Macklemore and scores of other fans believed Kendrick put out the superior album, and whether or not Drake gets the apology he thinks he deserves is no longer relevant.

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To paraphrase the good kid himself, Kendrick Lamar came to Governor’s Ball to party. While he certainly did just that, he couldn’t help but reach for more. Leading off with the near-forgotten yet energetic “West Side Right On Time”, followed by “Hol’ Up”, “Pussy & Patron”, “Fuckin Problems” and the remix of Young Jeezy’s “R.I.P.”, K.Dot clearly was pushing the themes of celebration and all that comes with it, and doing so while reaching out to the wider audience that festivals bring by employing some of his prolific guest work. Before beginning “Hol’ Up” and again before “P&P”, Kendrick made a point of asking who in the audience had been fans from day one; who would rock out and rap along to hits from his lesser known work on Section.80 and Overly Dedicated. The crowd would have gotten an A in enthusiasm but a C in knowledge, which hurt the energy as some people seemed thrown by the inclusion of “West Side Right On Time” and “Pussy & Patron”.

Ever the poet and perfectionist, Kendrick was not content to simply convince the crowd that NYC was the most hype city in the country, or rattle chests to the point of near-heart-attack with “m.a.a.d. city”. Kendrick’s live performance, much like his recorded work held a focus on lyrics and cohesion. To bring a greater attention to his words, Kendrick cut the beat at the end of several songs so that he could rap the most recent verse over again in perfect clarity, accompanied by the crowd.

To give the slew a songs a sense of interconnectedness, Kendrick went on several short rants, each ending with either on the topic of next track or its title—a faux-worried tangent about the crowd’s energy level led into “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe”; an invitation to drink with the star after the show preceded “Swimming Pools (Drank)”. By almost conversationally introducing each song, Kendrick lent not only a sense of improvisation—epitomized in his four-bar freestyle ending with the words “fucking problem”; cue the beat—but also that the lyrics and melodies we were hearing were the story of that very afternoon on Randall’s Island; that Kendrick had selected each track to be a cog in the real-time narration of the festival’s most consistently alive set.

Kendrick was Governor’s Ball’s most commanding, most engaging Master of Ceremonies. To ensure that his hour and fifteen minute set was the most energetic of the festival, Kendrick made a point of connecting with his audience, playing with their expectations and challenging to get loud, then get louder. Kendrick separated the crowd into thirds and reattached them with the swiftness of an aged conductor, and the frenzy of “m.A.A.d. city”’s narrator, raising and lowering them with one confident, swooping black motion after the next.

Kendrick repeatedly expressed his wish to have a good time, as if he was an audience member who had just happened to launch on stage. That’s not to say, however, that he’s remained the average joe he once made himself out to be, though. Kendrick rocked the Honda Stage wearing a scaly-looking black and white hoodie and matching baggy shorts, looking, head-to-toe like the lovechild of A$AP Rocky and a king cobra. The odd outfit led a nearby audience member to remark that he “can’t relate to that shit”, but this fan was still ready to cheer when Kendrick satisfied the hip-hop heads, calling freestyling “the essence of hip-hop”. It’s other essence may be the art of reanimating, something Kendrick also took part in during his set, as he regularly changed his delivery to be more free-flowing and melodic. This helped to make the performance feel unique and helped show, along with his mastery of improvisation and conversation, Kendrick’s ascension to artistry beyond air-sealed preparation, into heights of transcendent connection with his audience and his music. Kendrick Lamar is not beyond the party, though. Instead, he’s taking it with him.

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“Remember where you heard it first!”

That was Young Guru’s war cry before unveiling the jewel of a record he must have been waiting all night to spin.  The Jiggaman’s engineer treated his crowd at SXSW to a revamped version of Kendrick Lamar’s hit “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe,” now featuring a sharp verse from Jay-Z.  Never one to be slack on a collab—he is the reigning champ of “Renegade-ing” after all—Kendrick brings two fresh verses to this version, each one longer and more technically flashy than anything he spat on the original.

If you’d rather see the lyrics than watch Young Guru and the dudes in the front row sway back and forth, they’re posted below.  At times it is hard to understand K.Dot and Hov due to the video’s quality, so following along will help decipher their intricate bars.

(Chorus)

I am a sinner who’s probably gonna sin again
Lord forgive me, Lord forgive me
Things I don’t understand
Sometimes I need to be alone
Bitch don’t kill my vibe, bitch don’t kill my vibe
I can feel your energy from two planets away
I got my drink, I got my music
I would share it but today

I’m yelling bitch don’t kill my vibe, bitch don’t kill my vibe
Bitch don’t kill my vibe, bitch don’t kill my vibe

(Verse 1)
Look inside of my soul and you can find gold and maybe get rich
Hol’ up, Trinidad James in four weeks but now my album platinum and shit

So what, y’all keep the numbers I’m more than another statistic, my nigga
This courtesy of Compton Brooklyn go hard, motherfucker
Bevy on the East like I’m Chuck D, Dominicans wish that I was born there
I’m lookin’ to be the god MC, you look at my hat and see thorns there
I look at the game and see porn there fuckin’ this industry hard

[inaudible]…yo honey, you thought I was fresh out the yard
Don’t cry to me dummy, you’re lightweight
They tell me you nice and I’m like, wait
Go get me a knife, you’re looking like steak
And when the stakes are high, I stake out for days
When the water beside ya, make the pool shake
When we thirsty nigga, never alert me, nigga
I got a P89 in a suitcase I hope you heard me, nigga,

This is the burpie, nigga lyrical exercise
Right now, homie, I’m in the extra vibe
Bite down on the curb when you heard that I got these words
To the upper echelon, that’s extra vibe

 

(Chorus)

(Verse 2: Jay-Z)
Up in the clouds, me and my spouse
Rumors on the ground gettin’ too loudwe turn them shits down

Can’t hear myself think, turbulence, shit, almost spilled my drink
In the West with a mink runnin’ through that bitch like it’s my house
All up in the hall with a mall
Told you motherfuckers, all I do is ball
No, I don’t ‘member you, I don’t intend to empty my memory bank
There’s a million dollars in it, baby, Hilary Swank
Sittin’ next to Hilary smellin’ like dank
President Carter, name one nigga out there harder than him
I’ll wait…

I’ve been on my weight like 20 years straight
I’ve been on my vibe like 20 years straight
Don’t fuck up my high, fuck up my high
Nights like this, I don’t fuck up the pies
Still keep straight and still be straight
Fall back, bitch, I got a lot on my plate
Don’t waste my breath
I don’t know how many moons a nigga got left
Back to this joint

Smokin’ this shit like I’m tryna’ prove a point
I’m the highness, the highest title, numero uno
Kill my vibe, that shit’s a walkin’ funeral

(Verse 3: Kendrick Lamar)
Between you and me, turn eulogy to urinals
Niggas pissed off, I’m in this lil’ bitch and I just showed my fart
Leader of the new school, on my toes like a ballerina
Who knew I’d be the black swan, world in my palms
Ironically, I am the Ghost Rider’s vest when I don’t write the bomb
Told niggas when I was 16 that I’d write a 16 to put a nigga right on the big screen
In the paddy wagon at 16 should have been in the pen but then my pen

Ran with morphine, I heal niggas, touch down with more fiends

I kill niggas, audio crack, Khakis to meal ticket

Cardio lap rap–

After that Young Guru cut the record off.  Stay tuned for the release of the full, high quality version of this anthemic track’s remix.

The post Video Preview: Kendrick Lamar – “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe Remix (Feat. Jay-Z) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Kendrick sat down with Life+Times to break down the most personal track on good kid, m.A.A.d city. He says the first verse on “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst” is one of his favorites on the album and that it stems from painful real life experiences.

The post Video: Kendrick Lamar Decodes “Sing About Me” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Before and after it leaked, Kendrick Lamar‘s debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d city drew the inevitable comparisons to Nas‘ debut album Illmatic. On one hand, these comparisons are just fun ways of saying, “Damn, this new album reminds me of my favorite old album!” On the other hand, these comparisons are actual comparisons, genuine claims that Kendrick has produced something equivalent to what Nas released back in ’94.

Do these comparisons hold up? Do the albums actually have anything in common? No.

The first sign of dissimilarity between the albums is their tones. Illmatic shows some energy before Nas even gets into his rhymes. On the aptly named “The Genesis,” as low drums thud anxiously in the background, Nas and his crew goof off, anticipating the rawness of “N.Y. State of Mind,” the following track.  In contrast, good kid, m.A.A.d city starts off with a group of young men reciting a somber, solemn prayer. That solemn mood is maintained pretty much throughout the album, with “Compton” and “Backseat Freestyle” being the only exceptions. ” Illmatic oscillates back and forth between solemnity and energy throughout the album.

Perspective-wise, the dissimilarity  between the albums is even more apparent. Even though good kid, m.A.A.d. city is narrated in the present, the album – from its cover art to its subject matter – is firmly anchored in the past. Kendrick doesn’t come back to the present until the end of the album (“Compton”). Illmatic moves freely between the past and present. In  fact, on “Memory Lane,” even though he’s supposed to be taking the listener on a trip down memory lane, Nas frequently brings up the present. On “One Love,” reciting a letter written to an incarcerated friend, Nas does the same thing, both recounting how his friend ended up in jail and updating him on the current events in the neighborhood.

The most striking difference between the albums is the difference in flow. Even with differently cadenced instrumentals, Nas’ flow always maintains a steady pace, calmly and smoothly gliding over the beat like a marathon runner on a treadmill. The album as a whole follows suit, with transitions between songs fitting together seamlessly. Kendrick’s flow is more like a marine recruit madly dashing through an obstacle course: there are abrupt stops, pauses, leaps, falls and sprints. Likewise, the album as a whole corresponds: the frequent interruptions via voicemails and skits do the same work as Kendrick’s dynamic flow. Both albums are coherent in the end, but in very distinct ways.

To be fair, a lot of the comparisons between the two albums don’t even pay attention to content. The typical reason for comparison is that the albums represent the “voices of an era.” When an album is the voice of an era, it is said to be “classic.” “Classic” is always a highly retrospective designation. Illmatic didn’t come to “define an era” until that “era” had been retrospectively carved out, until the people living in the moment when it came out looked back at that moment. good kid, m.A.A.d city‘s moment has just begun. How can it already be classic?

Even Kendrick himself seems uncomfortable with the comparisons. Check this interview:

In the end, the unwarranted comparisons between these two great albums show two important things: 1) a lot of hip-hoppers don’t know their history. To make this comparison is to forget that Illmatic was not very successful when it came out; it took 2 years for it to be certified gold and didn’t go platinum until 2001. Let that sink in: in the 90’s, the era of million dollar music video budgets and multiple multi-platinum albums, Illmatic, a so-called “classic album,” was largely ignored. Sure, there were probably thousands of bootlegs in circulation, but even if you look at the singles, Nas wasn’t getting much love. That delayed reception says nothing about the quality of the album, but it does say something about the notion of something being “classic.” 2) “Classic” is a dumb idea. Both albums are good, but they’re ultimately doing very different things in very different ways. Accordingly, they should be allowed to stand alone.

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