Kendrick Lamar received a Pulitzer Prize for the rap album DAMN. So, now all you rich, preppy, ivy-educated finance nerds have a reason to go out and listen to it at least once. Report your critiques, dislikes, or praises of the decision here.
Seriously interested in thoughts, though.
| +86 | GF doesn’t care about her looks | 54 | 2m | |
| +59 | Affair with my Associate… In Desperate Need for Advice | 23 | 17h | |
| +49 | How to sound more eloquent? | 17 | 5h | |
| +38 | 400k/year in HVAC sales? | 26 | 1d | |
| +33 | Would you rather live alone in an outer borough or with roommates in Manhattan? | 23 | 2d | |
| +29 | WSO Ranking On Resume??? | 7 | 3h | |
| +27 | Why do people listen to Jim Cramer Investing Advice? | 10 | 20h | |
| +26 | Carnivore Diet | 9 | 21h | |
| +26 | Is my boss gaslighting me? | 3 | 19h | |
| +22 | Chaotic Insane investment banker who passed away in the 90s or 2000s | 12 | 1d |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
Wow, impressive.
'Humble' is one of my jump rope songs. It has a good beat.
Big fan of DNA too, although the ending gets weird
I have the same opinion. DNA is so much hype in the beginning and ends weirdish. Love Humble also.
Ending is actually very impressive. It was all freestyled as he didn't want to cut off the flow he had going. The dude is crazy talented.
Homo
You've never done any type of boxing training in your life, have you...
GKMC>TPAB>DAMN.
Incredible he won a Pulitzer, fully deserving of it, but no Kendrick fans think DAMN. is better than his prior two. Perhaps if the awards committee hopped on it earlier, they would've given him the award for TPAB
GKMC changed my life. I was blown away when I saw him in 2015. He truly is a once in a generation talent.
If you have never bothered to give Kendrick a listen, highly recommend Money Trees, Sing about Me, Blacker the Berry, and FEAR.
Agreed, GKMC is by far his best work so far (one of my personal favorite albums in general), though I think DAMN. turned out better than TPAB
I disagree.
GKMC = storytelling TPAB = jazzy, spiritual DAMN. = perfection of the two to make Hip Hop
Agree, although it is storytelling @iBankedUp" GKMC is just on another level.
I've been listening to him since Section 80, I'll never get tired of bumping A.D.H.D, he's come a long way. The GOAT
Rigamortis in Section 80 is on another level entirely.
Kendrick always does A.D.H.D during his shows. Really appreciates his fans
The reason it won the pulitzer is because of this
https://www.reddit.com/r/KendrickLamar/comments/65lbhn/a_tale_of_two_ke…
He's the first non-classical, non-jazz winner in Pulitzer history for this category. That in itself is an incredible achievement.
TPAB > GKMC > DAMN. TPAB is an incredible album (10/10) whereas I would categorize GKMC as a great album (9/10) and DAMN as a good album (8/10). These 3 albums represent one of the best trios in hip-hop/ music history. K.Dot is already one of the best five rappers of all time, in my opinion.
Let's circle back to why I rate TPAB above GKMC & DAMN. TPAB is a cohesive exercise in how far hip-hop has come since its origination, and how the best hip-hop smoothly weaves various genres together into a unified sound that can only be described as hip-hop. From disco to funk to jazz to reggae to the blues, it's all there. Kendrick tames those sounds and unloads a barrage of impeccable rap. From Wesley's Theory to Mortal Man, dude delivers. The pacing is phenomenal. The album takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride that somehow feels like coasting when you're done listening. TPAB feels like it should be listened to as an entire album, not song by song. This is the chief mark of an outstanding album.
I'm not going to go song by song here but when you rundown the playlist it's amazing how it all just FITS. Starting with "Wesley's Theory", which brings the smooth funk of George Clinton and samples Boris Gardner, you get the message. This album is not GKMC. There are no safe trappings like "Swimming Pools/ Drank" for the frat/ sorority crowd to ingratiate themselves to. This album is unapologetically "black", and fuck you if you have a problem with that (not saying this directly, just the reality of the album's message). He takes it up a notch with "For Free?" and returns to the funk with "King Kunta". Just when you need a pause he brings in Snoop Dogg for "Institutionalized" with the mellow delivery so everyone can calm the hell down. Shoutout to Bilal for his contributions on "Institutionalized" and "These Walls", he did outstanding work. After all the general gloom and doom, he brings us "Alright" in order to assure the audience that black people, and all people in general, will, in fact, be fine. America won't, in fact, disolve into a dystopian society. We've made progress. That should be acknowledged. "Complexion" is a celebration of black togetherness and defiance against the "colorism" that seems to affect much of the black community. "The Blacker the Berry" is a rebuke of society's depiction of the black man as well as the black man's penchant to be prisoner to his circumstance. "You ain't gotta lie" is as it sounds; the track speaks on society's pressures that result in people struggling to meet some sort of standard. Whether that's fronting like you're a gangbanger to seem "black enough" to impress your more questionable associates (as I'm sure Kendrick sometimes had to resort to) or just a dude trying to get laid at a bar. It's an ideal follow-up to "The Blacker the Berry" in the context of the black man's penchant to be prisoner to their circumstance. He ends it with "Mortal Man", an open question to everyone. If I'm torn down as an individual and I hit the valleys of life will you all as fans still support me? Friends that might be around due to my success will you still be around? Black people, will you still be around? It's a perfect ending to an album that was a sharp departure to what mainstream America expected from the guy who released GKMC.
The album is cohesive from a musical standpoint, impeccable from a lyrical standpoint, and relentless in its messaging. Additionally, a guy on the verge of pop fame following up "Drank" with "The Blacker the Berry"? That takes artistic bravery rarely seen in the music business. For me, GKMC is a great album, in the classical west coast gangsta rap sense, and DAMN is a pop album, right down to the Rihanna and U2 features. Somehow Kendrick made me enjoy a pop album, that's how great he is as a musician.
As for the Pulitzer, who cares? Kendrick doesn't need to be recognized by outdated institutions (like the Grammys who hilariously chose Macklemore for rap album of the year over GKMC and Taylor Swift for album of the year over TPAB). History will speak for itself. His contribution to Hip-Hop, and music in general, will speak for itself.
p.s. if you're a true fan of Hip-Hop, and good music in general, check-out Vacation in Hell by Flatbush Zombies (the album cover is presently my avatar). It's currently the best rap album of the year, in my opinion.
Also check out the following (more obscure) artists: Mick Jenkins, Earthgang, J.ID., Isaiah Rashad, Ab Soul, Joey Badass, YGTUT, Vince Staples, Big KRIT, Smino, Anderson Paak.
This is an excellent write up. But it made me think about why I like DAMN. more than the other two. I’ll try to quickly capture what I see from this album as being so great. I think it’s just a feeling of rap has always been about moving the crowd first and foremost.
Sugarhill Gang said, “A hip hip hop, till you don’t stop”, which means absolutely nothing but sounded amazing on the beat. At the same time that MCing started, it accompanied DJing and breakdancing. Original hip hop took place in back rooms and house parties with a DJ just scratching some records to make people feel good and then an MC hopping on the mic to call and interact with the crowd.
To me, TPAB is great because many have tried the conscious/spiritual route in rap but failed. It’s challenfing to command different sounds because it takes clarity of direction and focus to put it all together along with the lyrics that guide the listener through these intricate emotions Kendrick is trying to capture just like you mentioned.
DAMN. goes back to that OG hip hop. It really is just as conscious as Secrion 80 (which was the most preachy album Kendrick has ever dropped with the voice over instructing people to think about their internal power) and GKMC (which wasn’t preachy, relied on storytelling, but had many breaks from the action with songs like Swimming Pools, Bitch Don’t Kill my Vibe, or The Recipe, intricately woven into the story making it a little poppy as Kendrick no doubt needed to prove himself on his first official album).
What DAMN. is, is a continuation of not having that responsibility to the world to make pop music, making every song on the album significant to a harmonious goal. Each track focuses on a specific topic of human experience which might make them all seem unrelated.
What is felt is something philosophers talk about, this idea of a common human experience. If we’re all part of nature, we ascribe to ‘The Whole’ which is that our bodies return to the earth but virtues or vices live on forever to be inherited by the next generation. Kendrick calls it his ‘DNA.’
But the album focuses on this one idea of no matter what, wickedness or weakness, fear or just culture, it really doesn’t matter because, either way these are just ways to define the inequities in the culture as a result to flaws in history and in the world.
It doesn’t need to sound good according to traditional conscious rap but it does, which is a testament to how hard Kendrick works. You should be able to dance to it or bop your head. That’s what music is for and definitely what hip hop has been about since it started. All great musicians make people feel good through lyrics and sound. Kendrick is a master at it in the hip hop way, so that’s what I appreciate about it.
Great right up, but I want to add that TPAB had some of the hottest names in Jazz/Fusion help produce it. Specifically Kamasi Washington (like a modern John Coltrane), Flying Lotus and Thundercat. Also Vacation in Hell is a great album, love the Joey Bada$$ feature.
I've got the beat to Money Trees playing in my head while I read this. Great stuff.
I like them all, DAMN was my gateway to GKMC, which I'm into right now. Maybe I'll put on TPAB as my background while I pretend to work on a Friday.
nice write up
-Trash can
Kendrick Lamar is a talentless loser. The Pulitzer rightfully belongs to LIL DICKY
DAMN...I feel as old as Methuselah after reading this thread.
I guess nobody likes Dr. Dre, Too Short, Eazy-E, Tupac, etc. anymore. I have never heard this guys music or felt older in my life. I’ll go buy the albums soon. Great summary BobTheBaker
Gotta stay current if you truly enjoy the genre. Also, I still love Pac & NWA.
Love NWA and Biggie as well!
I generally go with my Ice Cube Pandora station which has most of those artists. Guessing the Pandora part makes me old, too.
In my opinion the best Pandora hip-hop stations (as far as quality of artists and a good mix of older and newer hip-hop) are: Big KRIT (half of his station is classic southern hip-hop), Earthgang (they play alot of very good new artists here, some I've had the pleasure of "discovering"), Joey Badass (fair amount of old and new school east coast plus other new artists), and Ab Soul (you'll get plenty of the entire TDE crew here (which includes Kendrick) and newer artists/ old school west coast).
Man, Nobel is worthless and now the Pulitzer? Modern entertainment truly is crap.
I’m curious to hear you explain ‘crap’. A Pulitzer isn’t something a plebe like me is familiar with. I only know of it’s significance from what I’ve read.
Look at the previous winners. Usually classic music or something that has been around.
Damn is too current to get an award. Same with giving Obama a nobel before he did anything.
Maybe Damn stands the test of time. In reality, this is the Pulitzer debasing themselves.
I’ll stand back and wait for the bleeting sheep to cry racist.
Awards are nice, so good for him. I'm not a hip-hop guy--I don't think I've ever listened to Kendrick Lamar. However, in my view these prizes really should go to writers rather than musicians. I didn't like Bob Dylan winning the Nobel Prize for Literature either.
Isn't it specifically a Pulitzer for music? He wrote/ cowrote every song on DAMN.
damn good album. Not exactly the variety of rap I enjoy but it has artistic merit.
His early work was a little too new wave for my tastes, but when DAMN. came out, I think he really came into his own, commercially and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost.
If you must know, I live in the American Garden Building on W 81st St on the 11th floor.
I can’t help but have a cynical view of this. Yes, his music is incredible and enjoyable to listen to just as many things are, but this to me feels similar to when Bob Dylan won the nobel prize. To me, the Pulitzer is a different kind of award, one that specifically caters to classical and jazz genres. It’s not that rap music is better or worse, it’s just a different thing. Just as Art-house cinema isn’t popular film, I think there are reasons why Pulitzer winners traditionally exist in a subculture. Not to discredit Kendrick, there are endless awards he may deserve to win, but this feels like the Pulitzer’s attempt to gain popularity.
I like GKMC more than DAMN.
Post Malone just dropped his album last night FYI (not to hijack), after one listen in I liked it a lot and would recommend it to people who like Post Malone lol
Post Malone is trash
I avoid mumble rap like the plague
The Pulitzer committee really dropped the ball here by overlooking the far superior remix of Kendrick Lamar's album by Litquidity, EBITDAMN.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVR-5qkFc1F/
Straight Outta Comps slaps.
Damn I'm loving that this dropped
-Trash Can
In cum ut dignissimos quidem sit quia magni nam. Similique sint voluptatem sint et tenetur. Quia iusto voluptate blanditiis ratione iure repellendus maxime. Ut est optio cumque facilis. Qui ullam sint optio maxime occaecati quisquam eius qui.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Nostrum eius tempore voluptatem est aliquid. Ut officiis ut ut qui earum autem. Et in corrupti non dolorem quia officia. Asperiores autem sapiente excepturi repellendus maxime consectetur est autem.
Ea aut neque dolor modi ut vitae. Porro id molestias similique ex eos rerum aut earum. Velit atque qui necessitatibus quisquam. Quia vitae laboriosam at minus quia eligendi. Pariatur non qui velit sunt tenetur dolorem error ut. Atque ut quo ut ipsam sunt ut ullam.
Nesciunt aperiam consequatur ut velit animi consequuntur rerum omnis. Inventore molestias eaque qui dolorem. Autem et velit quae repellendus consequatur fugit. Sed quia asperiores est hic est. Sed officia et nostrum repellat praesentium.
Tenetur facere temporibus corporis illum cum unde sit. Unde commodi excepturi voluptatem dignissimos rerum esse libero. Qui qui est qui. Pariatur consequatur repellendus doloremque accusantium aut eius et. Quod maiores odit molestiae facere magni ut.