Its time to get back to my annual review of the Album of the Year nominees. As before, I'll review each track, giving it either a "checkmark", and "O" (for a good, not great song), or an "X". To come up with a raw score, I'll multiply the "checkmark" percentage by 2, add it to the "O" %, and then subtract the "X" %. The best possible score is a 200.
(All video/audio rights go to Kendrick Lamar/Top Dawg/Aftermath/Interscope)
Parental Advisory (Audio contains obscenities)
1) "Wesley's Theory" ft/ George Clinton & Thundercat
Has a funky feel to start. The track changes its point of view with the industry and the artist. The 2nd verse is smooth; "What you want? You a house or a car? Forty acres and a mule, a piano, a guitar? Anythin' see, my name is Uncle Sam, I'm your dog". A hard hitting intro. ( ✔ )
2) "For Free?" (Interlude)
Starts with a funk intro featuring sax. It carries over the message from "Wesley's Theory", and packs a lot into a little. ( ✔)
3) "King Kunta"
Backing instrumentals evolve throughout. The title of the track is in connection with Kunta Kinte from "Roots: The Saga of an American Family". Lamar uses the comparison to explain his rise, and also takes a look at the industry; "I can dig rappin', But a rapper with a ghost writer? What the f*ck happened? I swear I wouldn't tell, but most of y'all sharing bars, like you got the bottom of the bunk in a 2-man cell". Everything continues to mesh well. ( ✔)
4) "Institutionalized" ft/ Bilal, Anna Wise & Snoop Dogg
Track gives off the message that in some way, we're all institutionalized. Snoop provides a nice narration to the track, but the backing of the track feels disconnected, and I'm not sire the other collaborators provide much. (X)
5) "These Walls" ft/ Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat
Features a cool instrumental break. The "about" call & forth towards the end of the 3rd verse is incredibly powerful. Very metaphorical track that puts the album back on the right path. ( ✔)
6) "U"
Starts with an intense opening. The backing almost feels like the "Homeland" theme. The 2nd verse and beyond takes a turn. Kendrick's cracking emotes the pain & grief that he dealt with. Really personal and moving. ( ✔)
7) "Alright"
Smooth intro and a really good hook. Its a track of hope & resurgence, but backed by a struggle, especially on-going police brutality. (✔)
8) "For Sale?" (Interlude)
Intro shows a sense of temptation. We come to know that the "Lucy" Kendrick is mentioning is in fact Lucifer, explaining the temptations he faces with success. You'd think the instrumentals wouldn't fit this message, but it builds to the outro. (✔)
9) "Momma"
Bit of a weak and disjointed hook, but the verses are solid. They show a self-analysis by Kendrick. It goes hard in the outro, enhancing the track. (O)
10) "Hood Politics"
Starts off with a cool flow intro. The track focuses on survivor's guilt, but the 2nd & 3rd verses go deep into politics and the industry in general. (✔)
11) "How Much A Dolla Cost" ft/ Ron Isley & James Fauntleroy
Features a cool hook. The verses are particularly strong as well; "Have you ever opened Exodus 14? A humble man is all that we ever need, tell me how much a dolla cost". The track follows down a path between Kendrick and a stranger that he meets who begs for a dollar. The message has a good build-up and everything clicks together in the end. (✔)
12) "Complexion (A Zulu Love)" ft/ Rapsody
This is sending out a message about standards of beauty, especially when it comes to skin tone. This message doesn't become crystal clear until the 3rd verse by Rapsody however. (O)
13) "The Blacker The Berry"
"The plot is bigger than me, it's generational hatred" - really emphasizes the message. The hook could be better, but Kendrick (as usual) just makes everything work. A solid track with a big message. (✔)
14) "You Ain't Gotta Lie (Momma Said)"
Has a very fusion sound. The 3rd verse really pops. The track explains the pressure entertainers have, finding a balance with success & anonymity. The message does get a little cloudy at times. (O)
15) "i"
A notably uptempo track, with strong verses; "Everybody lacks confidence, how many times my potential was anonymous? How many times the city making me promises? So I promise this...I love myself". The track shows redemption through societal struggles. (✔)
16) "Mortal Man"
The 1st part is about Kendrick's visit to South Africa. His outro spoken word segments come full circle in a response to 2Pac in the back-half. The backing jazz theme enhances the 2nd half. I found one specific section of this to be the strongest, with the 2Pac sample; "Because the spirits, we ain't even really rappin', we just letting our dead homies tell stories for us". That's exactly what Kendrick is doing to close the album out, continuing a message.
An incredibly deep album. I couldn't listen to it in 1-sitting myself due to other time constraints, but I can see how it could be hard to. However, that doesn't take away from the album. We see Kendrick going on a self-exploratory path, dealing with his own struggles and depression. The album follows down a certain path that's concise and really moving at different points.
✔ = 75%
O = 18.75%
X = 6.25%
Raw = 162.50
Kendrick Lamar: 162.5
Alabama Shakes: 134
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