Me to fellow Popblerd staffer Michael Parr after hearing Kendrick Lamar’s eye-popping verse on Big Sean’s new “Control.”:
Been a long time since I heard a verse that made me give the stank face.
That was a stank face rap.
In case you are new to this site, please be aware. I’m not a new jack. Not one of those guys who thinks Lil Wayne is the hottest shit out. Never heard a single song by anyone with the phrase “ASAP” in their name. I was around for not only the entire decade of the ’90s, but the entire decade of the ’80s, in hip-hop’s birthplace. Just for the sake of establishing credentials.
Someone should switch the billing to “Kendrick Lamar featuring Big Sean & Jay Electronica.”
This is what lyricism is about.
And for the idiots trying to start another coastal war after hearing Kendrick’s boast about being “the King of New York,” if put in its proper context (listen to the whole line, he says “I’m the new Makaveli, I’m the King of New York,” he’s obviously comparing himself to Biggie and ‘Pac, not asserting domination of an entire landmass, Christopher Columbus style.
Oh, right, this is a Big Sean song, right? He was a’ight. And is anyone still checking for Jay Electronica? Hell, it looks like even his baby mama Badu has moved on to Kendrick Lamar.
4 comments
Trey Stone says:
Aug 14, 2013
yeah it’s really good. I’m hoping it’s a sign he’ll step it up on his next one, cuz I thought people were rushing a bit to anoint guy based off “good kid maad city.” that’s an album where I like the idea/intentions behind it more than the actual music, though it’s got a couple jams
Big Money says:
Aug 14, 2013
Maad City took a while to grow on me, but it’s easily one of my favorite hip-hop albums of the last 2 or 3 years. Granted, that’s a really short list. But still.
GG says:
Aug 14, 2013
I need to listen again. Most of the folks my age that I’ve heard from were like, “Ya, it was good, but not ground breaking.” But now that you are giving it dap, I need to listen again.
Will probably need to listen to the album again too. Didn’t really enjoy it all that much the first time.
Is this song out there somewhere else so we can pop it back in? Once it does, I’ll share it to FB.
Trey Stone says:
Aug 15, 2013
“Granted, that’s a really short list. But still.”
yeah I’ve had a hard time getting into new rappers (or just not been paying enough attention as the genre’s become more disparate) in recent years, and it’s an issue since pretty much all my previous favorites besides Kanye have fallen off in one way or another lol.
Lamar’s a guy where I think the raw technique is definitely there though, and I enjoy a few of his songs, but if he makes his flow more direct than it was on “good kid”/gets better beats on his next album it’d be an improvement. I just hope he doesn’t end up with an “Illmatic” type situation on his hands where his future work’s always unfavorably compared to his debut, even if it’s good on its own merits.